Weather aids fight against US wildfires, but death toll climbs
4 years, 3 months ago

Weather aids fight against US wildfires, but death toll climbs

Al Jazeera  

Tens of thousands of people on the US West Coast have evacuated their homes as massive blazes continue to rage. Improved weather conditions on Saturday offered some hope to weary firefighters battling massive wildfires on the United States’ West Coast, authorities said, but the death toll linked to the fires has been steadily rising and tens of thousands of people are displaced. Oregon Governor Kate Brown said on Friday that more than 40,000 people had been evacuated from their homes since the fires began, while nearly 500,000 residents were under three different evacuation alert levels. On Saturday morning, the US fire service for Mt Hood National Forest, about 32km east of Portland, Oregon, said “a persistent smoke layer” would limit the weather effects on fires in the area. Trump’s Democratic presidential challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, said in a statement Saturday that the wildfires show there is “no challenge more consequential to our future than meeting and defeating the onrushing climate crisis”.

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History of this topic

Storm lashes Northern California after leaving thousands without power in Seattle
1 month ago

Storm lashes Northern California after leaving thousands without power in Seattle

NPR  

Storm lashes Northern California after leaving thousands without power in Seattle toggle caption Noah Berger/AP HEALDSBURG, Calif. — Heavy downpours fell over much of Northern California on Friday, causing small landslides, overflowing a river and flooding some streets, including in parts of San Francisco. The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out …

Firefighters advance on destructive blaze in California, aided by slower winds
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Firefighters advance on destructive blaze in California, aided by slower winds

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Southern California firefighters gained ground Saturday on a wildfire that has ravaged more than 100 structures as gusty winds subsided with favorable weather conditions expected through the weekend. Evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings for residents in several areas of Ventura County, where the Mountain Fire held at around 32 square miles and was 21% contained, authorities …

5 ways Trump’s presidency could come right for California’s way of life
1 month, 2 weeks ago

5 ways Trump’s presidency could come right for California’s way of life

LA Times  

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: A new Trump presidency could affect life in California, from wildfires to Hollywood. Here are 36 ways to ease your anxiety in L.A. And here’s today’s e-newspaper California braces for a new Trump …

Favorable weather assists firefighters in battling the devastating Mountain fire
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Favorable weather assists firefighters in battling the devastating Mountain fire

LA Times  

Favorable weather conditions helped thousands of firefighters get the upper hand Saturday on the devastating Mountain fire that has scorched some 20,640 acres, destroyed more than 130 homes and damaged nearly 90 others — while upending the lives of Ventura County residents. The blaze started shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday morning in a remote area near Bradley and Balcom Canyon …

Could Trump really cut off wildfire aid for California? Absolutely
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Could Trump really cut off wildfire aid for California? Absolutely

LA Times  

Then-President Trump and Paradise Mayor Jody Jones view damage from the Camp fire in Paradise in November 2018. Trump has threatened to cut off federal disaster aid for California wildfires if he’s reelected in November. “He has promised revenge on those who did not support him, or who challenged him, California being one of several states.” Trump has said he’ll …

Trump hesitated to give disaster aid to California, until advisors showed him voter data
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Trump hesitated to give disaster aid to California, until advisors showed him voter data

Salon  

Former President Donald Trump attempted to stop aid from reaching Californians impacted by natural disasters due to the state's Democratic leanings, a new report claims. According to E&E News, Trump had to be convinced to send federal disaster aid to California in 2018, when the state was plagued with deadly wildfires that killed more than 100. Former Trump resiliency policy …

Wildfires tear through western US during heatwave
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Wildfires tear through western US during heatwave

Hindustan Times  

Wildfires fueled by soaring temperatures in the western United States have scorched thousands of acres, forcing hundreds of families to flee, US officials said Monday. Wildfires tear through western US during heatwave A blaze burning out of a control near Los Angeles sparked mandatory evacuations as it tore through swathes of tinder-dry California countryside around popular tourist spots. "Dangerous heat …

California braces for heavy wildfire activity this fall: ‘They’re only going to get worse’
6 months ago

California braces for heavy wildfire activity this fall: ‘They’re only going to get worse’

