wildfires News

California Overtime Law Threatens Use of Grazing Goats to Prevent Wildfires

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer. These …

Increasing Cost of Claims Drives State Farm Out of Calif. Property Market

An insurer group was quick to respond over the weekend after State Farm announced it will cease accepting new applications for business and personal lines property/casualty in California to deal with increased risks and higher construction costs. The American Property …

France Moves to Ban Smoking in Woodlands to Combat Risk of Mega Fires

PARIS (AP) – French lawmakers have voted to ban smoking in all forests and woods during the fire season, part of a series of proposed measures to tackle growing destruction and dangers from climate change-related blazes. National Assembly lawmakers voted …

New Mexico Officials: FEMA Delays Lead to Mistrust Among Wildfire Victims

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are criticizing federal emergency managers for missing deadlines as residents seek recovery assistance following the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. It has been a year since the U.S. …

Russia’s Wildfire Death Toll Rises to 21 in Ural Mountains

MOSCOW (AP) – The death toll from wildfires in Russia’s Ural Mountains rose to 21 Tuesday, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing local emergency service agencies. Wildfires have raged in the Kurgan region of the Urals and in Siberia …

Out-of-Control Wildfires Cause Evacuations in Western Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – Fire crews battled wildfires threatening communities in western Canada on Sunday as cooler temperatures and a bit of rain brought some relief, but officials warned the reprieve came only in some areas. Officials in Alberta said …

Wildfires in Anchorage? Climate Change Sparks Disaster Fears

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Research on a flat spot for air evacuations. Talk of old-style civil defense sirens to warn of fast-moving wildfires. Hundreds of urban firefighters training in wildland firefighting techniques while snow still blankets the ground. This is …

$1.6B Trial Starts Against Utility over Fatal 2020 Wildfires

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A trial connected to a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon started Tuesday in Portland. The fires in 2020 killed nine people, burned more than …

Pollution Lawsuit Could Curb Use of Aerial Fire Retardant

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A legal dispute in Montana could drastically curb the government’s use of aerial fire retardant to combat wildfires after environmentalists raised concerns about waterways that are being polluted with the potentially toxic red slurry that’s dropped …

Spain’s Barcelona Faces Drought ‘Emergency’ in September

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Authorities in Spain’s parched northeast warned Tuesday that Barcelona and a wide surrounding area that’s home to some 6 million people could face even tighter restrictions of water use in the coming months. Samuel Reyes, head …