Latest Wildfire Headlines

All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Canada’s Explosive Wildfires Damage Forest Set Aside for Carbon Offset Project

Jun 26 2023 // Canada’s explosive wildfire season has already pumped millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of that carbon is coming from vegetation burned at a carbon offset project, highlighting the...

Europe’s Firefighters Call for More Resources as Climate Change Hikes Wildfire Threat

Jun 23 2023 // Firefighters across Europe are calling for more resources as climate change increases the threat of wildfires across the region.While the European Union announced a doubling of its aerial firefighting fleet for this season...

Verdict in Oregon Wildfires Case Highlights Risks Utilities Face Amid Climate Change

Jun 20 2023 // A jury verdict that found an Oregon power company liable for devastating wildfires – and potentially billions of dollars in damages – is highlighting the legal and financial risks utilities take if they fail to...

Man Arrested on Suspicion of Starting California Fire That Burned 100 Homes

Jun 19 2023 // A 71-year-old man was arrested Friday on suspicion of starting a forest fire that destroyed more than 100 homes last year near Yosemite National Park, California fire authorities said.Edward Fredrick Wackerman, of...

Study Blames Climate Change for Summer Wildfire Rise in California

Jun 15 2023 // A study out this week shows that nearly all of the observed increase in summer wildfires in California over the past half-century is attributable to man-made climate change.An international team of scientists looked at...

PacifiCorp Could Owe Billions After Jury Verdict in Devastating Oregon Wildfires

Jun 15 2023 // A jury in Oregon this week found the electric utility PacifiCorp responsible for causing devastating fires during Labor Day weekend in 2020, ordering the company to pay tens of millions of dollars to 17 homeowners who sued...

Canadian Wildfires Shutter Sawmills, Drive Up Lumber Prices

Jun 13 2023 // Canada’s worst-ever spring wildfire season has forced its forestry industry to shutter sawmills, driving up lumber prices and setting production back for months just as housing construction has slowed due to higher...

Report: Wildfire Fears at ‘All-Time High’ and Driving Insurer Decisions in Property Market

Jun 12 2023 // Despite a relatively average 2022 wildfire season, fears of wildfires remain at an “all-time high,” and those fears appear to be one driver of decision-making on property insurance.A new report from Gallagher...

Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line

Jun 12 2023 // Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities...

Michigan Wildfire Fully Contained

Jun 8 2023 // GRAYLING TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan wildfire that’s burned more than 3 square miles (7.7 square kilometers) amid hot, dry conditions is now fully contained, the state Department of Natural Resources said...

Wildfires Force Miners to Halt Operations in Eastern Canada

Jun 7 2023 // Several mining companies have temporarily halted operations and exploration activities in eastern Canada as unprecedented wildfires rage.Iron Ore Co. of Canada, which is majority owned by Rio Tinto Group, is in the process...

Canada on Track to See Worst-Ever Wildfire Season

Jun 5 2023 // Canada is on track to see its worst-ever wildfire season in recorded history if the rate of land burned continues at the same pace.The country is experiencing an unprecedented amount of fire activity for this early in the...

Michigan Wildfire Sparked by Campfire on Private Land

Jun 5 2023 // GRAYLING TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan wildfire that’s burned more than 3 square miles (7.7 square km) amid hot, dry conditions was sparked by a campfire, the state Department of Natural Resources said...

Judge Dismisses Criminal Charges Against PG&E Energy in Fatal California Wildfire

Jun 2 2023 // A California judge dismissed all charges against Pacific Gas & Electric in connection to a 2020 fatal wildfire sparked by its equipment that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed four people, including an...

Climate Change, Wildfire Risk and State Farm’s California Decision

Jun 1 2023 // Several reasons were given within State Farm’s announcement last week the carrier was no longer writing new personal or business property/casualty policies in California – including a challenging reinsurance...

Wildfire on Canada’s Atlantic Coast Prompts Evacuation of 16,000, Damages Properties

Jun 1 2023 // A wildfire on Canada’s Atlantic coast has damaged about 200 houses and other structures and prompted the evacuation of 16,000 people, many of whom were eager to return Tuesday to see whether homes and pets had...

California Overtime Law Threatens Use of Grazing Goats to Prevent Wildfires

May 31 2023 // 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 voracious...

California Department of Insurance Bans Sender of Misleading Wildfire Mailers

May 26 2023 // A California Department of Insurance investigation into misleading mailers on insurance claims following wildfires led to a ban of public adjuster and California Recovery Group owner Argen Youssefi of Glendale.The...

No Respite for Wildfire-Hit Alberta as Conditions Set to Worsen

May 19 2023 // Abnormally hot and dry weather is set to return to Alberta on Thursday after a couple of cooler days helped calm wildfires that have forced thousands of evacuations and disrupted production in Canada’s main oil-rich...

Washington’s Proposed Wildfire Smoke Designed to Protect Workers from Dangers

May 19 2023 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries filed proposed permanent wildfire smoke rules and launched a formal process for public input designed to protect people who work outdoor jobs like construction,...