LA Times  

Experts are warning Californians to brace for a ‘very active’ wildfire season this fall as two back-to-back wet winters and forecasts for a warmer-than-normal summer are likely to prime the state’s landscape for fire. “The bad news is that I think that the back half of this season is going to be much more active — with a lot more …

California firefighters make significant progress against wildfire east of San Francisco Bay
6 months, 2 weeks ago

California firefighters make significant progress against wildfire east of San Francisco Bay

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 California's largest wildfire so far …

Nineteen dead as California storm chaos continues
1 year, 11 months ago

Nineteen dead as California storm chaos continues

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We aren’t out of the woods yet,” California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Director Nancy Ward said during a …

Warnings of excessive rainfall and flash flooding for millions in California
1 year, 11 months ago

Warnings of excessive rainfall and flash flooding for millions in California

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Warnings of excessive rainfall and flash flooding have been issued for millions of people in …

Rain, snowfall reduce risk of wildfires in California
2 years, 1 month ago

Rain, snowfall reduce risk of wildfires in California

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 Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “My sense is it’s certainly …

Thousands evacuated as wildfires spread across western US
2 years, 3 months ago

Thousands evacuated as wildfires spread across western US

Al Jazeera  

Massive Oregon blaze threatens more than 2,000 homes as drought, extreme heat spark fires across western United States. The Creek Fire is the latest to hit the western United States, where dozens of blazes in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state have scorched more than 3,100sq km so far this summer. Meanwhile, the National Interagency Fire Center reported that more …

US wildfire dangers seen spreading east as climate risks grow
2 years, 7 months ago

US wildfire dangers seen spreading east as climate risks grow

Al Jazeera  

American states face an increasing risk of forest blazes, posing danger to more than 30 million properties ‘no matter where you live’. From New Jersey to Georgia, US states thousands of kilometres from wildfire hotspots in the west face a growing risk from forest blazes as global warming makes “safe havens” increasingly rare, researchers have warned. Wildfires pose at least …

Wildfires are getting worse across the globe. How does California compare?
2 years, 10 months ago

Wildfires are getting worse across the globe. How does California compare?

LA Times  

An alarming new United Nations report warns that the number of extreme wildfires is expected to increase 50% globally by the end of the century, and that governments are largely unprepared for the burgeoning crisis. “We hear that people in D.C. think of fire as a Western issue, or a Californian issue, but it really isn’t — it’s a global …

Biden pushes to combat climate crisis while surveying wildfire damage in Western US
3 years, 3 months ago

Biden pushes to combat climate crisis while surveying wildfire damage in Western US

CNN  

CNN — President Joe Biden surveyed wildfire damage in the Western US on Monday, using nearly every stop on his trip to illustrate how recent extreme weather events underscore the urgency of his economic agenda and its investments in the nation’s infrastructure. At Sacramento Mather Airport, the President delivered a speech on his administration’s response to the fires, describing how …

Biden says Ida, wildfires show ‘climate crisis’ has struck
3 years, 3 months ago

Biden says Ida, wildfires show ‘climate crisis’ has struck

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for Western states beset by wildfires — with the catastrophes serving as deadly reminders that the “climate crisis” has arrived. At Biden’s request, the Energy Department said it was releasing 1.5 million barrels of oil from the nation’s …

US: Firefighters continue to battle massive West Coast wildfires
3 years, 5 months ago

US: Firefighters continue to battle massive West Coast wildfires

Al Jazeera  

Firefighters continue to battle massive wildfires on the West Coast of the United States, as authorities in California closed part of a highway and ordered evacuations near a surging blaze that remains completely uncontained. In a statement on Sunday, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest said the Tamarack Fire near Markleeville, about 257km west of Sacramento near the California-Nevada state line, had grown …

Western US wildfires force hundreds from their homes
3 years, 5 months ago

Western US wildfires force hundreds from their homes

Al Jazeera  

A growing wildfire in a bone-dry forest in the Western United States has forced hundreds of people from their homes as it charred more than 854sq km and showed no signs of slowing on Wednesday amid a blistering heatwave and drought. Tim McCarley, one of the evacuees, told the Reuters news agency earlier this week that sheriff’s deputies and state …

California hit by record-breaking fire destruction: ‘Climate change is real, it’s bad’
3 years, 5 months ago

