wildfires

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Calif. Wildfire Burns 3K Acres; 'Volatile' Season Looms

Fire activity up 60% as blazes light up across state

(Newser) - More than 400 firefighters worked to significantly contain a wildfire in Southern California yesterday, but warn that things may get worse before they get better. The blaze burned across 4 1/2 square miles in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, claiming one house and forcing hundreds to evacuate, NBC...

Huge Dust Storm Rains Down Lightning

...as Australia battles wildfires, high winds, and a cyclone

(Newser) - Australia's heat-and-wildfire devastation produced one set of iconic photos yesterday; here's another. A tug boat worker snapped shots of a massive thunderstorm laden with red dust as it moved out toward the Indian Ocean, The West Australian reports. "We were steaming along in the boat just before...

Iconic Photo Emerges as Aussie Fires Rage

Flames approach military bomb range

(Newser) - As wildfires tear through southeastern Australia, one family survived a near-death experience—and snapped photos in the process. Tim and Tammy Holmes were babysitting five grandkids when flames conquered their Tasmanian town, forcing them to take refuge under a jetty. Tim caught a stunning image of Tammy holding two grandchildren,...

No End in Sight to Wildfire Season

8.1 million acres scorched so far

(Newser) - The Western wildfire season that began during an unusually warm and dry March has stretched into September, and the weather is not expected to end it any time soon, AP reports. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes as fires rage in Washington, Montana, and Wyoming, and the...

Lightning Sparks 70+ Wildfires in Wash. State

Officials call on 180 homes to evacuate

(Newser) - Lightning strikes sparked dozens of fires in central Washington state, with officials near Wenatchee calling for the evacuation of scores of homes. Residents of about 180 homes in foothills just west of the city have been urged to evacuate, police said late last night. A spokesman said the 500-acre blaze...

Cali Wildfire Grows, Thousands Evacuate

Campers flee as fire expands by 500 acres

(Newser) - A wildfire in the Angeles National Forest that forced the evacuation of thousands of visitors has grown another 500 acres and additional firefighting resources have been requested. The fire, which broke out near a campground yesterday, grew overnight to about 4,100 acres, or roughly 6 square miles, said US...

Sentence for Starting Record Arizona Fire: 2 Days in Jail

Cousins Caleb and David Malboeuf thought they put out campfire

(Newser) - Two cousins who admitted starting the largest wildfire in Arizona history were sentenced yesterday to spend a weekend in jail and perform 200 hours of community service. Caleb and David Malboeuf also will each be on supervised probation for five years. The Malboeufs were camping in Arizona's Apache-Sitgreaves National...

Forest Service Axes 30-Year Ban on Night Flights

Rule blamed in disastrous 2009 Station fire

(Newser) - California's disastrous 2009 Station fire made wildfire authorities rethink their approach to battling blazes at night—and now they're uplifting a longstanding rule. For the first time in about three decades, the US Forest Service will allow night flights to combat flames, the Los Angeles Times reports. "...

Wildfires Raging Through 14 States

And weather conditions not expected to improve soon

(Newser) - Fourteen states west of the Mississippi are burning, with 70 large fires destroying homes and forcing many to evacuate. Hot, dry, windy weather in the western US is fueling the flames and is expected to continue into next week. Details from CNN :
  • The Taylor Bridge Fire in Washington state has
...

Firefighter Killed as Wildfires Tear Through West

59 large fires burning in 10 states

(Newser) - Wildfires are continuing to blaze across the parched, baking western United States. A 20-year-old firefighter was killed as she battled one of a dozen blazes burning in Idaho, reports the AP . Anne Veseth, who was struck by a falling tree while she was trying to contain a blaze in steep...

Woman Fleeing Colorado Wildfire Starts One in Idaho

Krista McCann is fine after car accident

(Newser) - Bad day? Tell it to 19-year-old Krista McCann. She was feeling a little edgy about the wildfire still smoldering near her place in Colorado Springs and decided to pack up the car and head to her dad's home in Oregon. On the way, she clipped another car, went off...

USDA Declares Biggest Disaster Ever

One-third of America's counties now natural-disaster areas

(Newser) - It's a confirmation of just how brutal this season has been: The US Department of Agriculture yesterday declared the biggest disaster in its history, identifying 1,016 counties in 26 states as natural-disaster areas. That covers about a third of America's counties, notes Bloomberg . The apocalyptic-sounding declaration brings...

High Heat, Smoke, Storms Move to East Coast

Winds carry pollutant-filled wildfire smoke across the nation

(Newser) - Storms, high heat, and wildfire smoke are spreading from the Midwest to the East Coast this weekend as extreme weather grips more of the country. MSNBC gives us a weather rundown:
  • New York City, enveloped in muggy heat, is facing a likely thunderstorm this afternoon.
  • Storms are also heading for
...

All Over US, Fireworks Axed Due to Heat

They're banned in scores of communities, particularly in the West

(Newser) - The red glare of rockets will be missing from scores of Independence Day celebrations tonight, Reuters finds. Dry conditions and record-breaking heat have turned much of America into a tinderbox and caused many communities—particularly those in the West—to cancel their annual fireworks displays. "All it would take...

Climate Change Caused Wildfires
 Climate Change 
 Caused Wildfires 
scientists say
Jul 2, 2012 6:33 PM CDT

Climate Change Caused Wildfires

Warmer temperatures leave states susceptible to record fires

(Newser) - Officially, lightning and suspected arson caused Colorado's record wildfires—but scientists say the real culprit is climate change. The science is simple: Warmer temperatures diminish winter snow and kill off spring rain, leaving state land a parched tinder box ready to go up in flames. And Colorado is not...

Air Force Grounds Air Tankers After Fatal Crash

C-130 went down yesterday while fighting South Dakota wildfire

(Newser) - The US Air Force has grounded all C-130 firefighting planes after one crashed while battling a wildfire in South Dakota yesterday, CNN reports. About three dozen of the aircraft are grounded until further notice. "There were lives lost, there were injuries" in yesterday's crash, said North Carolina National...

Air Tanker Crashes While Fighting Wildfire

No word yet on crew's status in South Dakota crash

(Newser) - At least one major blaze is finally coming under control, but wildfires aren't done wreaking havoc across the West : In South Dakota yesterday, a military air tanker crashed while fighting the White Draw Fire, which has burned through 4,200 acres since Friday and is 30% contained, CNN reports....

Summer of Fire Hell: 1K Homes Destroyed

Hot, dry conditions mean blazes will continue

(Newser) - An astonishing 1,000 homes have already been destroyed by wildfires this year, and with continuing hot, dry weather and record-large blazes sweeping through much of the southwest, the destruction will likely get worse, reports the Los Angeles Times . A record-busting Colorado blaze burned down 259 homes in High Park...

Colorado Wildfire Claims 1st Victim

One other resident of home also missing

(Newser) - The Waldo Canyon fire blazing through Colorado Springs has claimed its first victim: Human remains were found in one burned home, police announced last night, and a second person living in the home is missing, the Gazette reports. Ten people in all are still unaccounted for. Nearly 350 homes have...

350 Homes Destroyed in Colorado Wildfire

Mayor of Colorado Springs offers initial estimate

(Newser) - Authorities in Colorado Springs have offered their first assessment of damage from the still-raging Waldo Canyon fire, and it's not a happy one: The mayor says about 350 homes have been destroyed, making it the most destructive fire in state history, reports AP . Other developments:
  • The fire is about
...

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