California targets urgent projects as wildfire season looms
3 years, 9 months ago

California targets urgent projects as wildfire season looms

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. Last year’s record-setting wildfire season scorched more than 4% of the state while killing 33 people and destroying nearly 10,500 buildings. “These are extremes the likes of which these men and women in uniform have never experienced,” Newsom said in Butte County near where a massive fire burned last year, and not far from where another wind-driven fire nearly leveled the Sierra foothills town of Paradise more than two years ago. The money is nearly seven times more than what had been in this year's budget for wildfire mitigation, said Democratic Assemblyman Richard Bloom, who helped negotiate the package. "That’s never happened before, and it is extremely important given what we know about wildfire in this state.” The state spent about $9 billion fighting last year's record fires, Bloom said, but putting more money into prevention is intended to cut the number of blazes and their devastation.

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History of this topic

California wildfire ‘biggest scam’: Insurance companies cancel millions of policies, says Hollywood actor-director
2 days, 18 hours ago

California wildfire ‘biggest scam’: Insurance companies cancel millions of policies, says Hollywood actor-director

Live Mint  

Hollywood actor-director Tyler Perry took to Instagram to express his frustration with insurance companies amidst the devastating California wildfire. According to the Los Angeles Times, insurance companies such as State Farm, Chubb and Allstate have either stopped renewing or writing new policies for homes in wildfire-prone areas. “Watching a daughter use a garden hose to try and protect her 90-year-old …

Wars and wildfires: Global crises cost 1.4 times India’s $480 bn welfare budget
2 days, 19 hours ago

Wars and wildfires: Global crises cost 1.4 times India’s $480 bn welfare budget

Firstpost  

Global crises like the California wildfires, the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have cost 1.4 times more than India’s entire $480 billion social welfare budget allocated in 2024 Global crises are sadly costing more than the social welfare money India spends on its citizens In the world of economics and mathematics, strange and shocking figures often emerge. Breaking it …

Newsom adds LA wildfire funding to Trump-proofing special session
3 days, 4 hours ago

Newsom adds LA wildfire funding to Trump-proofing special session

Politico  

“California is organizing a Marshall Plan to help Los Angeles rebuild faster and stronger — including billions in new and accelerated state funding so we can move faster to deliver for the thousands who’ve lost their homes and livelihoods in these firestorms,” Newsom said Monday. Newsom had been texting with state Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate Pro Tem Mike …

Los Angeles braces for new round of ‘strong winds’ as wildfires rage on
3 days, 9 hours ago

Los Angeles braces for new round of ‘strong winds’ as wildfires rage on

Firstpost  

Firefighters scrambled Sunday to make further progress against wildfires that have killed 16 people in the Los Angeles area as forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week. Image- AFP Wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Sunday confronted the return of dangerous winds, as officials said that firefighters were ready to combat any new blazes whipped …

Will California homeowners relocate or rebuild? Both are costly
5 days, 4 hours ago

Will California homeowners relocate or rebuild? Both are costly

CNN  

CNN — Tens of thousands of California residents will decide whether to permanently relocate or rebuild their homes after the most destructive fires in Los Angeles’ history. “The policy is generally going to cover the cost of additional living expenses while you are out of your home, to maintain what is kind of your usual standard of living,” said Karen …

California wildfires: Cause still unknown, new blaze forces more evacuations; loss likely at $150 bn
5 days, 17 hours ago

California wildfires: Cause still unknown, new blaze forces more evacuations; loss likely at $150 bn

Firstpost  

The government in California has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned. However, reports say at least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were burned Firefighters look over a home after the Eaton Fire burns in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, January 9, 2025. …

How to help those affected by the California wildfires
6 days, 7 hours ago

How to help those affected by the California wildfires

Associated Press  

Major fires across Los Angeles this week have killed at least five people, forced 180,000 to flee their homes, and destroyed thousands of structures. Here are some of the organizations accepting support for those impacted: Children Project Camp: The Los Angeles-based organization runs trauma-informed pop-up day camps for children displaced or out of school due to natural disasters. Displaced households …

The causes of the California wildfires are closer to home than you think
6 days, 11 hours ago

