California wildfires

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Winds Slow in Fire's 'Halftime'





 Winds Slow in Fire's 'Halftime' 
Oct 14, 2008 1:35 PM CDT

Winds Slow in Fire's 'Halftime'

One blaze 70% contained

(Newser) - Waning Santa Ana winds brought reprieve and progress—albeit temporary—for the firemen battling wildfires around Los Angeles, the Times reports. One nearly 5,000-acre fire near Lake View Terrace is now 70% contained, but a second in Porter Ranch doubled in size overnight. “This thing is not out....

Emergency Declared as Fires Lash LA Homes

2 killed, dozens of homes destroyed as flames roar into northern LA

(Newser) - California's governor has declared a state of emergency as twin wind-driven wildfires  tear through north Los Angeles. Unpredictable 60 mph Santa Ana winds are shooting roaring flames up canyons, and firefighters fear that one blaze—which has already jumped an eight-lane freeway—could burn all the way to the Pacific...

Hundreds Flee Calif. Wildfire
 Hundreds Flee Calif. Wildfire 
Oct 12, 2008 6:38 PM CDT

Hundreds Flee Calif. Wildfire

Blaze burns homes 20 miles north of Los Angeles

(Newser) - A wildfire engulfed 750 acres north of Los Angeles today and forced 1,200 people to flee, the Los Angeles Times reports. It also razed two houses and three motor homes. As helicopters water-bombed the blaze, officials said firefighters had “a really good handle” on it—but admitted the...

Defying Cops, Brothers Save Home From Fire

Amateurs' risky controlled burn lands Big Sur man in jail

(Newser) - When wildfires threatened their 55-acre family compound, two brothers in Big Sur, Calif., fought back with a risky tactic—a controlled burn. The plan saved the homes on the property they've cultivated for decades, but one of the brothers is now facing jail time for disobeying police orders, reports the...

California Blaze a 'Gorilla'
 California Blaze a 'Gorilla' 
Jul 7, 2008 3:00 AM CDT

California Blaze a 'Gorilla'

Firefighters face long, exhausting season

(Newser) - A wildfire in California's Santa Barbara County grew by another 700 acres in addition to 10,000 acres already charred as teams of exhausted firefighters continued to battle the fast-moving blaze. The Gap fire is a priority among the 1,781 blazes which have raged in the state over the...

Calif. Firefighters Battle 2 Huge Blazes

Predicted heat wave will magnify 1,700 fires in Calif.

(Newser) - Thousands of California firefighters battled a huge blaze today that threatened homes in Santa Barbara County, but lost ground to another fire near Big Sur, the Los Angeles Times reports. And weather likely will not help: Winds, lightning strikes, and fierce heat are expected to hit the state this week....

Firefighters Face 'Critical' Day

They hope to contain Goleta blaze; Big Sur still surly

(Newser) - Today will be “critical” for battling the Goleta fire, one of more than 330 still raging across California, a fire commander told the Los Angeles Times. The blaze has already scorched 8,300 acres, sparked more than 2,500 evacuations, and razed four buildings—but it is now 24%...

Wind Keeps Wildfires Spreading Throughout Calif.

Blaze inches closer to Big Sur; burn near Santa Barbara doubles overnight

(Newser) - A pair of out-of-control wildfires roared along California's central coast today, chewing through opposite ends of a parched forest and threatening a total of more than 4,500 homes. While flames from the stubborn fire inched closer to Big Sur's historic vacation retreats, state emergency officials said hot winds had...

Fires, Spiking Gas Aside, Calif. Tourism Still Sunny

Flocking foreigners capitalize on dollar

(Newser) - Near-continuous wildfires and soaring gas prices don’t seem to have made much of a dent in California’s tourism industry, the San Jose Mercury News reports. California's AAA reports only an 0.8% drop in Fourth of July domestic tourism, and a jump in visitors from abroad more than...

Big Sur Evacuated as Fires Rage

680 square miles scorched by wildfires

(Newser) - California residents have been ordered to evacuate the coastal resort Big Sur as wildfires rage in the hills above the town, USA Today reports. Ash rained on people as they packed cars before fleeing to safety. The Big Sur blaze is one of more than 1,100 wildfires in the...