California hit by record-breaking fire destruction: ‘Climate change is real, it’s bad’

LA Times  

Plumes of smoke rise above Frenchman Lake as the Sugar fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex, burns in Plumas National Forest on Thursday. Though last year was the worst wildfire season California has seen — with over 4 million acres burned — the potential to surpass it is there, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff. In Southern California, all three …

Column: Trump unleashes another unhinged rant about California water and wildfires
4 years, 2 months ago

Column: Trump unleashes another unhinged rant about California water and wildfires

LA Times  

Trump dials in to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday: We listened to spare you the pain. As my colleague Sammy Roth reported, among California’s 40 million residents, “Just under half a million homes and businesses lost power for as little as 15 minutes and as long as 2½ hours on Aug. 14, with another 321,000 utility customers going dark …

Smog blankets US West Coast as wildfires kill 27; climate change becoming 'existential issue', warns Joe Biden
4 years, 3 months ago

Smog blankets US West Coast as wildfires kill 27; climate change becoming 'existential issue', warns Joe Biden

Firstpost  

More than 20,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, with officials warning that a respite provided by the arrival of cooler weather could end on Monday with the return of warmer, drier weather Portland: Dense smog from US wildfires that have burnt nearly five million acres and killed 27 people smothered the West Coast Saturday, as presidential challenger Joe Biden warned …

Smoke chokes West Coast as wildfire deaths keep climbing
4 years, 3 months ago

Smoke chokes West Coast as wildfire deaths keep climbing

Associated Press  

SALEM, Ore. — Wildfire smoke that posed a health hazard to millions choked the West Coast on Saturday as firefighters battled deadly blazes that obliterated some towns and displaced tens of thousands of people, the latest in a series of calamities this year. Oregon’s emergency management director said officials were preparing for a possible “mass fatality event” if many more …

Death toll rises as wildfires ravage US West Coast
4 years, 3 months ago

Death toll rises as wildfires ravage US West Coast

Al Jazeera  

The National Weather Service issues a ‘red flag warning’ amid conditions that could stoke the blazes in some areas. The death toll from wildfires that have ravaged the United States’ West Coast has risen to 33 as the National Weather Service has issued a “red flag warning” amid high winds and dry conditions in Oregon and some California counties. Authorities …

Latest: Washington governor blames climate change for fires
4 years, 3 months ago

Latest: Washington governor blames climate change for fires

Associated Press  

The Latest on wildfires in the U.S. West : 3:30 p.m. SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the fires devastating California and the Northwest shouldn’t be called wildfires, but “climate fires.” At a news conference Friday, the Democrat noted that the roughly 980 square miles burned in Washington in just the last five days amounts to the state’s second …

Greta Thunberg calls for immediate focus of news on wildfires raging across the US West Coast
4 years, 3 months ago

Greta Thunberg calls for immediate focus of news on wildfires raging across the US West Coast

Hindustan Times  

Spreading from Washington state to Southern California, wildfires raging across parts of the US West Coast have taken at least eight lives while mandatory level three evacuation orders expand in many places along the coast. Sweden’s teen climate activist, Greta Thunberg, drew social media users’ attention on the wildfires as they doubled in size between Wednesday and Thursday as per …

US wildfires: How climate change is spurring deadly blazes
4 years, 3 months ago

US wildfires: How climate change is spurring deadly blazes

Al Jazeera  

Increasingly dry conditions in arid western US states are making wildfires bigger and tougher to contain, expert says. San Francisco, United States – As deadly wildfires continue to burn in the US, from the Pacific Northwest down to the California-Mexico border, LeRoy Westerling has a sombre projection for beleaguered residents and exhausted firefighters: “It’s going to get worse.” Westerling, a …

‘Vote like your life depends on it — because it does’: Obama shares alarming pictures of West Coast fires in stark message about climate crisis
4 years, 3 months ago

‘Vote like your life depends on it — because it does’: Obama shares alarming pictures of West Coast fires in stark message about climate crisis

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Barack Obama has underlined the connection between the raging wildfires in America’s West and the …

California wildfires: Three dead as blaze continues
4 years, 3 months ago

California wildfires: Three dead as blaze continues

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. One victim was found in a car after …

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