Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jul 17 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
Insurers Sue Energy Corporation Blamed for Helping Start Colorado Wildfire
Jul 12 2023 // Dozens of insurance companies are suing Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy to recoup money paid out to homes and businesses lost in Colorado`s most destructive wildfire in 2021. The lawsuit was filed Thursday, a few weeks after...
Wisconsin Wildfire Consumes Nearly 1,000 Acres, Forces Evacuations
Jul 12 2023 // 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...
Delos to Insurers Shedding Wildfire Risk: Send the Homes to Us
Jul 12 2023 // About 6 million homes in the U.S. are considered uninsurable due to wildfire risk. The models at Delos Insurance say about half of those homes are absolutely insurable. “Delos sees a lot more insurable homes in...
California Utility Pays $22M to Settle Claims in 2016 Wildfire
Jul 10 2023 // Southern California Edison and two other companies have paid $22 million to settle U.S. government claims that they caused a 2016 wildfire that burned thousands of acres of national forest, it was announced. The money...
Canada’s Record Wildfire Season Set to Worsen as Heat Builds
Jul 7 2023 // Canada is bracing for higher-than-normal wildfire activity to continue into August, as soaring temperatures and drought turn much of the country’s vast forests into kindling. The Canada fire season, which normally...
Help Arrives to Battle Growing Wildfire in Washington
Jul 5 2023 // Authorities have more than doubled the number of people battling a wildfire that has burned structures and forced the evacuation of homes in southwestern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. The blaze that began...
Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line
Jul 3 2023 // Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities...
Canadian Wildfires Are Causing Unhealthy Air Quality Again in Chicago, Other Parts of the US
Jun 29 2023 // CHICAGO (AP) – Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region, and in parts of the central and eastern United...
Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Causes Unhealthy Air Quality in Minnesota
Jun 28 2023 // ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Wildfire smoke from Canada promoted officials on Tuesday to issue a record 23rd air quality alert for much of Minnesota through late Wednesday night as smoky skies obscure the Minneapolis and...
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jun 28 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
Canada’s Explosive Wildfires Damage Forest Set Aside for Carbon Offset Project
Jun 26 2023 // Canada’s explosive wildfire season has already pumped millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of that carbon is coming from vegetation burned at a carbon offset project, highlighting the...
Europe’s Firefighters Call for More Resources as Climate Change Hikes Wildfire Threat
Jun 23 2023 // Firefighters across Europe are calling for more resources as climate change increases the threat of wildfires across the region. While the European Union announced a doubling of its aerial firefighting fleet for this...
Verdict in Oregon Wildfires Case Highlights Risks Utilities Face Amid Climate Change
Jun 20 2023 // A jury verdict that found an Oregon power company liable for devastating wildfires – and potentially billions of dollars in damages – is highlighting the legal and financial risks utilities take if they fail to...
Man Arrested on Suspicion of Starting California Fire That Burned 100 Homes
Jun 19 2023 // A 71-year-old man was arrested Friday on suspicion of starting a forest fire that destroyed more than 100 homes last year near Yosemite National Park, California fire authorities said. Edward Fredrick Wackerman, of...
Study Blames Climate Change for Summer Wildfire Rise in California
Jun 15 2023 // A study out this week shows that nearly all of the observed increase in summer wildfires in California over the past half-century is attributable to man-made climate change. An international team of scientists looked at...
PacifiCorp Could Owe Billions After Jury Verdict in Devastating Oregon Wildfires
Jun 15 2023 // A jury in Oregon this week 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 dollars to 17 homeowners who sued...
Canadian Wildfires Shutter Sawmills, Drive Up Lumber Prices
Jun 13 2023 // Canada’s worst-ever spring wildfire season has forced its forestry industry to shutter sawmills, driving up lumber prices and setting production back for months just as housing construction has slowed due to higher...
Report: Wildfire Fears at ‘All-Time High’ and Driving Insurer Decisions in Property Market
Jun 12 2023 // Despite a relatively average 2022 wildfire season, fears of wildfires remain at an “all-time high,” and those fears appear to be one driver of decision-making on property insurance. A new report from Gallagher...
Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line
Jun 12 2023 // Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities...
