August Complex fire burns record-breaking 1 million acres
4 years, 5 months ago

August Complex fire burns record-breaking 1 million acres

LA Times  

An air tanker prepares to drop retardant while battling the August Complex Fire in the Mendocino National Forest last month. In an already unprecedented fire year, another record has been shattered: The August Complex fire has burned 1 million acres, the first wildfire in California history to have destroyed such a vast swath of land. “I think everybody across the state is ready for a break in the pattern that we’ve had for almost two months now.” The August Complex’s million-acre milestone arrives as California shatters yet another wildfire record of 4 million acres burned statewide — more than double the previous record. “The public has been really understanding, but they are rightfully concerned when they see a plume like that,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jim Innes said Monday. “We’re hoping that the weather in is in our favor and helps put a damper on some of the areas that are seeing active fire behavior,” McMorrow said.

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History of this topic

Wildlife carers wait to be given all clear to enter fireground after 'enormous' WA blaze burns 79,000 hectares
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Wildlife carers wait to be given all clear to enter fireground after 'enormous' WA blaze burns 79,000 hectares

ABC  

WA authorities have warned there is "still a bit of work ahead" as a massive bushfire that ripped through almost 80,000 hectares of land continues to burn. "We've had amazing career and volunteer firefighters, DBCA staff out on the ground over the last few days working with the local government to help bring this fire under control." 'Fantastic team effort' …

East and West Coast wildfires: 18-year-old crew member killed as firefighters battle dangerous blazes burning on both coasts
4 months, 1 week ago

East and West Coast wildfires: 18-year-old crew member killed as firefighters battle dangerous blazes burning on both coasts

CNN  

CNN — Dangerous wildfires are burning Monday on the East and West coasts, with firefighters in New York and New Jersey working to contain a deadly blaze spurred by an ongoing, historic drought – while strong winds in Southern California could fan a destructive fire in Ventura County. The Jennings Creek Fire has scorched approximately 3,000 acres across parts of …

Favorable weather conditions help firefighters increase containment of three major wildfires
6 months ago

Favorable weather conditions help firefighters increase containment of three major wildfires

LA Times  

The San Bernardino County fire captain looks over the charred landscape from the Bridge fire in Wrightwood earlier this month. Assisted by favorable weather conditions, firefighters continue to increase containment of three major Southern California wildfires that have burned more than 117,000 acres, destroyed 242 structures and led to 24 injuries. A late-summer heat wave fueled conditions for explosive growth, …

Park Fire in California scorches through land the size of Los Angeles
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Park Fire in California scorches through land the size of Los Angeles

Associated Press  

FOREST RANCH, Calif. — Thousands of firefighters battling a wildfire in Northern California received some help from the weather Saturday hours after it exploded in size, scorching an area greater than the size of Los Angeles. The Park Fire has scorched 547 square miles as of Saturday and destroyed 134 structures since igniting Wednesday when authorities said a man pushed …

Wildfires in Oregon and Washington State burn almost 1 million acres
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Wildfires in Oregon and Washington State burn almost 1 million acres

Hindustan Times  

Winds and lightning strikes have sparked and fanned wildfires across the Pacific Northwest this week, including the largest fire in the United States, which was rapidly expanding near the Oregon-Idaho border on Friday. Oregon State Fire Marshal/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo The Durkee Fire near Huntington, Oregon, about 100 miles north of Boise, Idaho, has scorched 600 square miles, an area …

Firefighters make progress against California wildfire, but heat and fire risks grow in the West
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Firefighters make progress against California wildfire, but heat and fire risks grow in the West

Associated Press  

OROVILLE, Calif. — Firefighters made progress Friday against a California wildfire that triggered extensive evacuation orders, but damage assessments raised the number of destroyed structures to 25, and forecasters said heat and fire risk were expanding on the West Coast. Firefighters “did a really good job yesterday” enforcing containment lines, and wind hasn’t been a factor, said Cal Fire Capt. …

Rain helps contain still-burning wildfires in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley; state sending more aid
1 year ago

Rain helps contain still-burning wildfires in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley; state sending more aid

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Crews who have been battling still-burning wildfires in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley this week have gotten an assist from rain and from the state government, which has deployed new resources to the area, officials said Saturday. The three larger fires that make up that complex range from 50 to 70% contained and are being managed by a joint …

Crews balance firefighting and protecting a fragile ecosystem in containing California-Nevada blaze
1 year, 7 months ago

Crews balance firefighting and protecting a fragile ecosystem in containing California-Nevada blaze

Associated Press  

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. — Firefighters battling a massive blaze in California’s Mojave National Preserve on Tuesday faced the difficult task of stopping the fire without bulldozers and other heavy equipment that could damage the region’s famous Joshua trees and other sensitive plants. While it’s one of the largest national park units outside of Alaska and Hawaii, the vast majority …

New Mexico wildfire scar burn has forest officials worried
2 years, 9 months ago

New Mexico wildfire scar burn has forest officials worried

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — As more than 3,000 firefighters in northern New Mexico continued to battle the nation’s largest active wildfire Sunday, federal forest officials worried about future flash floods, landslides and destructive ash from the burn scar. A hazard assessment from the Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey shows that some burned areas on the New Mexico fire could …

