By MIKE CATALINI Associated Press A man set a bonfire using wooden pallets in New Jersey's Pine Barrens and left them without fully extinguishing the blaze, sparking a quick-moving wildfire with smoke affecting air quality in the New York City area, authorities said...
Wildfire in NJ Pine Barrens Expected to Grow Before It’s Contained
By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI Associated Press CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey's Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said, though it's expected to grow before forecast rain later this week. The fire in southern...
Berkeley (CA) Moves to Make Homeowners in Severe Fire-Risk Areas Clear Five-Foot Zone Around Homes
Ethan Baron - Silicon Valley, San Jose, Calif. Apr. 17—About 900 Berkeley homeowners will have to clear a five-foot zone of flammable materials from around their houses, if the city's council next month upholds their unanimous vote this week to impose a "Zone 0" rule...
U.S. Forest Service Hiring 1,100 Firefighters
The U.S. Forest Service is advertising to hire 1,100 firefighters across the country. The move is aimed at bolstering wildland firefighter capacity as the fire season gets rolling, KDVR reports. Open positions include the following; Aviation officers Dispatchers...
Wildfire Intensifies to 1,200 Acres but NJ First Responders Make ‘Substantial Progress’
Steven Rodas - nj.com A South Jersey wildfire has fanned out to an additional 200 acres as of Saturday afternoon but first responders have made significant headway, state officials announced. The blaze in the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area in Vineland began Friday...
Fix Our Forest Act Draws Praise and Ire
Robert Schaulis - Times-Standard, Eureka, Calif. Last week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, introduced legislation to the Senate designed to “fix our forests.” A bipartisan bill cosponsored by Sens. John...
Californians Urged to Prepare Now for Fire Season
Darrell Smith - The Sacramento Bee SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Californians must fortify their homes against the ongoing threat of wildfire home by home, neighbor by neighbor and community by community. That’s the message state and local fire authorities are working to...
Wildfire in Sheridan County (ND) Injures Two Firefighters
BRAD NYGAARD and BLAKE NICHOLSON The Bismarck Tribune, N.D. (TNS) Two firefighters were injured while helping battle a wildfire in Sheridan County over the weekend, and one of them was flown to a Twin Cities burn hospital. The blaze Saturday also destroyed a wildland...
Evacuations Ordered for McDowell County (NC) Wildfire
The McDowell News, Marion, N.C. (TNS) Firefighters were on the scene of a wildfire in northern McDowell County Tuesday afternoon. Evacuations were ordered for the area around the fire. As of 4:15 p.m., emergency personnel were managing the fire on Armstrong Creek...
Steve Soboroff Bows out as L.A. Fire Recovery Czar, With Some Parting Shots
Julia Wick Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES — In his last week as L.A.'s fire recovery czar, Steve Soboroff said he was shut out of high-level planning almost from the start, raising questions about why Mayor Karen Bass chose him and whether rebuilding from the...
State, Federal Cuts Leave Unanswered Questions for Wildfire Season
Luke Thompson - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash. Apr. 10—When the Retreat Fire exploded into a serious threat for people and homes last summer, forcing the closure of U.S. Highway 12 for three and a half weeks, it took the combined efforts of several agencies to contain...
HI Hotel, Cruise Ship Tax Hike Aims to Reduce Wildfire, Climate Risk
Dan Nakaso The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (TNS) Tourists would collectively pay millions of dollars more each year to stay in Hawaii hotels and on cruise ships to help the state address climate change and reduce the risk of future wildfires under a bill approved Tuesday...