wildfires

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Manitoba Official Blasts US 'Ambulance Chasers'

Thousands evacuated as out-of-control fires threaten multiple communities

(Newser) - Manitoba is grappling with its worst wildfire season in decades, forcing officials to declare a second state of emergency this year as more than 100 wildfires rage across the province. Provincial authorities say 2.5 million acres have already burned in 2024, putting Manitoba on track for its largest...

Wildfires Force Evacuations at 2 National Parks

National Park Service says Grand Canyon's North Rim will be closed until further notice

(Newser) - Visitors and staff at two national parks in the US West have been evacuated because of wildfires. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles southwest of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lightning sparked blazes on both rims, the park said. According to an early Friday update from...

GOP Lawmakers to Canada: Do Something About the Smoke

Republicans claim a 'lack of active forest management' amid wildfires

(Newser) - Six Republican members of Congress from Wisconsin and Minnesota have sent a letter to Canada's ambassador, complaining that smoke from Canadian wildfires is drifting south and spoiling outdoor summer activities for their constituents. The lawmakers, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, say residents are dealing with...

Teen Suspected of Starting Wildfire With Fireworks

13-year-old could face charges including felony reckless burning of forest land

(Newser) - A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of setting off fireworks that sparked a wildfire this week in coastal Southern California, forcing the evacuations of about a hundred canyon homes, authorities said. Crews with air support protected residences from the Rancho Fire as flames raced through dry brush Monday afternoon...

Military Chief Wants National Guard Fighting Fires, Not in LA

US Northern Command leader asks Hegseth to return 200 troops after migrant protests

(Newser) - The top military commander in charge of troops deployed to Los Angeles to respond to protests against immigration raids has asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if 200 of those forces could be returned to wildfire fighting duty, two US officials told the AP on Monday. President Trump ordered the deployment...

Tourist Paradise Is Now a Tinderbox
Tourist Paradise Is
Now a Tinderbox
Jun 23, 2025 10:40 AM CDT

Tourist Paradise Is Now a Tinderbox

Extreme heat and wind challenge firefighting efforts on Greek island of Chios

(Newser) - Flames forced entire villages to flee on the Greek island of Chios this weekend, as relentless wildfires swept through the popular summer destination. According to state media, three separate fires broke out Sunday in the areas of Kofina, Agia Anna, and Agios Makarios Vrontadon, per the New York Times...

One Stat Speaks Volumes About Canada's Wildfires

It's June, and the country has already topped its annual average for land burned

(Newser) - Not yet halfway through the year, Canada has already surpassed its annual average for land burned. With numerous wildfires burning across five provinces , more than 7.8 million acres have gone up in flames so far this year, according to Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre data, topping the 25-year annual...

Smoke From Canada Wildfires Has Crossed the Atlantic

The UK's skies are painted orange

(Newser) - One small benefit to the devastating wildfires ripping through Canada? "Captivating sunset and sunrise" some 4,000 miles away. As the BBC reports, smoke from the Canadian wildfires made its way to the UK over the weekend, scattering the blue wavelengths of sunlight in the atmosphere to give the...

Half of Canada's Wildfires Are 'Out of Control'

In some cases, officials are simply watching the land go up in smoke

(Newser) - The equivalent of 4 million football fields have been consumed by fire in Canada, where 203 wildfires were active Wednesday. About 68 are contained and another 24 are likely to be contained, but half are considered "out of control." Most are expected to keep growing even as firefighters...

Wildfires Drive Evacuations in 3 Provinces

Air quality worsens in portions of states along the border

(Newser) - More than 25,000 residents in three Canadian provinces have been evacuated as dozens of wildfires remained active Sunday and diminished air quality in parts of the country, as well as the US, according to officials. Most of the evacuated residents were from Manitoba, which declared a state of emergency...

Friday Could Be a Smoky One for the Midwest

Wildfires in Canada are pushing smoke down into Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan

(Newser) - Wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have led to a state of emergency and the evacuation of around 17,000 residents in Manitoba, in what that province's premier is calling its largest evacuation in recent memory. What that means for the United States: Friday and Saturday are going to...

Canadian Province Declares Wildfire Emergency

Manitoba blazes force 17K evacuations

(Newser) - With wildfires raging across western Canada, Manitoba has declared a province-wide state of emergency and ordered the biggest evacuation in decades. "I can tell you everybody has to be out by midnight, and that includes me," the mayor of Flin Flon, population 5,000, told the CBC on...

The Goats of Sacramento Are Back
The Goats of
Sacramento
Are Back
May 28, 2025 6:15 PM CDT

The Goats of Sacramento Are Back

Calif. county to spend $400K to let herds graze on dry vegetation that could serve as wildfire fuel

(Newser) - Goats are back on the job in Sacramento, California, called in once again to help head off potential wildfires as the region's temperatures rise. Under a program led by Sacramento County Regional Parks, thousands of goats and sheep are grazing their way through open areas to eat down...

Fire Sweeps Through Civil War-Era Site

New Mexico officials say structures were damaged at Fort Stanton Historical Site

(Newser) - Campgrounds and a horse ranch were evacuated Monday as a wildfire swept through a Civil War-era historical site in southern New Mexico. Ground crews, air tankers, and helicopters joined efforts to contain a blaze that damaged several buildings at the Fort Stanton Historical Site, authorities said. The wildfire scorched more...

Disturbing Trend Seen in Record Rainforest Loss

Fires, not agriculture, are now the primary cause of tropical forest destruction

(Newser) - Tropical forests vanished at a record pace in 2024, losing 26,000 square miles—an area about the size of Ireland—according to new satellite data. Fires, rather than land clearance for agriculture, drove most of the loss for the first time, with the Amazon region facing unusually severe...

Contributing Factor in 15K US Deaths: Climate Change

Study attributes 15K deaths over 15 years to climate-fueled wildfires

(Newser) - Smoke from wildfires worsened by climate change has killed an estimated 15,000 people in the US over 20 years—and that's saying nothing about the economic costs. A new study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment attempts to quantify just how much climate change is contributing...

Tourists to Pay Nearly 20% 'Lodging Tax' in Hawaii

State approves legislation for funds to climate resilience, beach restoration, and wildfire prevention

(Newser) - Hawaii lawmakers have approved a new measure to raise the state's lodging tax, marking what experts say is the nation's first state-level tax of its kind designed explicitly to fund environmental protection and climate change adaptation. The legislation, which Gov. Josh Green is expected to sign, adds...

2nd Teen Nabbed, Charged Over Jersey Wildfire

This time it's a 17-year-old charged with arson, joining 19-year-old Joseph Kling as a suspect

(Newser) - A second teenager has been charged over the Jones Road Wildfire in New Jersey, which scorched thousands of acres of land and spurred the evacuation of thousands. According to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office , the unidentified boy, 17, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with aggravated arson,...

Man, 19, Faces Arson Charges Over New Jersey Wildfire

Blaze has burned more than 23 square miles, impacted air quality in surrounding area

(Newser) - A spark from burning pallets in New Jersey's Pine Barrens has unleashed a wildfire, with smoke drifting as far as New York City and Long Island, prompting evacuations and raising air quality alarms. The blaze was sparked when a 19-year-old man from Waretown set fire to wooden pallets...

Nuclear Plant on 'Round-the-Clock Watch' as NJ Wildfire Rages

Firefighters are making progress, but it could still become state's biggest fire in 20 years

(Newser) - A wildfire raging in New Jersey's Pine Barrens could become the state's largest in 20 years, officials say, but progress is being made on containment even as it continues to grow. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service says the fire, which has burned more than 11,500 acres...

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