Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Maui Needs Tourists. Can They Visit Without Compounding Wildfire Trauma?
Jan 3 2024 // The restaurant where Katie Austin was a server burned in the wildfire that devastated Hawaii`s historic town of Lahaina this summer. Two months later, as travelers began to trickle back to nearby beach resorts, she went to...
2024 Oregon Consumer Laws Include Protections for Homeowners Dealing with Wildfire
Dec 29 2023 // Consumer protections for homeowners dealing with wildfire-related issues, property contents coverage, personal data protection and prescription drugs are set to go into effect in 2024. The Oregon Division of Financial...
Hawaii Fire Shows Wildfires Pose Particular Threat to Elderly and Other Vulnerable Individuals
Dec 28 2023 // Sharlene Rabang and her calico cat fled the wildfire that destroyed her town on Maui and arrived at a family home on another Hawaii island after a 24-hour odyssey that included sleeping in a car. Dazed, coughing and weak,...
Hawaii Governor’s First Budget After Maui Wildfire Includes Funds for Recovery and Fire Prevention
Dec 20 2023 // Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he was requesting $425 million from lawmakers during the next fiscal year to help Maui recover from August’s wildfires, and millions more to reduce the risk of wildfires statewide. The...
Oregon Regulator to Investigate Pacificorp’s Request to Limit Wildfire Liability
Nov 30 2023 // Oregon’s utility regulator this week said it would investigate a petition by PacifiCorp to limit its liability from future wildfire-related lawsuits, delaying a decision on the power provider’s request by as...
Maui Wildfire Survivors Camp Pushing Mayor to Convert Vacation Rentals into Housing
Nov 28 2023 // A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in...
Wildfires Prompt North Carolina, Tennessee Campgrounds to Evacuate; West Virginia Blaze Contained
Nov 22 2023 // Wildfires prompted campgrounds in North Carolina and Tennessee to evacuate starting Sunday while firefighters prepared for high winds and low humidity on Monday, though officials hoped for some help from expected rain. The...
Dollywood Temporarily Suspends Park Entry Due to Nearby Wildfire
Nov 20 2023 // Dolly Parton`s Dollywood temporarily suspended entry Thursday into the Tennessee amusement park as wildfire crews on Thursday battled nearby flames. Park officials say they paused entry to allow fire crews enough room to...
Mississippi Loosens Burn Ban After More Rain and Fewer Wildfires
Nov 17 2023 // JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Recent rain has helped improve drought conditions enough for Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to partially lift a statewide burn ban. Reeves, the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Mississippi...
Fatalities From Maui Wildfire Reach 100 After Death of Woman
Nov 17 2023 // The death toll from the wildfire that devastated the historic Maui town of Lahaina last summer has risen to 100 after a 78-year-old woman injured in the disaster died last month, officials said. The victim was among those...
Low-Intensity Fires Reduce Wildfire Risk by 60%, Study Finds
Nov 16 2023 // There is no longer any question of how to prevent high-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires that have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S., according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University...
Hawaii Wildfire Burning in Rainforest on Oahu
Nov 13 2023 // A wildfire burning in a remote Hawaii rainforest is underscoring a new reality for the normally lush island state just a few months after a devastating blaze on a neighboring island leveled an entire town and killed at...
The Value of Combining Models in Wildfire Risk Management
Nov 9 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Welcome to the final installment of our four-part series on wildfire hazard and risk management where we will explore the optimal use of CoreLogic’s wildfire risk...
Virginia Governor Declares State of Emergency Over Wildfires
Nov 8 2023 // Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency to assist firefighter response efforts on two wildfires around the state due to dry conditions and high winds. Two fires—the Quaker Run Fire in Madison...
Southern California Wildfire That Prompted Evacuation Order Now 20% Contained
Nov 2 2023 // A wildfire fueled by Santa Ana winds that in southeast of Los Angeles, forcing about 4,000 people from their homes, has grown to 2,4897 acres and is now 20% contained. The Highland Fire started Monday afternoon in...
Southern California Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Order for Thousands as Winds Fuel Flames
Nov 1 2023 // A wildfire fueled by Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land southeast of Los Angeles, forcing about 4,000 people from their homes, fire authorities said. The Highland Fire erupted at about 12:45 p.m. Monday in dry,...
Sentry in Wisconsin Contributes Another $350K to Support Maui Wildfire Recovery
Oct 27 2023 // Sentry Insurance in Wisconsin announced additional donations of $350,000 to bolster the ongoing Maui wildfire recovery efforts. The contribution brings the company’s total giving to Maui non-profits for direct...
Forest Service Sued Over Flooding Deaths in Wake of Historic New Mexico Wildfire
Oct 25 2023 // Relatives of three people who died last year in a flash flood stemming from the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history are suing the U.S. Forest Service. The wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this month...
Report: ‘Climate-Exacerbated Wildfires’ Cost U.S. $394B-$893B Each Year
Oct 23 2023 // “Climate-exacerbated wildfires” cost the nation $394 billion to $893 billion each year in economic costs and damages, according to a Congressional report out this week. The range combines estimates from...
PG&E’s Plan to Bury Power Lines and Prevent California Wildfires Faces Opposition over Rates
Oct 19 2023 // Pacific Gas & Electric – one of the nation’s largest utilities whose equipment has sparked some of California`s deadliest wildfires – wants to bury power lines in some of its most at-risk areas to prevent...
