California wildfires

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Disaster Victims Could Get Incentive to Move to Wisconsin

Republicans suggest $10K tax credit for people who lost homes to Hurricane Helene, California wildfires

(Newser) - People who lost their homes to Hurricane Helene or California wildfires could get a sizeable tax break to move to Wisconsin. Republican legislators in the Dairy State have proposed a bill that would give anyone who moves to Wisconsin from North Carolina or Los Angeles County because they were displaced...

Scientists Are Worried About Ocean Damage From LA Fires

Hazardous ash could affect marine life, enter food chain

(Newser) - As crews work to remove potentially hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous materials from the Los Angeles wildfires, researchers and officials are trying to understand how the fires on land have impacted the sea. The Palisades and Eaton fires scorched thousands of homes, businesses, cars, and electronics, turning everyday...

FEMA: Here's Why We're Not Testing Soil After LA Wildfires

Federal agency says it's removing 6 inches of topsoil and that's good enough

(Newser) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is defending its decision not to carry out soil testing amid cleanup efforts in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires after backlash erupted. FEMA originally announced that six inches of topsoil would be removed from destroyed properties, but that no testing would be done...

First California Fire Sale Is Not Cheap

Altadena lot goes for $100K above asking in all-cash bid

(Newser) - Despite some residents' vow that "Altadena is not for sale," a burned-down property in the historically Black Los Angeles neighborhood devastated by the Eaton Fire has sold for more than half a million dollars. The 9,109-square-foot lot on West Calaveras Street, teased as a "great opportunity...

Egg Farm Makes Massive Donation to Wildfire Victims

California farm is working with food bank to give away hundreds of thousands of eggs

(Newser) - As consumers face skyrocketing egg prices and widespread shortages, a California farm is donating hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs to people affected by last month's devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The 100-year-old family-owned Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria said it's working with the Los Angeles...

State Farm Wants a Monster Rate Hike in California

After LA wildfires, insurer seeks emergency 22% rate increase

(Newser) - California's largest home insurer has some not-great news for homeowners. On Monday, State Farm General, which currently insures about a million homes in the state, said it was asking the California Department of Insurance to OK an emergency rate increase as a result of the recent Los Angeles wildfires,...

Private Firefighter: People Were Offering Me $1M

'I'm here filling a gap,' one tells Rolling Stone

(Newser) - In the midst of the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles real estate mogul Keith Wasserman tweeted an urgent plea for private firefighters to come to his home to protect it. "Will pay any amount," he wrote. The plea drew plenty of attention and scorn, but it also illustrated the...

Man Admits Flying Drone That Hit Firefighting Plane

Canadian 'Super Scooper' was hit while fighting Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

(Newser) - A California man has agreed to plead guilty to flying the drone that took an aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire out of action earlier this month. Prosecutors say Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, KCAL reports. Akemann will...

How to Watch Concert for California Wildfire Relief

Benefit will take over two arenas in Los Angeles

(Newser) - More than two dozen artists will take over stages in two arenas in the Los Angeles area on Thursday night to raise money to help people affected by wildfires and, the organizers say, "prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California." The fires killed 29 people and destroyed more...

Kelsey Grammer Is Furious at LA Officials Over Fires

The Frasier star is calling for accountability

(Newser) - Kelsey Grammer isn't holding back about the role he believes Los Angeles officials played in the the wildfires that devastated Southern California earlier this month. In an interview with Fox News , the 69-year-old Frasier star said he's "devastated" by the "human loss" and "loss of...

Trump Begins First Trip, Says FEMA Might Be Axed

Trump is visiting North Carolina and California to assess disaster areas

(Newser) - President Trump has begun the first trip of his second presidency with a stop in North Carolina to see areas that got slammed by Hurricane Helene . Later, he is visiting the Los Angeles area to see the damage from still-burning wildfires.
  • FEMA: In Asheville, North Carolina, Trump reiterated to reporters
...

After Fires, Rain Could Bring New Risk to LA Area

Residents have been advised to prepare for possible flash floods or mudslides

(Newser) - After the driest start to winter on record, some desperately needed rain is forecast for the Los Angeles area this weekend, but the change in weather could bring fresh danger to areas burned by wildfires. "Due to an increased chance of mud & debris flow in recent burn areas,...

Reality TV Couple Sues LA Over Palisades Fire

Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag join others in blaming city after homes burn down

(Newser) - Reality TV couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are suing the city of Los Angeles after losing their Pacific Palisades home in the wildfires that have torn through Southern California in recent weeks, the AP reports. The couple, who rose to stardom on The Hills, a spin-off of Laguna Beach,...

Huge Wildfire Erupts North of Los Angeles

Hughes Fire burned 5K acres in 2 hours

(Newser) - Evacuations were ordered on Wednesday for remote communities near a huge and fast-moving wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles. The Hughes Fire grew to more than 5,000 acres in two hours and is 0% contained, CNN reports.
  • The fire broke out in the late morning and quickly ripped
...

Their Homes Are Gone, but Now They Have a Keepsake

Artists' offers to sketch, paint burned homes 'means the world' to those left with nothing

(Newser) - Homes burned to the ground in Los Angeles County are getting new life—with a paintbrush. Watercolor artist Jordan Heber typically charges $350 to $400 for painting commissions , mostly of beloved homes. After whole neighborhoods burned in California, she created a TikTok video showcasing her work and offering to paint...

Cops: Couple With Fire Truck Impersonated Firefighters in LA

One of them served time for arson in Oregon

(Newser) - Two people who showed up in a Palisades fire evacuation zone over the weekend in a fire truck claimed to be volunteer firefighters from the Roaring River Fire Department in Oregon —and they were arrested after authorities determined that the department doesn't exist. Police say Dustin Nehl, 31,...

Tennis Legend's Trophies Stolen During Fire Evacuation

Pam Shriver had packed them in a car while fleeing from the Pacific Palisades fire

(Newser) - Hall of Fame tennis player Pam Shriver wanted to save some of her most precious trophies from the California wildfires, but she ended up losing them in another way. ESPN reports that when Shriver, 62, awoke Thursday at the hotel where she had fled to escape the Palisades fire, she...

After Fires, LA County Rental Prices Jump 300%

Officials warn of price gouging, look to charge greedy landlords

(Newser) - Totress Beasley paid off the mortgage on her Pasadena home exactly one day before the Eaton Fire reduced it to smoldering ash. "We're in this circumstance with so many other people," the 64-year-old tells KTLA . She's not suffering alone, but there's an unfortunate downside to...

Wildfires May Have Contaminated LA's Water

'Chemicals can't be killed. You have to physically remove them from the water'

(Newser) - Fire crews are making progress against the Los Angeles-area wildfires, but residents are facing fresh challenges including potentially contaminated drinking water. Utilities have issued "Do Not Use" or "Do Not Drink" notices in areas affected by the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, and experts say it could...

In the 'Undescribable' Wildfire Ruins, a Glimmer of Joy

Firefighter Chien Yu recovers his wedding ring in rubble of his home lost in California's Eaton Fire

(Newser) - Before heading off to battle California's blazes, Pasadena firefighter Chien Yu evacuated his wife and two kids to safety from their own home in Altadena, reports KABC . Sadly, the Eaton Fire destroyed his house and others in the area, but there was a small bit of light as Yu...

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