California wildfire News

Wildfire Recovery May Take Years in Northern California

It will take at least months and likely years to fully recover from devastating wildfires that ripped through Northern California earlier this month, destroying at least 8,900 structures and killing 42 people, Sonoma County officials said Saturday. “We don’t control …

Small Sparks Can Lead to Big Wildfires

A carelessly discarded cigarette, a downed power line, a car’s backfire or a chainsaw’s pull. Just about anything could have started any one of the wildfires now tearing through Northern California, authorities said. “Every spark is going to ignite a …

Wine Country Wildfires Torch California Homes

Firefighters are currently battling 15 expanding wind-whipped fires across Northern California’s wine country, triggering a rush by residents to flee the area. The wildfires in nine counties have already burned over 73,000 acres in the past 12 hours, according to …

Western Wildfires Force Thousands to Evacuate Homes

Wildfires forced thousands to flee their homes across the U.S. West during a sweltering, smoke-shrouded holiday weekend of record heat. The fires Sunday caused evacuations in Glacier National Park in Montana and many other parts of the West; compelled crews …

Latest California Wildfire Costliest Ever at $200M

A wildfire burning for nearly two months on California’s scenic Big Sur coast has surpassed $200 million in firefighting costs, becoming the costliest to fight in U.S. history, according to date released Monday. The fire has cost $206.7 million to …

GPS Placed California Arson Suspect at Scene of Wildfire That Destroyed 189 Homes

A GPS tracker placed a California arson suspect’s vehicle at the scene of a destructive wildfire north of San Francisco last month about a minute before it started, according to an investigation of the suspect in the blaze that destroyed …

Despite Wildfire Danger California Residents Refuse to Evacuate

A wildfire quickly turned into an inferno and within hours had ravaged pine forests near the California ski town of Wrightwood – but only half of its more than 4,500 residents heeded mandatory evacuation orders. Officials say it was another …

California Fire Damage Teams Assess Wildfire Damage

In the aftermath of a wildfire, somebody has to figure out exactly what burned. It’s painstaking and important work that helps evacuated residents know if they lost everything or have something waiting for them when they return home. Officials estimate …

Northern California Wildfire Destroys More Than 100 Homes

A wind-whipped wildfire roared through a Northern California town threatened by a devastating blaze nearly a year ago, wiping out more than 100 homes and businesses and forcing thousands of people to flee, authorities said Monday. The fire seemed calm …

Tourism Declines as a Result of Wildfire in Big Sur

Lodge managers and cafe owners along California’s dramatic Big Sur coast were looking Friday at a summer of jittery guests and cancelled bookings after fire officials warned that crews will likely be battling a wildfire raging in steep, forested ridges …