Articles by Ellen Knickmeyer and Olga R. Rodriguez

Associated Press
Associated Press

Massive Northern California Wildfire Destroys 400 Homes and Businesses

Two fast-burning wildfires overtook several Northern California towns, killing at least one person and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and sending thousands of residents fleeing highways lined with buildings, guardrails and cars still in flames. The California Department of …

California Regulator: Utility Too Big to be Safe

Repeated natural-gas accidents – including a 2010 pipeline explosion that killed eight people – suggest that California’s largest power utility could be too big to operate safely, the state’s top utility regulator says. California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker …

Quake’s Main Force Directed At Napa Scientists Say

Emerging data on last month’s 6.0 magnitude earthquake shows it directed most of its force north toward Napa and the Napa Valley, hitting hard enough to move one side of the West Napa Fault north by 18 inches (46 centimeters), …

California Judges Recommend $1.4B Safety-related Penalty Against PG&E

California regulatory judges recommended a $1.4 billion penalty on Tuesday _ the largest safety-related levy ever against a public utility in the state _ for a fiery 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people in a suburban San Francisco …

Cleanup from Napa Quake shouldn’t deter tourists, Businesses Say

Napa, Calif. business owners mopped up high-end vintages that spilled from barrels and bottles and swept away broken glass in the rush to get the tourist hotspot back in shape for the summer’s final holiday weekend after an earthquake that …

Calls For Warning System Hastened by California Quake

The earthquake that jolted California’s wine capital may have caused at least $1 billion in property damage, but it also added impetus to the state’s effort to develop an early warning system that might offer a few precious seconds for …