wildfires

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Tanker Plane Crashes Fighting Oregon Fire, Killing Pilot

Crews struggle with blazes spreading across western US

(Newser) - A tanker plane that disappeared in eastern Oregon while fighting one of the many wildfires spreading across several Western states has been found, and the pilot on board is dead, authorities said Friday. A local search and rescue team located the aircraft Friday morning, said a Bureau of Land Management...

Wildfire Engulfs Town in Canadian Rockies

Firefighters are battling to save critical infrastructure in Jasper, Alberta

(Newser) - One of two raging wildfires menacing the town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies' largest national park has roared into town and begun burning buildings. Park officials say the fire entered the southern edge of the community Wednesday evening, and crews are battling multiple structural fires and working to protect...

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch Is in Wildfire's Path

The Lake Fire is also threatening wineries in California's Los Olivos area

(Newser) - One of the largest wildfires currently burning in California has Michael Jackson's former home in its sights. The Lake Fire, which has grown to more than 18,000 acres since it broke out Friday afternoon, is burning in southern California's Santa Barbara County near Los Olivos, and along...

'Vast Majority' of California Evacuees Allowed Home

Crews are continuing to battle Thompson Fire near Oroville

(Newser) - Thousands of people evacuated during a Northern California wildfire were allowed to return home Thursday afternoon as crews continued battling flames amid scorching heat, officials said. Containment of the Thompson Fire near the city of Oroville in Butte County also increased to 29% from 7%, the AP reports. The "...

Plane Emissions Were Nothing Compared to Canada Wildfires
Canada Wildfires Were
an Emissions Firehose
NEW STUDY
Jun 30, 2024 7:31 AM CDT

Canada Wildfires Were an Emissions Firehose

Fires produced more carbon dioxide than airplanes, India's burning of fossil fuels: report

(Newser) - The devastating Canadian wildfires of last year were fueled by climate change and fueled climate change right back. The fires emitted more heat-trapping carbon dioxide than did India in burning fossil fuels, according to a study update published Thursday in Global Change Biology . "The update is not peer-reviewed, but...

In New Mexico, 'a Whole Other Level of Devastation'

There are dozens missing, unconfirmed reports of additional deaths

(Newser) - As residents return to a fire-ravaged village in the mountains of southern New Mexico, the mayor on Monday warned them that some parts of Ruidoso remain off limits as special search and rescue teams comb the charred rubble along the hardest-hit streets. They're looking for the remains of people...

FBI: $10K to Help Us Catch Person Who Set Wildfires

Agency is offering reward in New Mexico

(Newser) - Federal authorities offered a reward for information about those responsible for igniting a pair of New Mexico wildfires that killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the past week. The FBI on Saturday offered up to $10,000 for information in connection with the South Fork Fire and...

Firefighters Make Progress in New Mexico

Full containment of wildfires is weeks away, agency reports

(Newser) - Recent rains and cooler weather are helping more than 1,000 firefighters gain ground on two wildfires in southern New Mexico on Saturday that have killed two people, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee. Fire crews took advantage of temperatures in the 70s, scattered showers, and light...

Biden Issues New Mexico Disaster Declaration

Uncontained wildfires have killed at least 2

(Newser) - President Biden issued a disaster declaration for parts of southern New Mexico on Thursday. The move freed up funding and more resources as crews worked, under the threat of flooding and lightning, to battle a pair of deadly wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people...

New Mexico Needs Help With Fires From Rainfall

Crews could be put in danger by shifting winds

(Newser) - Air tankers dropped water and red retardant on Wednesday on a pair of growing fires in mountainous New Mexico that killed at least one person, damaged more than 1,400 structures, forced thousands to flee a tourist locale, and may now threaten hundreds of firefighters amid high wind risks. Strong...

New Mexico Village to Residents: 'GO NOW'

Wildfires approach Ruidoso like 'pair of tongs'

(Newser) - "GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately," officials told residents of Ruisodo, New Mexico as wildfires approached the village of around 7,000 people Monday evening. CBS News reports that traffic clogged streets for hours on Monday, but Ruidoso's main...

First California Wildfire a 'Taste of What's to Come'

Hot and windy conditions are fueling the Post Fire near Los Angeles

(Newser) - California's first major wildfire of the season is here, and the newly named Post Fire is not expected to enter the record books in terms of scale or damage. But the nature of the fire in Los Angeles County and the fact that it's only mid-June nonetheless has...

Ex-Forestry Official Accused of Planning Fire That Killed 137

Volunteer firefighter allegedly started Chile blaze

(Newser) - A Chilean judge has ordered the detention of a volunteer firefighter and a former forestry official for allegedly planning and causing a mammoth forest fire in the Valparaiso region that caused 137 deaths and made 16,000 people homeless in February. The court in Valparaiso ruled the two men, who...

Canadian Fires Already Causing Problems in US
Canadian Fires Already
Causing Problems in US
UPDATED
May 13, 2024 3:10 PM CDT

Canadian Fires Already Causing Problems in US

Four states had air-quality alerts on Monday

(Newser) - Air-quality alerts from wildfires in Canada were in effect over four US states Monday afternoon, reports NBC News . Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota were affected, with conditions ranging from "moderate" to "unhealthy" under the air quality index established by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Canada Braces for 'Explosive Wildfire Season'

Country has just had its warmest winter on record

(Newser) - Last year was Canada's worst wildfire season on record by a long way—and authorities are warning that this year could be even worse. Government officials say an unusually warm winter, drought conditions, and dry, hot weather to come could cause an "explosive" wildfire season, the BBC reports....

One Nation Claims Dozens of World's Most-Polluted Cities

India isn't breathing easy, per new air-quality report, which notes only 10 nations get WHO's thumbs-up

(Newser) - If your city's air pollution has you reaching for the N95, you're not alone. Per a new report from Swiss tech company IQAir, out of 134 nations and regions surveyed, only 10 of them meet an international air-quality standard set forth by the World Health Organization, reports CNN...

The New Luxury Perk in Fancy Homes: Clean Air
The Rich Breathe Better
Air Than Most—Literally
longform
Mar 10, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

The Rich Breathe Better Air Than Most—Literally

Souped up filtration is becoming the norm for those who can afford it, reports 'New Republic'

(Newser) - It's a general truth that air pollution from factories and highways affects the poor more than the rich because of where people are able to live. But wildfire smoke? You might think, as one journalist put it, that it's more "egalitarian" because it affects everyone. Not so...

In Texas' Biggest Wildfire, Utility Issues a Mea Culpa

Xcel Energy says its facilities 'appear to have been involved' in starting the Smokehouse Creek Fire

(Newser) - The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday that its facilities appeared to have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history. Texas officials have said they're still investigating the cause of the fire that has burned...

The Force of the Texas Wildfire, in 5 Stats

Blaze, now the largest in Texas history, remains 3% contained

(Newser) - It took just four days for a spark to become the largest wildfire ever seen in Texas. The Smokehouse Creek Fire that erupted Monday had spread to roughly 1.1 million acres on Thursday, topping the 2006 East Amarillo Complex Fire, which burned 907,245 acres, per the Houston Chronicle...

Wildfire Emergency Declared in 60 Texas Counties
Texas Fire 'Looks
Like Armageddon'
Feb 27, 2024 11:07 PM CST

Texas Fire 'Looks Like Armageddon'

Wildfire that started Monday is already 5th-largest in state history

(Newser) - With multiple fires raging in the Texas Panhandle, Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency in 60 counties. Multiple communities have been evacuated and mandatory evacuation orders are in place in Moore and Potter counties, reports the Amarillo Globe-News . In Hemphill County, the sheriff's office issued a...

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