Category: wildfire

Southwest US States Bake, Wildfire Threatens Arizona Towns

LAS VEGAS—The Southwest United States continued to bake Saturday, and weather forecasters kept warnings in effect for excessive heat in Arizona, Nevada, and desert areas, at least through the weekend. High temperature marks didn’t fall Saturday, but Phoenix reached a sweltering high of 115 degrees F (46 degrees C) for the day and Las Vegas…


Greek Villages, Monasteries Evacuated as Fire Damages Homes

LOUTRAKI, Greece—A large wildfire in Greece damaged homes and prompted evacuations Thursday as it tore through rugged forest terrain. Fire Service officials said eight water-dropping planes and three helicopters were involved to try to contain the blaze some 70 kilometers (45 miles) west of Athens, outside the resort town of Loutraki. Overnight and early Thursday,…


2 Arson Suspects Detained in Los Angeles Wildfire: Police

LOS ANGELES—A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave, authorities said. The cause of the fire near Topanga State Park has been deemed “suspicious” and is under investigation, the Los Angeles…


Fire on Cape Town’s Table Mountain Under Control, Smoldering

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—Firefighters in Cape Town finally brought a wildfire under control Monday after it swept across the slopes of the city’s famed Table Mountain, burning the university’s historic library and forcing the evacuation of some neighborhoods. The smoldering fire is being watched for flareups amid high winds and hot, dry conditions. City authorities…


Cape Town Fire Burns University Library, Students Evacuated

JOHANNESBURG—A wildfire raging on the slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain spread to the University of Cape Town, burning the historic campus library and forcing the evacuation of students Sunday. Orange flames lit up the windows of the library that houses considerable archives and book collections while firefighters sprayed jets of water to douse the…


Firefighters Make Progress Containing Black Hills Fires, Mount Rushmore Remains Closed

NEMO, S.D.—Firefighters continued to make progress Wednesday on containing wildfires in the Black Hills of South Dakota that earlier forced the evacuation of more than 400 homes. Fire crews have increased containment of the largest fire near Schroeder Road in the Nemo area to 47 percent, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook…


Williams Canyon Fire Victims Make Impassioned Plea for Help

With mudslide season approaching, fire victim Susan Iwamoto is making an urgent plea to the County of Orange, as well as California state and federal authorities to help struggling residents in what she calls “the lost canyon.” Iwamoto, 56, and her husband, Wayne, 69, have been living in their ash-and-soot-filled home in Williams Canyon since…


New Evacuations Ordered in Greece as High Winds and Heat Fuel Wildfires

RHODES, Greece—A week-old wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defenses Monday, forcing more evacuations as strong winds and successive heat waves that left scrubland and forests tinder-dry fueled three major fires raging elsewhere in Greece. The latest evacuations were ordered in south Rhodes after 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in…