Latest Wildfire Headlines

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

California Wildfire Now State’s Fourth Largest on Record, Containment Increased

Aug 2 2024 // Firefighters have increased containment on the Park Fire near Chico, California, which at 621-square-miles as of Friday is now the fourth largest wildfire in history.The fire, which covers parts of four counties—Butte,...

Toilet Paper and Flat Tires: The Strange Ways Californians Ignite Wildfires

Aug 2 2024 // Of all the insidious threats faced by wildland firefighters — extreme heat, desiccated forests, unpredictable fire behavior and a nearly year-round fire season — what might be the most fearsome?Humans. People do...

Oil and Gas Power Lines Suspected of Causing Texas Panhandle Wildfires

Aug 1 2024 // When a spate of wildfires tore across the Texas Panhandle in February and scorched 20,000 acres of Craig Cowden’s ranch near Skellytown, he decided he had had enough. Cowden took on a second unofficial job: looking...

North Macedonia Seeks EU Assistance as Wildfires Burn Across the Balkans

Aug 1 2024 // SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia said it was seeking further assistance from the European Union Tuesday to combat wildfires that continue to burn out of control in heatwave temperatures and have crossed the...

600-Square-Mile-Plus Wildfire in California Now State’s Fifth Largest on Record

Jul 31 2024 // The Park Fire near Chico, California, at 609 square miles is now the fifth largest wildfire in history, destroying 277 structures and damaging 29, according to CalFire.The fire covers four counties—Butte, Plumas, Shasta,...

Wildfire Smoke May Be Worse for Your Brain Than Other Air Pollution, Study Says

Jul 31 2024 // Wildfire smoke may be worse for brain health than other types of air pollution, according to new research linking it to an increased risk of dementia.The findings, reported Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association...

Firefighters Increase Containment on California Wildfire Now at 599 Square Miles

Jul 30 2024 // Containment has increased on a fire that exploded in size and in a few days became California’s sixth largest wildfire, destroying hundreds of structures.The Park Fire near Chico, California, has burned 383,619...

California Wildfire Grows to 575 Square Miles, Destroying at Least 100 Structures

Jul 29 2024 // At least 100 structures have been destroyed and roughly 4,200 more are being threatened by the Park Fire, near Chico, California, which has burned 368,256 acres and now touches four counties.Containment on the Park Fire,...

Wildfire in Jasper National Park Could Burn for Months, Canadian Official Says

Jul 29 2024 // JASPER, Alberta (AP) — A wildfire that has destroyed hundreds of structures in the town of Jasper is the largest blaze recorded in Jasper National Park in a century and could still be burning months from now, a Parks...

California Wildfire Continues to Spread Rapidly to 164K Acres

Jul 26 2024 // A massive wildfire in Northern California has destroyed an undetermined number of buildings and is threatening thousands or properties, prompting thousands of evacuations orders, as it continued to rage on Friday...

Devastating Wildfire Burns Down Almost 50% of Western Canadian Tourist Town

Jul 26 2024 // A raging wildfire has devastated the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper, potentially destroying up to 50% of structures, and firefighters were trying Thursday to save as many buildings as possible, authorities...

Northern California Fire Becomes State’s Biggest in a Day, Evacuations Ordered

Jul 25 2024 // A wildfire that started Wednesday near Chico, California grew quickly to 45,549 acres overnight to become the state’s largest active blaze.Evacuation orders and warnings were issued, but the number of residents...

Canadian Wildfires Threaten Oil Output, Prompt Evacuations

Jul 24 2024 // Wildfires in Canada’s energy-producing Alberta province are threatening almost 10% of the region’s oil production and forcing the evacuation of one of the country’s largest national parks during the peak...

World Records Hottest Day While Wildfires Threaten Mediterranean

Jul 23 2024 // The world recorded its hottest ever day, as many parts of the Mediterranean face extreme wildfire risks.Sunday witnessed the highest average temperature on Earth, breaching a previous record set a year ago, according to...

Buffett’s PacifiCorp Suspected of Collusion by Wildfire Victims’ Law Firms

Jul 22 2024 // The law firms leading class-action litigation against PacifiCorp over the 2020 Labor Day weekend wildfires in Oregon want to examine whether the utility owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is colluding with...

Coalition Asks FEMA to Make Wildfire Smoke, Extreme Heat Eligible for Disaster Funds

Jul 18 2024 // A group of 14 attorney generals has formed a coalition to persuade the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to initiate rulemaking to update its regulations to recognize extreme heat and wildfire smoke events as...

Hawaiian Residents Return Home After Crews Contain Wind-Swept Wildfire

Jul 16 2024 // Firefighters have contained a wind-swept wildfire that was threatening about 200 homes on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, authorities said late Monday night, and an evacuation notice for the area has been lifted.The fire...

Growing Southern California Wildfire Threatening 4,100 Structures

Jul 15 2024 // Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for roughly 4,200 people due to a growing wildfire in southern California that is threatening 4,100 structures.The Shelly Fire in Siskiyou County is now 15,232 acres and is 3%...

Wildfires Encircle Canada’s Oil-Sands City Amid Hot Weather

Jul 12 2024 // A ring of wildfires has erupted around Canada’s unofficial oil-sands capital of Fort McMurray, adding new threats to crude production from the world’s third-largest petroleum reserves.Eight out-of-control...

Wildfire Risk Rises as Western States Dry Out Amid Ongoing Heat Wave

Jul 11 2024 // Authorities in Western states warned of the rising risk of wildfires as hot conditions and low humidity dry out the landscape amid a protracted heat wave that is expected to bake much of the U.S. again...