Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Feds to Use Fires to Lower Washington Wildfire Risks
May 1 2017 // To reduce the risks of wildfires, federal officials this spring are planning to conduct controlled burns on more than 9,000 acres of land in Washington state forests. The Seattle Times reported the fires planned in the...
Regulators in California Hit PG&E with $8.3M Fine for Deadly Wildfire
Apr 27 2017 // Regulators say they have fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. $8.3 million for failing to maintain a power line that sparked a massive blaze in Northern California that destroyed 549 homes and killed two people. The...
Official Says Georgia Wildfire Could Go On For 6 Months
Apr 26 2017 // A wildfire in Georgia that has scorched more than 70 square miles (180 square kilometers) of public lands near the Georgia-Florida state line could burn for the next six months unless heavy rains snuff out the flames...
Feds Will Use Fires to Lower Washington Wildfire Risks
Apr 24 2017 // To reduce the risks of wildfires, federal officials this spring are planning to conduct controlled burns on more than 9,000 acres of land in Washington state forests. The Seattle Times reported the fires planned in the...
Officials Warn of Possible Evacuations in Georgia as Okefenokee Wildfire Spreads
Apr 19 2017 // Georgia residents on the western edge of the Okefenokee Swamp have been warned to prepare for potential evacuations from an approaching wildfire that has burned more than 30 square miles (80 square kilometers) of public...
Florida Wildfires Burn More Than 126K Acres So Far in 2017
Apr 19 2017 // At least 126,000 acres have burned in wildfires across Florida since January, surpassing the five-year average of acreage burned in a typical year, officials said. Florida’s fire season peaks this month, during the...
Average to Below-Average Wildfire Season Expected for Colorado
Apr 17 2017 // Colorado is in store for an average to slightly below-average wildfire season this year, despite dry conditions and early outbreaks on the eastern plains, officials said. “But the fires will occur,” said...
Caution Urged as Wildfire Season Starts in New Jersey
Apr 17 2017 // The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is urging residents to be cautious as the spring wildfire season starts in the state. The agency says this year’s season is starting a little earlier than usual because winter...
Arson Wildfires in Florida Up Nearly 70%
Apr 17 2017 // Florida officials say the number of arson wildfires has increased nearly 70 percent compared to last year. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Friday there have been more than 240 separate arson wildfires so far this...
This Year Already One of Oklahoma’s Most Active for Wildfires
Apr 17 2017 // Oklahoma Forestry Services officials say 2017 is already among the most active years on record for wildfires. The agency has responded to more than 800 wildfires so far that resulted in more than 450,000 acres of burnt...
Aon: Insured Losses Likely to Exceed $2B from March Storms, Wildfires
Apr 17 2017 // Severe weather in March led to significant damage in the central and eastern United States, racking up more than $2 billion in insured losses, according to a report published by Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s...
Wildfire in Georgia Wildlife Refuge Grows to 6,000 Acres, Spares Communities
Apr 13 2017 // A wildfire sparked by lightning in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is spreading through government-owned swamp and forestland, having burned more than 9 square miles (23.3 square km) near the Georgia-Florida state...
Florida Gov Declares Emergency As More Than 100 Wildfires Burn Across State
Apr 12 2017 // The Florida Forest Service says more than 100 active wildfires are burning across the state right now. The Tampa Bay Times reports 25 of them are scorching more than 100 acres each. Since February, wildfires have swept...
This Year Already Among Oklahoma’s Most Active for Wildfires
Apr 5 2017 // Oklahoma Forestry Services officials say 2017 is already among the most active years on record for wildfires. The agency has responded to more than 800 wildfires so far that resulted in more than 450,000 acres of burnt...
USDA OKs Emergency Loans for Oklahoma Ranchers Affected by Wildfires
Apr 4 2017 // Gov. Mary Fallin says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved emergency loans for livestock producers in six Oklahoma counties affected by recent wildfires. The fires in early March burned more than 1,200 square...
Florida Conditions Ripe For More Wildfires
Mar 28 2017 // The smell of smoke is in downtown Orlando. On Sunday, a brush fire caused a part of State Road 528 to be shut down between Orlando and the Space Coast. A fire burned last week near the north-central Florida town of Bunnell...
9 Homes Destroyed in Oklahoma Wildfire
Mar 22 2017 // Fire officials are suggesting a blaze that has destroyed at least nine homes in eastern Oklahoma and forced the evacuation of more than 100 others may have been intentionally set. Highway 9 Volunteer Fire Department chief...
Wildfire Destroys Homes near Nebraska’s Lake McConaughy
Mar 21 2017 // A fire chief says a wildfire has destroyed at least eight homes and several other buildings near Nebraska’s Lake McConaughy. Keystone Lemoyne Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Ralph Moul said on March 20 that the blaze...
6 Texas Counties Declared Disaster Areas After Wildfires
Mar 20 2017 // Six counties in the Texas Panhandle have been declared disaster areas by Gov. Greg Abbott following the deadly wildfires that swept through the area on March 6 – 7 burning more than 440,000 acres. Abbott’s...
Ranchers in Midwest Assessing Damage After Wildfires
Mar 20 2017 // Thousands of livestock are estimated to have been killed in the wildfire that spanned two counties along Kansas’ southern border in early March, but the actual numbers likely will not be totaled for some time. One...