Florida wildfire: Hope for relief from light, steady rain
3 years ago

Florida wildfire: Hope for relief from light, steady rain

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Fire officials hoped Wednesday that …

KNP Complex fire triggers flurry of new evacuations, as flames threaten more giant sequoia trees
3 years, 5 months ago

KNP Complex fire triggers flurry of new evacuations, as flames threaten more giant sequoia trees

LA Times  

National Park Service public information officers inspect the ground around giant sequoias during a tour of the KNP Complex fire burn area Sept. 30 in Sequoia National Park. The 51,000-acre KNP Complex fire tearing through the Sequoia National Park triggered a flurry of evacuations Friday morning, as flames — spurred by a drying trend — threatened communities and burned toward …

Teams check destruction from Northern California forest fire
3 years, 5 months ago

Teams check destruction from Northern California forest fire

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Damage assessment teams went out …

California firefighters chase new fires ignited by lightning
3 years, 6 months ago

California firefighters chase new fires ignited by lightning

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Firefighters scrambled Friday to quash fires ignited by lightning as thunderstorms with mostly small but welcome amounts of rain rumbled across drought-stricken Northern California, where forests have been burning for weeks. Firefighters were diverted from the huge Caldor Fire south of Lake Tahoe to fight multiple overnight lightning fires throughout El Dorado County, according to the local …

Responders Are Gaining On The Caldor Fire, But Now They've Got New Blazes To Battle
3 years, 6 months ago

Responders Are Gaining On The Caldor Fire, But Now They've Got New Blazes To Battle

NPR  

Responders Are Gaining On The Caldor Fire, But Now They've Got New Blazes To Battle Enlarge this image toggle caption Jae C. Hong/AP Jae C. Hong/AP As California battles wildfires throughout the state, a new crop of suspicious fires that erupted over Labor Day weekend added to an already busy wildfire season. Incidents in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington …

Dixie fire, now the second-largest in California history, has burned more than 400 structures
3 years, 7 months ago

Dixie fire, now the second-largest in California history, has burned more than 400 structures

LA Times  

The Dixie fire, now the second-largest blaze in state history, has burned more than 463,000 acres and destroyed more than 400 buildings. “It’s just something we’re hoping goes in our favor,” said Jesse Gomez, a public information officer on the fire. “‘Cold’ is obviously relative, because it certainly doesn’t mean the weather’s going to be cold,” said Rick Carhart, a …

California wildfire flares but within line crews have built
3 years, 7 months ago

California wildfire flares but within line crews have built

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — California’s largest wildfire so far this year was flaring up Friday but it was because the flames were chewing through unburned islands of vegetation within a perimeter that firefighters have built, authorities said. The Dixie Fire covered 376 square miles in the mountains of Northern California where 42 homes and other buildings have been destroyed and more …

The Bootleg Fire, The Nation's Biggest, Gives Scientists An Unexpected Experiment
3 years, 8 months ago

The Bootleg Fire, The Nation's Biggest, Gives Scientists An Unexpected Experiment

NPR  

The Bootleg Fire, The Nation's Biggest, Gives Scientists An Unexpected Experiment Enlarge this image toggle caption Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP Bootleg Fire Incident Command via AP PORTLAND, Ore. — Ecologists in a vast region of wetlands and forest in remote Oregon have spent the past decade thinning young trees and using planned fires to try to restore the …

Residents warned to get ready to go as California fire grows
3 years, 8 months ago

Residents warned to get ready to go as California fire grows

Associated Press  

PULGA, Calif. — Residents were warned Wednesday to be ready to evacuate as a growing wildfire bears down on two remote Northern California communities near a town largely destroyed by a deadly blaze three years ago. The fire that broke out Tuesday afternoon has chewed through more than 1.8 square miles of brush and timber near the Feather River Canyon …

Firefighters make progress against California forest fires
3 years, 8 months ago

Firefighters make progress against California forest fires

Associated Press  

REDDING, Calif. — Firefighters were making progress Friday against Northern California forest fires that burned several homes and forced thousands to flee communities even as authorities prepared for a hot, crowded Fourth of July weekend that could bring the threat of new blazes. Three wildfires near the towering Mount Shasta volcano an hour’s drive from the Oregon border have burned …

California firefighters battle big wildfires in high heat
3 years, 8 months ago

California firefighters battle big wildfires in high heat

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hundreds of firefighters worked Thursday …

Fire officials aim to douse blazes fast, avoid megafires
3 years, 10 months ago

Fire officials aim to douse blazes fast, avoid megafires

Associated Press  

— U.S. officials said Thursday they will try to stamp out wildfires as quickly as possible this year as severe drought tightens its grip across the West and sets the stage for another destructive summer of blazes. Officials also offered details on the Biden administration’s plan to “change the trajectory” of increasingly dangerous wildfires in the West, by vastly expanding …

In Pictures: Wildfires continue to rage across US’s California
4 years, 4 months ago