The causes of the California wildfires are closer to home than you think

The Independent  

If we build on flood plains, properties will flood. John Vaillant, author of the bestselling and quite unputdownable Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, likes to say we think we live in a “magic bubble” of denial. As Vaillant wrote about a huge fire in Vancouver in August last year: “While researching Fire Weather, I interviewed a lot of …

California wildfires show we are not prepared for climate change
1 week ago

California wildfires show we are not prepared for climate change

Salon  

I spent most of the evening on January 7, a Christmas Day celebrated by Orthodox Christians around the world, monitoring local news and emergency apps for evacuation alerts for the Los Angeles area. As one writer pointed out on X on Tuesday night, “this is how people turn into climate refugees.” As Salon has previously reported, nowhere will be safe …

Californians pay billions for power companies’ wildfire prevention efforts. Are they cost-effective?
1 month, 1 week ago

Californians pay billions for power companies’ wildfire prevention efforts. Are they cost-effective?

Associated Press  

Diane Moss lost her home in the Santa Monica Mountains after power lines ignited the apocalyptic Woolsey Fire in 2018. Loretta Lynch, a former head of the state utilities commission, said lack of oversight is a problem, with the commission “rubber-stamping outrageous costs” and allowing the companies to “address wildfires in the most expensive, least effective way possible.” One of …

Firefighters gain control over California wildfire, 100 structures destroyed
Trending News
2 months ago

Firefighters gain control over California wildfire, 100 structures destroyed

India Today  

Southern California firefighters gained ground Saturday on a wildfire that has ravaged more than 100 structures as gusty winds subsided with favourable 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 per cent contained, authorities said. …

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

A wildfire fueled by strong winds has devastated Southern California, thousands evacuated
2 months, 1 week ago

A wildfire fueled by strong winds has devastated Southern California, thousands evacuated

Hindustan Times  

A fast-moving wildfire fueled by heavy winds was tearing through a community northwest of Los Angeles for a second day Thursday after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee when it exploded in size in only a few hours. Red Flag warnings issued as SoCal braces for ‘extreme and life-threatening’ fire behaviour Officials in several Southern …

Strong winds fuel rapid spread of wildfires in Southern California
Trending News
2 months, 1 week ago

Strong winds fuel rapid spread of wildfires in Southern California

NPR  

Strong winds fuel rapid spread of wildfires in Southern California toggle caption Noah Berger/AP CAMARILLO, Calif. — A Southern California wildfire has destroyed 132 structures, mostly homes, in less than two days, fire officials said Thursday as raging winds were forecast to ease. Sponsor Message Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Thursday as the Mountain Fire continued to threaten …

Thousands in Southern California told to evacuate as wind-fed wildfire spreads
Trending News
2 months, 1 week ago

Thousands in Southern California told to evacuate as wind-fed wildfire spreads

NPR  

Thousands in Southern California told to evacuate as wind-fed wildfire spreads toggle caption Ethan Swope/FR171736 AP MOORPARK, Calif. — California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that fed a fast-moving wildfire, which destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” blazes. Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles …

Wildfires in California have burned 1 million acres so far this year. Heat wave poses more risk
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Wildfires in California have burned 1 million acres so far this year. Heat wave poses more risk

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — The total acres burned in California this year surpassed 1 million as spiking temperatures Tuesday added to the challenges facing firefighters struggling to contain a stubborn blaze in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles that flared up over the weekend. Evacuation orders were expanded again Monday for remote communities northeast of Los Angeles as the Line Fire …

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California
4 months ago

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California

China Daily  

Xinhua | Updated: 2024-09-11 09:21 Firefighters monitor the progression of the Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest's mountains over Highland, California, US Sept 8, 2024. LOS ANGELES - Three fast-moving wildfires continued to burn in Southern California Tuesday as millions of residents in the region are still under an excessive heat warning. The largest one, dubbed the Line …

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California
4 months ago

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California

China Daily  

Firefighters monitor the progression of the Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest's mountains over Highland, California, US Sept 8, 2024. LOS ANGELES - Three fast-moving wildfires continued to burn in Southern California Tuesday as millions of residents in the region are still under an excessive heat warning. The largest one, dubbed the Line Fire, had scorched at least …

