Category: wildfires

Number of Wildfires Grows in BC, but Cooler Weather Offers Firefighters a Breather

The BC Wildfire Service says five fires that either threaten public safety or are highly visible are now burning in the province, up from two just a day earlier. The blazes newly identified as “fires of note” include a nearly nine-square-kilometre fire northwest of Cache Creek in the Kamloops Fire Centre, another that has burned…


Western Flames Spread, California Sees Its Largest 2022 Fire

YREKA, Calif.—Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for additional fire growth Sunday as they sought to protect remote communities. The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with expected thunderstorms a big concern…


Massive New Mexico Blaze Blamed on Miscalculations, Errors

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—U.S. Forest Service employees made multiple miscalculations, used inaccurate models, and underestimated how dry conditions were in the Southwest, causing a planned burn to reduce the threat of wildfires to explode into the largest blaze in New Mexico’s recorded history, the agency said Tuesday. The agency quietly posted an 80-page review that details the…


Red Tape Stokes Devastating Wildfires: Report

A new report vividly illustrates how bureaucracy and litigation slow down prescribed burns and mechanical treatments of wildfire-prone lands by the U.S. Forest Service, with one fire management category taking an average of more than seven years to actually start following project initiation. Recent years have seen some of the biggest wildfires in the documented…


Arizona Wildfires Forcing Thousands of People to Evacuate

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—For the second time in less than two months, thousands of Flagstaff residents fled their homes in the face of yet another devastating wildfire. “We cope. God says, ‘Here you are. Do what you need to do,’ ” said Percy Piestewa, whose family lost property in the Tunnel Fire in mid-April. That blaze burned…


Biden Says Federal Govt. Will Cover ‘100 Percent’ of Recovery Costs for Wildfires in New Mexico

President Joe Biden said the government will cover “100 percent” of the recovery costs in response to the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history, also the largest fire in the United States so far this year. The Calf Canyon Fire and the Hermits Peak Fire were originally “prescribed burns,” conducted as part of the U.S. Forest Service’s forest…


Government Will Cover ‘100 Percent’ of Recovery Costs for New Mexico Wildfires: Biden

President Joe Biden said the government will cover “100 percent” of the recovery costs in response to the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history, also the largest fire in the United States so far this year. The Calf Canyon Fire and the Hermits Peak Fire were originally “prescribed burns,” conducted as part of the U.S. Forest Service’s forest…


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Issues Coordinated Response to Wildfires Burning Across the State

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on May 19 announced an ongoing coordinated response to help slow the spread of the multiple wildfires burning across the state. A total of nine wildfires continued to burn in central and West Texas as of May 19, including the Mesquite Heat Fire in Taylor County, about 170 miles west of Fort Worth,…


$416 Million in Disaster Funding Comes Through for Homes Lost in BC Wildfires

The federal government said it’s preparing for what could be a challenging summer of wildfires in parts of the country as several ministers gathered in Vancouver to outline how funds will support those already affected. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said it’s advancing $416 million to rebuild homes and businesses lost in the 2021 fires,…


Nebraska Wildfires Kill Ex-Fire Chief, Hurt 15 Firefighters

CAMBRIDGE, Neb.—Wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of Nebraska killed a retired fire chief and injured at least 15 firefighters, authorities said Sunday. The man who died Friday night was a retired Cambridge fire chief who was working with firefighters as a spotter in Red Willow County in the southwestern corner of the state. That fire…