California Wildfires News

Wind Whips up Wildfire in California Canyons, Residents Flee

Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that prompted utilities to cut …

Several Northern California Agencies Suing PG&E Over 2019 Wildfire

Sonoma County and several Northern California agencies sued Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Tuesday over damage caused by a wildfire that burned a large swath of land last year and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee. The Kincade Fire …

California’s Wine Country Adapting to Annual Wildfire Threat

Harvest season in Northern California’s wine country is what dream weddings are made of: ripe grapevines and golden sunsets provide ceremonies an alluring backdrop that every year draws millions of visitors. But harvest season now overlaps with fire season as …

California Issues Moratorium on Insurers Non-Renewing or Cancelling Following Wildfires

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday announced a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing or cancelling residential property insurance policies, a move he says is aimed at helping 2.1 million policyholders affected to date by the record 2020 …

$166M in Fines Recommended for PG&E Over California Outages

California regulators are being asked to fine Pacific Gas & Electric nearly $166 million for failing to properly inform customers before it cut power to millions of people last year. The sweeping outages without proper notification were “a major public …

Scientists Want New Framework for Understanding California Wildfire Costs, Risks

A new report out shows challenges current fire management policies in California, proposes a new framework for understanding the total cost of wildfire in the state and suggests that health impacts from smoke my represent substantial costs that are not …

Winds Fanned California Fires and Kept Thousands of Evacuees Away

Crews tried to beat back two out-of-control wildfires in Southern California on Tuesday that have kept tens of thousands of people out of their homes. Fierce winds that drove twin fires through brushy hills near cities in Orange County a …

Monitor: PG&E in California Prioritized Targets Over Reducing Wildfire Risk

PG&E Corp. prioritized meeting inspection targets over meaningful reduction of wildfire risk, according to a monitor overseeing the utility’s program of trimming trees and vegetation that pose a threat of igniting devastating blazes in California. Among the court-appointed compliance monitor’s …

California Could See More Fire-Prevention Power Shutoffs

Electricity may be shut off to 50,000 Northern California utility customers this week to try to prevent power lines from sparking and igniting new wildfires during a predicted new round of gusty, hot and dry weather. Customers in parts of …

California Pledges to Protect Homeowners from Insurer Withdrawals Due to Wildfires

California’s insurance commissioner on Monday pledged to step up efforts to protect the state’s residents from wildfires and address a pullback of private insurers from the state’s riskiest areas. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara convened a “virtual investigatory hearing” on Monday …