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California
4 months ago

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California

China Daily  

Xinhua | Updated: 2024-09-11 09:21 Firefighters monitor the progression of the Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest's mountains over Highland, California, US Sept 8, 2024. LOS ANGELES - Three fast-moving wildfires continued to burn in Southern California Tuesday as millions of residents in the region are still under an excessive heat warning. The largest one, dubbed the Line …

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California
4 months ago

Three massive wildfires continue to burn in southern California

China Daily  

Firefighters monitor the progression of the Line Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest's mountains over Highland, California, US Sept 8, 2024. LOS ANGELES - Three fast-moving wildfires continued to burn in Southern California Tuesday as millions of residents in the region are still under an excessive heat warning. The largest one, dubbed the Line Fire, had scorched at least …

Firefighters make progress against massive blaze in California ahead of warming weather
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Firefighters make progress against massive blaze in California ahead of warming weather

Associated Press  

FOREST RANCH, Calif. — Fire crews worked Tuesday to hold on to the progress made against the largest blaze in California this year ahead of warming temperatures forecast for later this week. “That’s going to be a continued challenge for us moving forward over the next couple of days,” said Mark Brunton, an operations section chief with the California Department …

Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance prices due to wildfire risk?
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance prices due to wildfire risk?

LA Times  

In the past several years, homeowners across the state have been either burdened with extremely high insurance premiums or have struggled to find coverage at all. Earlier this month State Farm’s cancellations of 30,000 homeowner policies mostly in high wildfire risk areas, took effect. She is one of the many California homeowners struggling to maintain home insurance as costs increase …

Hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, billions of dollars is cost of extreme heat in California
6 months ago

Hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, billions of dollars is cost of extreme heat in California

Associated Press  

A blistering California heat wave over the past week and through the Fourth of July holiday could be topped off by the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. The death toll from the extreme heat events identified by the Insurance Department was higher — estimated at nearly 460 in a first-of-its-kind report the department released last week. The report also …

Opinion: Wildfire smoke kills thousands of Californians a year. It doesn’t have to be so deadly
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Opinion: Wildfire smoke kills thousands of Californians a year. It doesn’t have to be so deadly

LA Times  

When wildfires rage, the immediate threat is obvious — but smoke from the fires actually kills far more people than the flames do. As fires become more frequent, smoke is leading to a public health crisis, likely contributing to more than 52,000 premature deaths across California from 2008 to 2018, we recently found. In years with lots of fire activity …

California wildfires have already burned 90,000 acres, and summer is just beginning
6 months, 3 weeks ago

California wildfires have already burned 90,000 acres, and summer is just beginning

LA Times  

California’s summer is off to a fiery start after an explosion of wildfire activity across the state this week, with blazes stretching firefighting resources thin, forcing evacuations and scorching several homes, businesses and bone-dry hillsides. Perilous weather conditions in the last days of spring before Thursday — strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures — fueled flames from Los Angeles …

There's unprecedented funding for fire prevention this summer
7 months, 2 weeks ago

There's unprecedented funding for fire prevention this summer

NPR  

There's unprecedented funding for fire prevention this summer Despite forecasts for a hotter than summer, federal wildland fire managers say they are hopeful unprecedented funding for fire prevention will keep things quiet. KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: The National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho is the nation's wildfire command center. SIEGLER: Right now, though, agencies are feeling good about the slow start …

California is working on solutions to worsening climate change. Will they be enough?
1 year, 4 months ago

California is working on solutions to worsening climate change. Will they be enough?

