By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The last of the 100 known victims of the wildfire that destroyed Maui's historic town of Lahaina in August was identified Friday as a 70-year-old woman whose husband, sister and several other relatives also...
Colombia Declares a Disaster Because of Wildfires and Asks for International Help
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s government declared a disaster Thursday and asked for international help to combat raging wildfires that are expected to worsen in coming days due to warm, dry conditions associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon. Officials...
AK Charter Company Pays $900K After Guide Caused Wildfire by Not Properly Extinguishing Campfire
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska fishing guide company has paid $900,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. government alleging one of its guides started a wildfire in 2019, the U.S. attorney’s office for Alaska said in a statement Wednesday. Court documents...
OR Jury Awards $85 Million to Nine Victims of Deadly 2020 Wildfires
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon jury awarded $85 million Tuesday to nine victims of wildfires that ravaged the state in 2020, the latest verdict in a series of legal proceedings that are expected to put the utility PacifiCorp on the hook for billions of dollars over...
911 Calls From Maui (HI) Capture Pleas for the Stranded, the Missing, and Those Caught in the Fire’s Chaos
By REBECCA BOONE, CLAUDIA LAUER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press The day after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century destroyed a seaside community on Maui, the barrage of 911 calls didn't stop: Reports of missing people, stranded family members and confused...
Wildfire Prevention and Helping Maui Recover From Flames Top the Agenda for HI Lawmakers
By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are due to convene this week for the first time since the burning of historic Lahaina awakened the state to the deadly and costly threat posed by wildfires in an age of climate change. The tragedy...
Australia Wildfire Destroys at Least Two Homes, Injures Two
PERTH, Australia (AP) — A wildfire burning out of control on the outskirts of the Australian west coast city of Perth on Thursday destroyed at least two homes and injured two people, officials said. An emergency warning was issued for the eastern suburb of Parkerville...
US Touts New Era of Collaboration With Native American Tribes To Manage Public Lands
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government is entering a new era of collaboration with Native American and Alaska Native leaders in managing public lands and other resources, with top federal officials saying that incorporating more Indigenous knowledge into...
Encroaching Wildfires Prompt NC and TN Campgrounds To Evacuate
PINNACLE, N.C. (AP) — Wildfires have prompted campgrounds in North Carolina and Tennessee to evacuate starting Sunday while firefighters prepared for high winds and low humidity on Monday, though officials hoped for some help from expected rain. The National Weather...
Firefighters Extinguish Small Maui Wildfire That Broke Out During Wind Warning
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Firefighters fully contained and extinguished a small wildfire on Maui that broke out Tuesday during a warning that gusty winds and low humidity posed a risk that fires could spread rapidly in the western...
There’s Another Wildfire Burning in HI. This One Is Destroying Irreplaceable Rainforest on Oahu
By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — A wildfire burning in a remote Hawaii rainforest is underscoring a new reality for the normally lush island state just a few months after a devastating blaze on a neighboring island leveled an entire town and killed at...
VA Governor Declares a State of Emergency As Firefighters Battle Wildfires
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Tuesday as firefighters responded to two wildfires that amid dry conditions and high winds. The declaration allows Virginia to mobilize additional resources, staff and equipment to help with the response, the...