damage News

Popular California Beach City Reopens After Massive Oil Spill

A Southern California beach that was closed more than a week ago because of a leak of crude oil from an undersea pipeline reopened on Monday, far sooner than many expected, City and state beaches in Huntington Beach reopened after …

California Encourages Prescribed Burns to Counter Wildfires

California is encouraging more use of fire to fight fire, such as when deliberately set burns were recently used to protect giant sequoias from a raging wildfire. But sometimes what are known as prescribed fires themselves spread out of control, …

Investigators Board Ship That Was Anchored Near California Oil Pipeline

U.S. Coast Guard investigators have boarded a massive cargo ship as they probe what caused the rupture of an offshore oil pipeline that sent crude washing up on Southern California beaches. The Coast Guard is investigating whether a ship anchor …

California Jury Awards $6.3M to Actress in State Farm Fire Suit

A federal jury in Los Angeles awarded $6.3 million to actor Shannen Doherty on Monday in a lawsuit alleging that State Farm failed to pay sufficiently for damage to her house in a 2018 California wildfire. The jury found that …

Officials: No Foul Play in Fatal Wyoming Fire

Investigators say they do not believe foul play was involved in a house fire that killed a southern Wyoming man and displaced his wife and three children. Firefighters called to the home southwest of Laramie early morning found the structure …

Goats Being Brought in to Help Slow Colorado Wildfires

A group of horse trailers pulls up to a trailhead outside of Carbondale, Colo. The doors open and more than 800 goats jump out onto the gravel parking lot. The goats head straight for the closest grassy hill and immediately …

Washington Collectibles Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Setting Fire for Insurance

An Edmonds, Washington woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to the 2018 fire at her business that prosecutors said she set in order to collect insurance money. Connie Bigelow, 53, admitted in the plea agreement that she set …

PG&E Charged in California Wildfire That Killed 4

Pacific Gas & Electric was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter and other crimes after its equipment sparked a Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes last year, prosecutors said. It is the latest legal action …

Investigators Probing Cause of Deadly Montana Train Derailment

Federal investigators are seeking the cause of an Amtrak train derailment near a switch on tracks in the middle of vast farmland in far northern Montana that killed three people and left seven hospitalized over the weekend. The westbound Empire …

Suspected Arson Wildfire Forces Evacuations in Northern California

Thousands of people were under evacuation orders Friday and many others were on notice to be ready to flee as a destructive wildfire raged in a drought-stricken forest in California’s far north. A woman suspected of starting the Fawn Fire …