Latest Wildfire Headlines

All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Western U.S. Wildfires Explode in Size Amid Hot, Windy Conditions

Aug 1 2022 // Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was...

Alaska Experiencing Wildfires It’s Never Seen Before

Jul 26 2022 // Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen, from the largest wildfire in a typically mainly fireproof southwest region to a pair of blazes that ripped through forests and produced smoke that blew hundreds of...

Record Temperatures, Wildfires Wreak Havoc on Europe’s Wineries and Vineyards

Jul 26 2022 // In Portugal’s Douro Valley on July 7, a wildfire burned close to Oscar Quevedo’s Quinta da Alegria vineyard. By the middle of the night, flames surrounded it. The vines around the edges, amounting to about a...

Crews Protect Homes as California Wildfire Burns Near Yosemite

Jul 25 2022 // A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control through tinder-dry forest on Sunday and had grown into one of California’s biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee...

Europe Wildfire Damage Jumps 75%; Models Need More Development: Chaucer

Jul 22 2022 // Damage from large wildfires in Europe has jumped dramatically, with a 75% increase in the amount of land burned in the latest year, according to analysis by Chaucer, the specialty re/insurer, which warns that modeling for...

Wildfire Burning in Southwest South Dakota 40% Contained

Jul 22 2022 // A wildfire that started earlier this week west of Oglala, South Dakota has burned about 11 square miles and is 40% contained, according to officials. The fire began near Prairie Wind Casino on Tuesday evening and moved...

Evacuation Order for Alaska Wildfire Lifted Near Anderson

Jul 22 2022 // An evacuation order for about 65 residents of a subdivision near the community of Anderson has been lifted, Denali Borough Mayor Clay Walker said. The evacuation order went into place June 28 because of the Clear wildfire...

How Climate Change Drives Heatwaves and Wildfires

Jul 21 2022 // Brutal heatwaves are gripping both Europe and the United States this week and are forecast to dump searing heat on much of China into late August. In addition to temperatures spiking above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit),...

Wildfire Burns Homes Around North Texas Lake

Jul 20 2022 // A wildfire has burned several homes and prompted calls for voluntary evacuations around a lake in north Texas amid sweltering temperatures and dry conditions, authorities said. The fire at Possum Kingdom Lake about 95...

Update: Climate Change Alarm Sounded as Wildfires Rage Across Europe

Jul 20 2022 // Emergency services battled wildfires across swathes of southern Europe amid mass evacuations on Wednesday, as warnings sounded in London after Britain’s hottest day that the fight against climate change needed to be...

Record Heatwave Scorches Europe, as Wildfires Continue to Rage in France, Spain

Jul 19 2022 // Britain was forecast to see temperatures hit 40C (104F) for the first time on Tuesday after logging its warmest night on record, while wildfires raged across parched countryside in France, Spain and elsewhere. As a...

Wildfire Threat Becomes Tool to Fight California Home Builders

Jul 18 2022 // Preston Brown knows the risk of wildfire that comes with living in the rural, chaparral-lined hills of San Diego County. He’s lived there for 21 years and evacuated twice. That’s why he fiercely opposed a plan...

Europe Battles Wildfires in Intense Heat That Scientists Blame on Climate Change

Jul 18 2022 // JERTE, Spain – Authorities across southern Europe battled on Sunday to control huge wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece and France, with hundreds of deaths blamed on soaring temperatures that scientists say...

Yosemite Wildfire Moving Eastward Toward Sierra National Forest

Jul 15 2022 // A wildfire that threatened a grove of California’s giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park was burning eastward into the Sierra National Forest on Wednesday. The Washburn Fire is one of dozens of blazes chewing...

California Firefighters Making Gains in Yosemite Wildfire

Jul 12 2022 // California firefighters were gaining ground in the battle against a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the...

California Insurance Commissioner Issues Year Moratorium on Cancellations, Non-Renewals Following Wildfires

Jul 12 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for more than 85,000 policyholders affected by fires in Santa Barbara County and Monterey County after...

Rain Helps Slow Alaska Wildfire That Prompted Evacuations

Jul 12 2022 // Some rain helped firefighters battling an Alaska wildfire that prompted evacuations. About a half inch fell into early Monday, allowing crews to build more fire breaks to help control the wildfire started by lightning June...

Yosemite Wildfire Growing as California’s Wildfire Season Develops

Jul 11 2022 // A wildfire threatening the largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park more than doubled in size in a day, and firefighters were working in difficult terrain Sunday to protect the iconic trees and a small...

Favorable Weather Aids in Fight Against California Wildfire

Jul 7 2022 // Favorable weather early Wednesday aided the fight against a wildfire in California’s Gold Country that has forced evacuations in two counties. The Electra Fire had burned 6.4 square miles of rural terrain but it was...

California Governor Acting to Advance Wildfire Recovery

Jul 5 2022 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed states of emergency in Santa Barbara and Monterey counties on Friday to help the process of recovery from recent wildfires. The proclamations allow the California Department of...