Emergency Declared in Calif. Fires

Blazes threaten more than 6,800 homes; better weather expected

(Newser) - President Bush declared a region stretching from Nevada to the Pacific Ocean a federal disaster area, the Los Angeles Times reports, as more than 1,000 fires raged across northern California. Some 17,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, which threaten 6,800 homes. “We don’t have any...

Fires Threaten Big Sur
 Fires Threaten Big Sur 
Jun 27, 2008 5:20 AM CDT

Fires Threaten Big Sur

California smokeaters stretched thin with 700 blazes

(Newser) - Firefighters rushed to guard historic buildings in the scenic coastal town of Big Sur yesterday as a lightning-sparked wildfire blazed through a national forest in California, AP reports. The fire, only 3% contained, has burned 42 square miles of redwoods and destroyed 16 homes since Saturday. With 700 fires blazing...

Condors Pulled From Calif. Fires

Calif. wildlife group moves to protect rare birds

(Newser) - Wildfires in Northern California spurred the rescue of eight California condors from their Monterey County refuge, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The unusual operation was performed by a US Coast Guard helicopter crew after a wildlife organization said that the fires threatened the condor sanctuary. The birds were taken to...

Wildfires Tamed in Calif., Rage in NM

2K people still evacuated in Santa Cruz County

(Newser) - Firefighters almost completely contained a Northern California blaze today as fires in New Mexico threatened to spread, buoyed by lightning and high winds, the AP reports. The California fire, in Santa Cruz County, has leveled up to 15 homes and led to the continued evacuation of 2,000 people. Officials...

Fire Lashes Berlin Philharmonic
 Fire Lashes Berlin Philharmonic 
May 20, 2008 2:25 PM CDT

Fire Lashes Berlin Philharmonic

No one injured in blaze as musicians bolt from iconic concert hall with instruments

(Newser) - A fire broke out at the Berlin Philharmonic today, bringing more than 100 firefighters to the concert hall, Der Spiegel reports. No one was injured in the blaze, with musicians fleeing with their instruments; a lunchtime concert had to be evacuated. "We don’t believe anyone is in danger,...

Sierra Madre Blaze Rages On
 Sierra Madre
 Blaze Rages On 
Apr 28, 2008 6:49 PM CDT

Sierra Madre Blaze Rages On

Firefighters losing containment on difficult terrain

(Newser) - A California wildfire that has sparked mass evacuations kept burning up Sierra Madre today, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials said the blaze was 23% contained, compared to 30% last night, and four of 580 firefighters have suffered minor injuries—but there are no fatalities so far. The fire now...

1,000 Flee Raging SoCal Wildfire
 1,000 Flee Raging SoCal Wildfire 
updated
Apr 27, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

1,000 Flee Raging SoCal Wildfire

Record temperatures signal worrisome fire season

(Newser) - Roughly 1,000 people abandoned 400 California homes today as firefighters battled a blaze in the Sierra Madre foothills, the Los Angeles Times reports. The fire spread through some 400 acres, and containment is not expected for days. Record-setting temperatures are to blame for the blaze marking an early start...

As Mortgages Melt Down, Owners Burn Up

Debt-motivated arson another facet of US subprime crisis

(Newser) - US homeowners are literally burning down their homes instead of paying their subprime mortgages. Last year saw a dramatic nationwide jump in apparently debt-motivated arson, the Los Angeles Times reports. “I'm busier now than a one-armed paper hanger,” said one investigator. “What is happening is terrifically economically...

LA Cops to Arrest 5 in Malibu Wildfire

Blaze last month destroyed 53 homes; police cite illegal campfire

(Newser) - Arson investigators in LA plan to arrest five young men who they say accidentally set the Malibu wildfire that destroyed scores of ritzy homes over Thanksgiving weekend, the LA Times reports. The men, ages 18 to 27, were having an illegal campfire in a restricted area when they triggered the...

Malibu Blaze 'Looks Good'
Malibu Blaze 'Looks Good'
Nov 25, 2007 3:40 PM CST

Malibu Blaze 'Looks Good'

Dying winds, high mobilization help firefighters corral 40% of fire

(Newser) - The wildfire that scorched 50 Malibu homes yesterday is now 40% contained and should be corralled by Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dying Santa Ana winds and what one official called "unprecedented mobilization" helped firefighters control the blaze. Crews are busy stamping out hot spots today to make...

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