LA Times  

In the opening chapter of “The Ministry for the Future,” science-fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson details a calamitous heat wave that kills almost all the residents of a small town. “The simple equation is climate change, warmer atmosphere, more intense rain, more pollution, more problems but also major catastrophic infrastructure damage,” said Stefanie Sekich, senior manager of Surfrider Foundation’s coast …

Crews balance firefighting and protecting a fragile ecosystem in containing California-Nevada blaze
1 year, 5 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 …

Feds send $930 million to curb ‘crisis’ of US West wildfires
1 year, 11 months ago

Feds send $930 million to curb ‘crisis’ of US West wildfires

Associated Press  

— The U.S. is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests, the Biden administration announced Thursday, as officials struggle to protect communities from destructive infernos being made worse by climate change. You’re seeing entire neighborhoods devastated.” Vilsack said the projects announced so far will help reduce wildfire risk …

Feds send $930 million to curb 'crisis' of US West wildfires
1 year, 11 months ago

Feds send $930 million to curb 'crisis' of US West wildfires

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. “We need to have a …

A single, devastating California fire season wiped out years of efforts to cut emissions
2 years, 2 months ago

A single, devastating California fire season wiped out years of efforts to cut emissions

LA Times  

A nearly two-decade effort by Californians to cut their emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide may have been erased by a single, devastating year of wildfires, according to UCLA and University of Chicago researchers. He said that’s the essence of the study’s title, “Up In Smoke,” because “a lot of the hard-earned gains to fight climate change could be wiped out …

Opinion: Climate change puts these readers’ rural towns at risk. Why they want to rebuild
2 years, 3 months ago

Opinion: Climate change puts these readers’ rural towns at risk. Why they want to rebuild

LA Times  

The Dixie Fire in 2021 destroyed most of the habitat for deer in the Greenville area. The recent series by Times columnist Erika A. Smith and Anita Chabria focusing on Greenville, a community of 800 residents in the far northern Sierra Nevada that was devastated by the 2021 Dixie Fire, wrestled with these complex issues and came to a conclusion …

California must lead with science, not sentiment on wildfires
2 years, 3 months ago

California must lead with science, not sentiment on wildfires

LA Times  

You can’t help but root for Kevin Goss and Kira Wattenburg King: Both are starting over, down-home friendly and clearly, deeply in love. Those things help, she says, but “it’s just a matter of time before burn again, and the only reason the homeowners are building in the same place is because the government is paying for it.” We spent …

Fire suppression fueled California’s destructive 2020 blazes, study says
2 years, 8 months ago

Fire suppression fueled California’s destructive 2020 blazes, study says

LA Times  

A car sits charred and overturned on Bald Rock Road in the aftermath of the Bear fire on Sept. 10, 2020, in Brush Creek in Northern California. The 2020 wildfires that incinerated a record 4.3 million acres in California harken to centuries past when huge swaths of the state burned annually, researchers have found, but today’s climate-driven conflagrations are far …

Senators: Federal funding authorized for wildfire recovery
2 years, 10 months ago

Senators: Federal funding authorized for wildfire recovery

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to provide $12.8 million in emergency funding to help parts of Arizona recover from three major wildfires in recent years, two members of the state’s congressional delegation announced. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly said Tuesday the money comes from funding authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law to protect communities, …

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 …

If you live in a fire-prone part of California, this road map can help you save on insurance
2 years, 11 months ago

If you live in a fire-prone part of California, this road map can help you save on insurance

LA Times  

With the fire season growing longer and wildfires increasing in intensity, Californians living in fire-prone areas are having a harder time finding affordable insurance for their homes — if they can find coverage at all. For more detailed suggestions, consult Cal Fire’s “Hardening Your Home” site, its low-cost retrofit list and the University of California’s preparing your home webpage. The …

Kamala Harris to announce wildfire money in visit to California on Friday
2 years, 11 months ago

Kamala Harris to announce wildfire money in visit to California on Friday

LA Times  

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit a San Bernardino fire station Friday to announce the federal government will provide California $600 million to help the state recover from a historically severe wildfire season while highlighting plans to spend $5 billion more to address the dangers posed by fires, an administration official said. President Biden said during a news conference …

US plans $50B wildfire fight where forests meet civilization
2 years, 11 months ago

US plans $50B wildfire fight where forests meet civilization

Associated Press  

— The Biden administration said Tuesday it will significantly expand efforts to stave off catastrophic wildfires that have torched areas of the U.S. West by more aggressively thinning forests around “hot spots” where nature and neighborhoods collide. “The time to act is now if we want to ultimately over time change the trajectory of these fires.” Specific projects weren’t immediately …

