Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Wildfire Now Costliest in U.S. History to Fight at $200M
Sep 21 2016 // A wildfire burning for nearly two months on California’s scenic Big Sur coast has surpassed $200 million in firefighting costs, becoming the costliest to fight in U.S. history, according to data released this...
Woman High on Drugs and Driving on Wheel Rim Sparked California Wildfires
Aug 30 2016 // Fire officials in southern California say a car driven by a woman high on drugs has sparked several wildfires that so far have burned 450 acres and prompted evacuations. Authorities say Renee Hogan was arrested Sunday. The...
Washington Governor Declares Emergency in 20 Counties in Wake of Wildfires
Aug 24 2016 // Gov. Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency for 20 Eastern Washington counties in response to multiple wildfires that threaten homes and natural resources. Inslee issued the declaration Tuesday after touring fires in...
Oregon Officials Believe Arson Behind 14 Or More Wildfires
Aug 23 2016 // State authorities and forest officials say at least 14 wildfires that have erupted across central Oregon over the last three weeks are believed to have been intentionally started. Officials did not release details on which...
Monstrous Southern California Wildfire Displaces More than 80,000
Aug 18 2016 // It tore through canyons and flew over ridges in every direction with astonishing speed, sending flames 80 feet skyward and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. The Southern California wildfire that began as a...
July Continued Earth’s Record-Setting Hot Streak
Aug 18 2016 // As more than 100,000 Americans flee destructive wildfires in California and floods in Louisiana, earth sends yet another reminder that the worst is yet to come: a new record for planet-wide heat. Last month wasn’t...
Natural Catastrophes Drive Global Insured Losses to $31B in H1: Swiss Re’s Sigma
Aug 18 2016 // Global insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters during the first half of 2016 reached US$31 billion, or 44 percent of total economic losses of US$71 billion, according to a report issued by Swiss...
Wildfire Destroys More than 100 Homes in Northern California
Aug 15 2016 // A wildfire stuck a Northern California town still recovering from a massive fire nearly a year ago, destroying more than 100 homes and forcing thousands to flee, authorities said Monday. Gusts kicked up flames on Sunday...
Utah Law Enables Authorities to Crash Drones at Wildfires
Aug 8 2016 // Utah’s governor has signed into law a measure that makes the state the first to let authorities jam drone signals and crash the devices specifically for flying too close to wildfires. Republican Gov. Gary...
Northeast Drought, Wildfire Risk Could Last Through October
Aug 8 2016 // The drought that has taken hold in the Northeast, from Maine to Pennsylvania, is being driven by a second year of below-average rainfall. Though not as dire as the West Coast drought of five-years running, the dry, hot...
Wildfires Threaten Homes in Central California
Aug 2 2016 // Crews contended with blistering temperatures Monday as they tried to beat back a wildfire that burned rural homes and forced hundreds of evacuations in California’s Central Valley, while cooler weather gave...
Tourism Decline in California’s Scenic Big Sur Sparked by Wildfire
Aug 1 2016 // Lodge managers and cafe owners along California’s dramatic Big Sur coast were looking at a summer of jittery guests and cancelled bookings after fire officials warned that crews will likely be battling a wildfire...
California Wildfire Shuts Down Picturesque Big Sur
Jul 27 2016 // State parks along the California’s famed Big Sur coastline were closed Tuesday as one of the state’s two major wildfires threatened the scenic region at the height of the summer tourism season. The Big Sur fire...
Containment on Massive California Wildfire Increases
Jul 26 2016 // Containment has increased on a wildfire north of Los Angeles, which has grown to more than 58 square miles. Officials report the blaze is 25 percent surrounded as of today, and most of the evacuation orders affecting...
California Wildfires Gut Homes, Force Evacuations
Jul 25 2016 // Thousands were forced to flee a wildfire burning in tinder-dry canyons in Southern California, authorities said. The fire has destroyed at least 18 homes in northern Los Angeles County. The blaze momentum two days after it...
Utah Law Enables Authorities to Crash Drones at Wildfires
Jul 22 2016 // Utah’s governor has signed into law a measure that makes the state the first to let authorities jam drone signals and crash the devices specifically for flying too close to wildfires. Republican Gov. Gary...
Southern Colorado Wildfire Now 30 Percent Contained
Jul 19 2016 // Firefighters are letting areas of a wildfire burn near Coaldale in southern Colorado because it is too dangerous to get into some wilderness areas, but they have managed to protect homes and contain 30 percent of the blaze...
Federal Government Sues California Homeowner for $25M over Wildfire
Jul 18 2016 // The federal government is suing a California homeowner for nearly $25 million, contending his negligence sparked a 2013 fire in the mountains east of Los Angeles that forced 5,000 people from their homes. The lawsuit says...
Climate Change Exposes U.S. Infrastructure to Natural Hazards, Rand Corp. Says
Jul 14 2016 // Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part column. A follow up column will focus on how catastrophe modelers are being asked to create products that take into account potential climate change impacts. A report...
XL Estimates Q2 Cats to Cost $240M, Led by Alberta Wildfires
Jul 14 2016 // XL Group Plc, the insurer that expanded last year with the purchase of Catlin Group Ltd., said second-quarter catastrophe costs were probably about $240 million pretax, with wildfires in Alberta, Canada, responsible for...