In Pictures: Wildfires continue to rage across US’s California

Al Jazeera  

Firefighters in Southern California reported little headway on Tuesday against two explosive, wind-whipped wildfires that forced the evacuations of tens of thousands of US residents. Howling Santa Ana winds, blowing hot, dry air from the desert, had put much of the fire-ravaged state under red-flag warnings and helped quickly spread two blazes in Orange County that erupted on Monday. More …

The frightening implications of California’s first million-acre fire
4 years, 5 months ago

The frightening implications of California’s first million-acre fire

LA Times  

It was mid-August and California was experiencing yet another bout of extreme weather. On Monday, it reached “gigafire” status, burning more than 1 million acres, setting a new record for the state and offering what experts say is a terrifying window into how climate change and other factors such as mismanaged forests are worsening the state’s fire danger. “If that’s …

California fire season shatters record with more than 4 million acres burned
4 years, 5 months ago

California fire season shatters record with more than 4 million acres burned

LA Times  

California’s biggest wildfire season reached a new milestone Sunday, with state officials announcing that the state has now surpassed 4 million acres burned, more than double the state’s previous record. With crews on the biggest fire of them all, the August Complex, reporting more vigorous activity within the fire’s perimeter Sunday and another warm day ahead of them, “difficult conditions …

Wildfires have burned over 5 million acres in the West. Are they too big for Washington to ignore?
4 years, 6 months ago

Wildfires have burned over 5 million acres in the West. Are they too big for Washington to ignore?

LA Times  

With massive wildfires across the West burning more than 5 million acres and displacing tens of thousands of people, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon says this is the moment for Congress to reform the nation’s fire management policies, or brace for more Septembers like this one. 24 / 42 A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman …

Six of California’s largest fires in history ignited this year. Here’s what we know
4 years, 6 months ago

Six of California’s largest fires in history ignited this year. Here’s what we know

LA Times  

A home smolders in ruins in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Brush Creek. pic.twitter.com/CmmhH5wTVX — CAL FIRE September 10, 2020 A new record fire On Thursday, the August Complex fire officially became the largest blaze in California history, burning more than 471,000 acres. Huge, but relatively few confirmed fatalities The August Complex and the the 2018 Mendocino Complex …

Massive August fire now largest in California history, at 471,000 acres and counting
4 years, 6 months ago

Massive August fire now largest in California history, at 471,000 acres and counting

LA Times  

Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as …

Angeles National Forest fire explodes to almost 5,000 acres, sends ash far and wide
4 years, 6 months ago

Angeles National Forest fire explodes to almost 5,000 acres, sends ash far and wide

LA Times  

An out-of-control brush fire kept growing Monday morning in Angeles National Forest north of Azusa, sending ash into communities miles away and forcing the evacuation of the Mt. The Bobcat fire started shortly after noon Sunday near Cogswell Dam and had burned an estimated 4,871 acres of brush and timber by Monday morning, U.S. Forest Service officials said. Seneca Smith, …

Wildfires have charred more than 1 million acres in California this year — and fire season is far from over
6 years, 6 months ago

Wildfires have charred more than 1 million acres in California this year — and fire season is far from over

LA Times  

This Aug. 3, photo by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst aboard the International Space Station, provided by NASA, shows smoke from California’s Carr and Ferguson fires blowing eastward across the western United States. The Ferguson fire Size: 96,901 acres Percent of perimeter contained: 100% Start date: July 13 Cause: Unknown The Ferguson fire shut down Yosemite Valley for almost …

Erratic winds, dry conditions fuel California wildfires that killed 6, destroyed 517 buildings and damaged 135
6 years, 7 months ago

Erratic winds, dry conditions fuel California wildfires that killed 6, destroyed 517 buildings and damaged 135

Firstpost  

Two firefighters were killed fighting the blaze and three people — a 70-year-old woman and her two great-grandchildren aged four and five — perished when their Redding home was rapidly swallowed up by flames. Redding: Around 12,000 firefighters battled Sunday to contain wildfires in California that have killed six people — but authorities warned “erratic” winds and dry conditions have …

Deadly Thomas wildfire now biggest ever to hit California after burning 273,400 acres of foothills and national forest
7 years, 3 months ago

Deadly Thomas wildfire now biggest ever to hit California after burning 273,400 acres of foothills and national forest

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Thomas fire took only two and a …

How's America Tackling Its Epic Fires? With an Epic Scheme
9 years, 6 months ago

How's America Tackling Its Epic Fires? With an Epic Scheme

Wired  

California's most devastating wildfire of the year started in rural Lake County just after 1 pm Saturday. Even seasoned firefighters have been stunned by the ferocity of the blaze, one of three major fires burning in the Golden State right now. Every available truck, tanker, chopper and plane has been deployed, but with manpower and resources stretched so thin authorities …

U.S. wildfires scorch land at dramatic rate, but then there’s the Alaska factor
9 years, 7 months ago

U.S. wildfires scorch land at dramatic rate, but then there’s the Alaska factor

LA Times  

It’s hard to get a grip on how bad America’s wildfire problem is. 2 in our top 10 largest fire seasons,” behind the 6.6 million acres burned in 2004, said Sam Harrel, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Fire Service. “It’s a big part of forest regeneration, and we have the opportunity to let fire take …

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