MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A wildfire in central Wisconsin has consumed almost 1000 acres (405 hectares) and forced evacuations of scores of properties. State Department of Natural Resources officials said at a news conference Tuesday that the fire began Monday afternoon in...
Forest Service and Historically Black Colleges Unite to Boost Diversity in Wildland Firefighting
HAZEL GREEN, Ala. (AP) — Before starting college, Taylor Mohead had never been outside her hometown of Houston, Texas. Now, the recent Tuskegee University graduate is trekking around trees in Hazel Green, Alabama, in fire gear and sweltering heat. The U.S. Forest...
New Firefighting Planes Sought Across the Warming Planet Are on Their Way, With a Little Delay
By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Production of a workhorse firefighting plane that is eagerly awaited in Europe to combat worsening mega-blazes fueled by climate change is running “a little bit” behind schedule, and the first will not be...
Pacificorp Could Be on the Hook for Billions After Jury Verdict in Devastating OR Wildfires
By ANDREW SELSKY and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A jury in Oregon on Monday found the electric utility PacifiCorp responsible for causing devastating fires during Labor Day weekend in 2020, ordering the company to pay tens of millions of...
CA Slaps Parents with $675,000 Tab for Wildland Fire Their Kids Started While Camping
The State of California is suing the parents of two children who started a 2020 wildland fire that spread to over 100 acres. The Skyline 3 Fire started at the Skyline Truck Trail in Jamul at 1:08 pm on June 11, 2020, and burned for three days, according to CalFire. In...
Quebec Orders More Evacuations as Dozens of Wildfires in Canada Remain Out of Control
MONTREAL (AP) — Northern Quebec's largest town was being evacuated on Tuesday as firefighters worked to beat back threats from out-of-control blazes in remote communities in the northern and northwestern parts of the province. According to the province's forest fire...
Two Insurance Giants Stop Insuring CA Homes Over Wildland Fire Risk
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two insurance industry giants have pulled back from California's home insurance marketplace, saying that increasing wildfire risk and soaring construction costs have prompted them to stop writing new policies in...
Wildland Fire in One Canadian Province Contained, While Another Burns Out of Control
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — A wildfire that forced thousands of residents from their homes in Canada's Atlantic Coast province of Nova Scotia is now contained, while a second wildfire remains out of control, officials said Sunday. Nova Scotia's natural resources...
Wildfire on Canada’s Atlantic Coast Spurs Evacuation of 16,000
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — A wildfire on Canada’s Atlantic coast has damaged about 200 houses and other structures and prompted the evacuation of 16,000 people, many of whom were eager to return Tuesday to see whether homes and pets had survived. Firefighters worked...
Rain and Smoke Help Fight Canadian Wildfires; Evacuations Continue
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Scattered rains and even smoke cover cooled air temperatures and helped efforts to fight wildfires in Alberta over the weekend, officials said Sunday, while a new fire in neighboring British Columbia led to an evacuation order for one rural...
Unusually Early Heat Wave in Pacific Northwest Tests Records
By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An early heat wave took hold Saturday in parts of the Pacific Northwest, with temperatures nearing or breaking records in some areas and heat advisories in place through Monday. The historically...
Half of U.S. West Out of Drought, But Not Fully Recovered
By BRITTANY PETERSON Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Nearly half of the U.S. West has emerged from drought this spring, but the welcome wet conditions haven't entirely replenished the region, scientists said Tuesday. Hydrologists from the National Oceanic and...