Latest Wildfire Headlines

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

Florida Panhandle Wildfire Forces Evac of Areas Still Recovering from Hurricane Michael

Mar 7 2022 // Hundreds of residents near Panama City, Florida, were forced to evacuate from a wildfire that destroyed at least two homes and damaged others in an area still recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018. Local news sites...

New Jersey Initiates Controlled Burns to Lessen Fire Risk in Pinelands

Mar 7 2022 // New Jersey environmental officials are fighting fire with fire, using so-called “controlled burns” to reduce the risk of future wildfires by burning pine needles, dead leaves and other dry underbrush. Removing...

$12.8M in Funding Authorized for Arizona Wildfire Recovery

Mar 4 2022 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to provide $12.8 million in emergency funding to help parts of Arizona recover from three major wildfires in recent years, two members of the state’s congressional...

Report: Nearly a Third of U.S. Hazardous Chemicals Facilities Exposed to Climate Change Dangers

Mar 3 2022 // A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stating that climate change is leading to increasingly irreversible impacts, with a narrowing window to adapt to it, is garnering a lot of reaction. The IPCC...

Colorado Wildfire Victims Hitting ‘Green’ Building Code Hurdle

Mar 3 2022 // Some homeowners recovering from Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in history, which decimated entire neighborhoods near Denver late last year, say they could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars more to...

California Commissioner Wants to Require Insurers to Factor Wildfire Safety Steps into Pricing

Feb 25 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced new regulations he believes will improve wildfire safety and drive down the cost of insurance for homeowners and businesses. The proposed regulations, which could be...

Extreme Wildfires Expected to Increase 30% by 2050

Feb 24 2022 // Indonesia’s peatlands, California’s forests, and, now, vast swathes of Argentine wetland have all been ravaged by extreme wildfires, heralding a fiery future and the dire need to prevent it. With climate change...

Bill Introduced to Offer All California Homeowners Insurance, Fund Home Hardening

Feb 21 2022 // Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-Marin County, introduced legislation to require mandatory issuance of homeowners’ insurance and establish a grant program to harden residential properties in areas prone to...

California Wildfire at 20% Containment, Evacuation Orders Lifted

Feb 18 2022 // A wildfire near Bishop, California, is only 20% contained, however evacuation orders have been lifted. The Airport Fire, which started on Wednesday, has burned 4,136 acres. At one point it had threatened 150 structures,...

Oregon Getting $262M in Wildfire Recovery Funding

Feb 15 2022 // The U.S. Forest Service in Oregon will receive more than $262 million in federal disaster funding to help with wildfire recovery. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported the money is part of a $1.1 billion disaster assistance...

California Commissioner, Emergency Agencies Issue ‘Safer From Wildfires’ Framework

Feb 14 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and emergency management leaders in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Administration on Monday announced “Safer from Wildfires,” an insurance framework that incorporates...

Actuary Paper: Active Wildfire Seasons Providing Lessons on Fire Risk

Feb 14 2022 // Destructive and costly wildfires in the western U.S. over the past several years are driving efforts to better understand wildfire risk, ways to more effectively prevent and mitigate wildfires, and approaches to insuring...

Researcher Seeks Answers to Question: How Does A Town Rebuild After a Wildfire?

Feb 7 2022 // Three months after the most destructive fire in California’s history, the residents of Paradise were sifting through the rubble of their houses, moving out of shelters and into less temporary but not permanent...

Bill Introduced to Offer All California Homeowners Insurance, Fund Home Hardening

Feb 3 2022 // Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-Marin County, on Thursday introduced legislation designed to require mandatory issuance of homeowners’ insurance and establish a grant program to harden residential properties in areas...

Colorado Lawmakers Make First Pass on Wildfire Bill

Feb 3 2022 // Colorado lawmakers passed a bill to increase wildfire mitigation efforts, just a month since a devastating fire tore through suburbs north of Denver, destroying more than 1,000 homes and businesses and killing at least one...

Evacuations Lifted for Wildfire on California Coast

Jan 27 2022 // Evacuation orders were lifted Wednesday as firefighters strengthened control lines and mopped up hot spots at a wildfire along California’s Big Sur coast, authorities said. Fire activity was minimal overnight, with...

Wildfire on California Coast Now 45% Contained

Jan 25 2022 // Shifting winds and increased humidity helped firefighters make progress against a blaze burning in rugged mountains near California’s Big Sur coast, authorities said. The Colorado Fire was 45% contained on Tuesday,...

Hundreds Evacuated as Crews Battle California Wildfire

Jan 24 2022 // Hundreds of residents remained evacuated Sunday as crews battled a wildfire in rugged mountains along the California coast that forced the closure of the main roadway near Big Sur. One structure, a yurt, was destroyed by...

Colorado Wildfire Caused $513M in Damage, Officials Say

Jan 24 2022 // The Colorado wildfire caused at least $513 million in damage and destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and structures, officials as they updated the toll of property lost in the most destructive wildfire in state history. Boulder...

Woman Missing in Colorado Wildfire Was Last Seen Trying to Save Dogs

Jan 21 2022 // As a fast-moving wildfire spread in suburban Denver, an emergency responder warned Edna Nadine Turnbull to evacuate. But the 91-year-old went back inside her home to rescue her dogs. Turnbull and her pets were never seen...