Firefighters make progress coralling big California wildfire
3 years, 3 months ago

Firefighters make progress coralling big California wildfire

Associated Press  

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Firefighters reported significant progress in corralling a wildfire in Southern California coastal mountains on Friday. The Alisal Fire in the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara grew only slightly since Thursday morning to 26.4 square miles and containment of the blaze jumped to 41%, up from 5% 24 hours earlier. Elsewhere in California, gusty winds …

Impact of forest thinning on wildfires creates divisions
3 years, 3 months ago

Impact of forest thinning on wildfires creates divisions

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Firefighters and numerous studies credit intensive forest thinning projects with helping save communities like those recently threatened near Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada, but dissent from some environmental advocacy groups is roiling the scientific community. “Not only did tens of thousands of acres of recent thinning, fuel breaks, and other forest management fail to stop or …

Federal response to wildfires must change, Forest Service chief says
3 years, 3 months ago

Federal response to wildfires must change, Forest Service chief says

LA Times  

Firefighters Casey Hoffman and Jeff Mabe stop to talk while fighting the Caldor fire last month in Strawberry, Calif. This year “has been devastating in not only the size and frequency of large wildfires but also in terms of sustained activity,” U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore testified at a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. Moore …

Out West, Biden points to wildfires to push for big rebuild
3 years, 4 months ago

Out West, Biden points to wildfires to push for big rebuild

Associated Press  

MATHER, Calif. — President Joe Biden on Monday used his first Western swing in office to hold out the wildfires burning across the region as an argument for his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plans, calling year-round fires and other extreme weather a climate change reality the nation can no longer ignore. “We can’t ignore the reality that these wildfires are being …

Explosive California wildfires could burn into December
3 years, 4 months ago

Explosive California wildfires could burn into December

India TV News  

Smoke from California’s wildfires choked people on the East Coast. “Here we are — it’s not the end of August and the size and distribution and the destruction of summer 2021 wildfires does not bode well for the next months,” said Bill Deverell, a University of Southern California history professor who teaches about fire in the West. “When you see …

California faces unprecedented dangers as record heat, dryness combine with fierce winds
3 years, 4 months ago

California faces unprecedented dangers as record heat, dryness combine with fierce winds

LA Times  

A road cuts through the community of Grizzly Flats, which was consumed by the Caldor fire on Aug. 18. “And in much of California, historically, the heart of the fire season — especially for big fires — is the time of year when the Santa Ana and Diablo winds kick in.” To Hall and others, the conditions this year underscore …

Caldor fire threatens more towns as California blazes destroy more than 1 million acres
3 years, 4 months ago

Caldor fire threatens more towns as California blazes destroy more than 1 million acres

LA Times  

The Caldor fire ballooned from less than 2,000 acres to more than 50,000 two days later, leveling homes in Grizzly Flats and other communities. The Cache fire had burned 83 acres and was at least 30% contained Thursday evening, while the French fire had swelled to 3,223 acres with no containment, fire officials said. Get the latest on these incidents …

'Nothing looks good' preparing for summer wildfire season
3 years, 7 months ago

'Nothing looks good' preparing for summer wildfire season

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. “We have an enormous fuel load in the forests, …

Billions of dollars spent on fighting California wildfires, but little on prevention
4 years ago

Billions of dollars spent on fighting California wildfires, but little on prevention

LA Times  

A Butte County home burns in the Bear fire, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex that left 15 dead. “So we have to create something new.” “The system we had for managing this problem doesn’t work anymore.” — Michael Wara Wara stressed that he was not suggesting the state cut firefighting funding, but that it spend far more on abating …

As wildfires explode in the West, Forest Service can’t afford prevention efforts
4 years, 2 months ago

As wildfires explode in the West, Forest Service can’t afford prevention efforts

LA Times  

Residents of the densely wooded hillsides near Bend, Ore., are serious about fire. But a century of focus on fire suppression and cuts to fire prevention programs have led the Forest Service to postpone work that experts say could prevent small fires from becoming conflagrations. A Forest Service spokesman in Oregon said the agency had not begun to assess whether …

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