Intense Santa Ana winds fueling powerful Southern California wildfires have forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people across the region, with some 50,000 acres affected by the blazes. California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Ventura County, where more than 1,000 firefighters and others are trying to contain the fires that have…
Northern California is still battling a cluster of wind-fueled wildfires that have spread across wine country north of San Francisco. Authorities said Thursday that at least 31 people have died in the fires, and hundreds are still missing. At least 3,500 structures are believed to have been destroyed, and several wineries have burned to the…
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) issued an emergency proclamation for three counties north of San Francisco on Monday as firefighters struggled to contain some 25 wind-fueled blazes raging through wine country. Authorities said Tuesday that at least 11 people have died in the fires, more than 100 missing-person reports have been called in from Sonoma…
Authorities in Tennessee confirmed Wednesday that at least seven people have been killed in the wildfires that have swept through Sevier County. More than 700 homes and businesses have been destroyed, and the fire has likely burned at least 15,000 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains. Investigators believe the fire was caused by embers from…
At least three people have died in wildfires in eastern Tennessee, authorities said, and the death toll may rise as fires are expected to spread. The three victims were found in separate locations, all killed by the wildfires that erupted Monday, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller told CNN. “We have not been able to get…
Flames force out thousands in the Great Smokies, putting Gatlinburg and Dolly Parton’s popular mountain park in peril. Tens of thousands of residents are under mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday as wildfires narrowed in on the heart of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. The region known best as the home to country superstar Dolly Parton and her…
At least three Gatlinburg-area resorts have been reported destroyed by wildfires raging in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains. The Black Bear Falls log-cabin rental resort, Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and ski area, and the Westgate Mountain Resort & Spa were all destroyed, emergency management spokesman Dean Flener said. At least four people have been injured. The wildfires…
A 40-year-old man has been charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire in Northern California that destroyed 175 homes and forced mass evacuations. The suspect, identified as Damin Anthony Pashilk of Clearlake, California, faces 17 counts of arson for numerous fires he allegedly started throughout the past year. The most recent one, near Clayton…
Firefighters are battling a 3,000-acre wildfire in Northern California that destroyed at least 175 buildings and forced about 1,400 residents to flee their lake community, authorities said Monday. The fast-moving Clayton fire broke out late Saturday afternoon off Highway 29 and Clayton Creek Road, forcing the entire community of Lower Lake — located more than…
A deadly wildfire sweeping across California has burned 150 homes in the center of the state and killed two people, a death toll that may rise. Firefighters may have found more human remains during a search of scorched houses on Saturday. The remains were so badly burned that a forensics expert has to determine whether…
Hundreds of Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico residents have been forced to evacuate over wildfires, as temperatures threaten to reach as high as 120 degrees in the coming days. Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown said the occupants of at least 400 homes and businesses were asked to evacuate in areas threatened by the California…
Residents of Three Rivers subdivision have been notified to be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice as a wildfire sparked by lightning continues to grow. The Akawana Fire broke out between Camp Sherman and Lake Billy Chinook about 13 miles north of Sisters Tuesday afternoon and had burned through almost 2,000 acres by Wednesday…
Authorities are concerned that the massive wildfire in Fort McMurray in western Canada could double in size by the end of Saturday. Over 88,000 people have already evacuated the area due to the blaze. Residents were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday once the fire reached city limits. Evacuees have been led in different directions by…
Canadian authorities are evacuating tens of thousands of residents in Alberta as a massive wildfire rages around Fort McMurray, the capital of the country’s oil sands region. Some 80,000 people were forced to flee the city Tuesday as the 6,540-acre blaze destroyed homes and Alberta officials called on other provinces for help. In Edmonton, officials…
About one inch of snow fell on parts of Kansas and Oklahoma on Easter Sunday and officials say the precipitation provided a boost to their efforts to contain a wildfire described as the largest in Kansas history. The fire began last week in Oklahoma and spread north to Kansas. Oklahoma Forestry Services, a division of…
At least 2 people have died and 87 homes have been destroyed or damaged in South Australian bushfires, officials said Friday. Approximately 90 people have been hospitalized.
Thousands of people were forced to flee their Northern California homes Saturday as firefighters fought a new blaze. The Valley Fire grew to over 15 square miles and gave four firefighters second-degree burns. The cause of it is under investigation. Meanwhile another fire in Northern California had grown to about 101 square miles Friday night…
Three U.S. Forest Service firefighters were killed Wednesday while battling a massive wildfire in eastern Washington state. Gov. Jay Inslee said the men became trapped while battling a fire near the town of Twisp, while as many as four other firefighters were injured. The blaze quickly spread across 1,500 acres Wednesday and about 230 firefighters…
Hundreds of firefighters are battling a fast-moving wildfire near California’s famed Napa Valley. A building burned overnight near Lake Berryessa, close to where the fire started. It is one of five major wildfires burning in the drought-parched state.
At least 28 homes have been destroyed and thousands of residents asked to evacuate as a fast-moving wildfire moved through the Wenatchee, Wash., area. The fire, which sparked Sunday, has torched approximately four square miles.
A brushfire in California’s Napa County has spread more than 3,800 acres Wednesday after sparking Tuesday afternoon, officials said. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the blaze, which is 30 percent contained. Fire officials said it isn’t currently threatening any major vineyards, but nearly 200 homes have been evacuated. Photo: A Cal Fire helicopter makes…
A wind-driven brush fire tore through Carlsbad, Calif., on Wednesday, and spread over at least 100 acres and destroyed as many as 30 homes, Cal Fire said. Thousands of residences and businesses received “reverse 911” calls urging the occupants to leave, county officials said. At least six wildfires have broken out in San Diego County…
At least three different fires have broken out in the San Diego area as hot temperatures and dry conditions hit the region. A fire at Camp Pendleton has led to evacuations, a Marine Corps official said. Another fire is burning in Carlsbad and a third in San Diego’s North County. [10news]
A forest fire burned more than 100 homes in Valparaiso, Chile, on Saturday. The fire, which prompted a red alert for the area, forced thousands of residents to evacuate. People reported minor injuries and residents were treated for smoke inhalation as the fire burned through the port city. Photo: Houses go up in flames during…
A Predator drone is joining the 4,000 firefighters working to contain the giant 12-day-old fire in the Sierra Nevada. The California National Guard drone will fly 22-hour missions to surveil the fire, allowing officials to study its movement and view far-flung corners of the blaze. It’s not the first drone to be used in firefighting,…
Smoke from one of California’s biggest wildfires ever is dangerously contaminating the air across both California and Nevada. The Rim Fire, which has threatened parts of Yosemite National Park, has produced a haze a mile and a quarter thick in some areas, leading authorities to urge the public to avoid any outdoor activity. ‘Unhealthful’ and…
California’s Powerhouse wildfire grew overnight to 19,500 acres and now threatens around 1,000 homes. The fire has already destroyed six homes and damaged nine other buildings. The fire is currently at 20% containment and officials hope to have it fully contained by Wednesday. 2,000 firefighters are fighting to stop the fire’s spread. NBCLA
“You don’t get conditions worse than this,” New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. “We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option.” Catastrophic threat level is the most severe rating. Wildfires have razed 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forests and farmland across southern…
