CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — California wildfires erupted Wednesday in rural areas, racing through bone-dry brush and prompting evacuations as the state sweltered under a heat wave that could last through Labor Day. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency with...
Sheriff: Two Dead in Northern CA Wildfire
WEED, Calif. (AP) — Two people have died in a blaze that ripped through a Northern California town, said Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue. LaRue shared the news of the fatalities Sunday afternoon during a community meeting held at an elementary school north of...
CA Office of Emergency Services to Staff Strike Teams with National Guard Soldiers
California is launching a program where strike teams will be staffed with National Guard soldiers. The program will rollout this summer, and is starting with five new brush trucks just delivered to the state. Four man teams of National Guard soldiers are now being...
Deadly CA Wildfire Wipes Out Scenic River Town
By HAVEN DALEY and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — Roger Derry, 80, and his son have lived together in the tiny scenic hamlet of Klamath River in Northern California for more than 40 years. They know most of the town's 200 or so...
Western Flames Spread, CA Sees Its Largest 2022 Fire
By NOAH BERGER Associated Press YREKA, Calif. (AP) — Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for additional fire growth Sunday as they sought to protect remote...
Chief: Bottle-Magnified Sunlight Ignited Possum Kingdom (TX) Fire
By TERRY WALLACE Associated Press Sunlight magnified by glass bottles in an open garbage can ignited paper trash, starting a 500-acre (200-hectare) North Texas wildfire that destroyed five homes, fire officials said Thursday. The July 18 fire on Possum Kingdom Lake's...
Northern CA Wildfire Threatens 500 Buildings
BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire that erupted in Northern California forced evacuations as it threatened about 500 homes and other buildings Tuesday, authorities said. The Rices Fire erupted at around 2 p.m. near the Yuba River in Nevada County and had spread to...
Wildfire Threatens Unspoiled GA Island Rich in History
By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press ST. CATHERINES ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Wildfires sparked by lightning have scorched hundreds of acres on this unspoiled island off the Georgia coast, where crews are battling to protect plantation ruins, the remnants of a 16th century...
Warm, Dry, Breezy Weather to Challenge Fire Crews in AZ
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Fire crews battling a pair of wildfires in northern Arizona were expecting some growth Thursday because of warm, dry and breezy conditions, officials said. Both blazes were moving through grass, brush and pine trees on the northern outskirts of...
Flagstaff (AZ) Wildfire Forces Evacuations, Steadily Grows to Over 4,500 Acres
By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Evacuations are in effect in parts of northern Arizona as a wildfire about 6 miles (9 kilometers) north of Flagstaff steadily grew Sunday, authorities said. Coconino National Forest officials said the...
Fire Chief Hospitalized with Burns at NC Wildfire
Mark Price The Charlotte Observer (MCT)A firefighter remains hospitalized after suffering multiple burns during a wildfire in western North Carolina, according to Otto Fire and Rescue in Macon County. The firefighter was identified as department Chief Terry Rholetter...
Review: Decision to Defend Fire Station Nearly Cost Lives in Dolan Fire
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A firefighting crew's decision to stay and defend its beloved station on California's central coast nearly cost the lives of 14 firefighters who were overrun by flames, according to a report released Friday by an organization that promotes...