California wildfires

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Recreational Drones Hindered Air Drops on Freeway Wildfire

It's becoming a familiar refrain

(Newser) - California's Interstate 15 was looking a little "post-apocalyptic" today in the aftermath of a wildfire that swept across the road yesterday and left burnt-out cars in its wake, notes Gizmodo . Nobody was hurt, fortunately, but those drivers will be thrilled to learn that firefighters were once again stymied...

Crazy Scene on Freeway: Wildfire Burns Cars

20 vehicles were destroyed

(Newser) - By now, we're used to seeing images of California wildfires destroying homes. But cars on the freeway? That was the case in San Bernardino County today as fast-moving fire swept across Freeway 15, reports KTLA . The fire destroyed 20 cars that had been abandoned on the road and damaged...

Plane Fighting Yosemite Fire Crashes, Killing Pilot

Officials don't know yet what caused the air tanker to go down

(Newser) - An air tanker fighting a wildfire at Yosemite National Park mysteriously crashed yesterday, killing the pilot, the Los Angeles Times reports. A spokesman for the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says it's believed the pilot was alone in the plane and that he worked for DynCorp...

Man Accused of Arson in California's Raging Wildfire

37-year-old allegedly set fast-growing King Fire

(Newser) - A 37-year-old man is being held on $10 million bail and accused of deliberately setting a California wildfire that is now rapidly growing in size. Authorities aren't saying what led them to Wayne Huntsman or how he allegedly started the fire, only that an investigator followed up on several...

100 Airlifted Away From Yosemite Wildfire

Hikers taken out by helicopter as blaze spreads

(Newser) - About 100 Yosemite National Park visitors were evacuated by helicopter yesterday when a wildfire that started weeks ago in the park's backcountry grew unexpectedly to at least 700 acres, officials say. Some of the evacuees included hikers who had climbed the park's iconic Half Dome peak, rising nearly...

Cops: 2 Teens Tried to Set Fresh Calif. Fires

As wildfires continue to rage across San Diego County

(Newser) - Firefighters are still trying to contain several wildfires consuming San Diego County, and two teenagers have been arrested and accused of trying to make things a lot worse. Police nabbed two males, ages 19 and 17, who are suspected of trying to set two brush fires in Escondido, reports the...

It's 'Like Armageddon' in San Diego County

A state of emergency has been declared over 9 wildfires

(Newser) - A state of emergency has been declared in San Diego County after nine wildfires scorched at least 14 square miles, with more dry winds and soaring temperatures due today. Gov. Jerry Brown issued the emergency order after the series of fires broke out yesterday, forcing thousands to flee their homes,...

California in 'Worst Drought in 100 Years': Governor

Meteorologists predict drought will last at least 3 more months

(Newser) - Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for California today, over what the governor called "perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen" in the roughly 100 years the state has been keeping records. Brown asked all residents to voluntarily cut back their water usage by 20%. "...

3 Men Arrested in California Wildfire

Campfire apparently got out of control

(Newser) - An illegal campfire and the Santa Ana winds appear to have combined to whip up a wildfire northeast of Los Angeles that has destroyed 1,700 acres so far and damaged two homes. Three men in their 20s have been arrested and charged with recklessly starting a fire, reports the...

Hunter Started Yosemite Fire: Feds

Campfire apparently got away from him

(Newser) - Looks like it wasn't an illegal pot farm after all : The gigantic wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park began when a hunter allowed an illegal fire to escape, the US Forest Service said today. No arrests have been made, and the hunter's name was being withheld pending...

There's an Upside to Yosemite Wildfire

It could restore the forest's ecosystem back to its natural state

(Newser) - The Atlantic goes looking for some silver lining to the Yosemite wildfire , and finds this: Carl Skinner, a US Forest Service ecologist, has discovered that the forest has been altered over the past 100 years due to human intervention into naturally occurring forest fires, becoming less diverse. So the current...

Yosemite Fire Will Burn for 18 More Days

It's now the 4th-largest fire in California history

(Newser) - California's Rim Fire is now 45% contained, but it's still getting bigger—so big, in fact, that it's now the fourth-largest the state has ever seen, the AP reports. It now covers 351 square miles; that's more ground than San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose combined,...

Rim Fire May Have Started on Illegal Pot Farm: Official

California's national parks are full of them, say authorities

(Newser) - A fire chief in California's Tuolumne County quietly revealed an interesting tidbit about the origins of the Rim Fire last week, the San Jose Mercury News reports: officials suspect it was started by marijuana growers. "We don't know the exact cause," he told a town meeting,...

Wildfire Smoke Reaches Yosemite Valley

Popular tourist area affected for first time

(Newser) - Smoke from a wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park is hampering both suppression efforts and the views sought by holiday weekend tourists. Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said smoke from the 2-week-old blaze obscured Yosemite Valley for the first time today. The valley is home to the park's most...

Yosemite Firefighters' Plan: Set More Fires

Rim Fire could be fully contained by Sept. 10, officials say

(Newser) - The giant Rim Fire near Yosemite is still growing—it's now the sixth-largest in California history—but it's also slowing, and firefighters expect to have the 301-square-mile blaze fully contained by Sept. 10, the Los Angeles Times reports. How will they do it? By setting more fires inside...

California Fire Damaging Air in Nevada

And it has a clear path deeper into Yosemite

(Newser) - The wildfire threatening Yosemite National Park is throwing so much smoke into the air that it is significantly hurting the air quality in Nevada—more than 100 miles away. Reno and Carson City issued emergency warnings over the smoke from the Rim Fire, and school children were kept inside for...

Yosemite Fire 'Will Burn Until Snow Flies'

But firefighters are gaining ground

(Newser) - The giant Rim fire near Yosemite National Park has now scorched an area the size of Chicago and is still growing, but firefighters are making steady progress. Officials say the fire is now around 20% contained and the 3,700 firefighters battling it are gaining ground as the blaze climbs...

Today Crucial in Yosemite Fire Battle

Rim fire still growing amid strong winds

(Newser) - The massive wildfire raging in and around Yosemite National Park is still growing, and forecasters warn that today will pose a huge challenge for firefighters. Progress has been made at the western edge of the fire, but it is still pushing to the north and east and strong winds spreading...

Yosemite Fire Now Threatens Giant Sequoias

Officials dig in as blaze looms 4 miles away

(Newser) - The Yosemite wildfire that is threatening to take out San Francisco's utilities now has some of the planet's biggest and oldest living things in its crosshairs: Firefighters are digging in around two groves of giant sequoias—about three dozen in all—taking the precautions of setting sprinklers and...

Calif. Wildfire Now Twice as Big as San Francisco

Rim Fire threatens Yosemite National Park

(Newser) - Tourists fled the area around Yosemite National Park yesterday, as a wildfire headed for the park quadrupled in size. The Rim Fire is now 63,000 acres, or about twice the size of San Francisco, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The main highway leading to the park was closed...

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