California wildfires

Firefighters battle flames at a burning apartment complex in Paradise, Calif., in November. PG&E could shut down power to as many as 5.4 million customers during extreme weather conditions.

PG&E Could Shut Off Power For Millions To Prevent Wildfires

11:17am February 07, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The utility could cut power to as many as 5.4 million during extreme weather conditions. PG&E declared bankruptcy last month in the face of billions of dollars in wildfire-related liabilities.

Noah Fisher looks over his home that was destroyed by the Camp Fire in November 2018 in Paradise, California. Investigators are examining whether PG&E power lines helped ignite the fire.

Environment

Federal Judge Blasts PG&E's Commitment To California Wildfire Safety

10:17pm January 30, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

In unusually frank language, the judge said he fears the potential for more fires in 2019 if the utility company does not take drastic action.

The Tubbs wildfire burns behind a winery in Santa Rosa, Calif., in 2017. A state report finds that it was caused by privately owned utility lines.

California Investigation Finds PG&E Blameless In Massive 2017 Wine Region Wildfire

8:52pm January 24, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

Power transmission lines owned by the beleaguered utility company are still the focus of an investigation into the cause of the Camp Fire in 2018.

With a downed power utility pole in the foreground, residents of Paradise, Calif., examine a burned-out vehicle destroyed by last year's wildfire.

PG&E Says Federal Judge's Safety Plan Is Not Feasible And Too Expensive

8:28pm January 23, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

The utility company is trying to convince a federal judge to modify a wide-ranging proposal to mitigate wildfire risk. PG&E is also seeking bankruptcy protection.

California utility PG&E Corp. said Monday that it plans to file for bankruptcy over what it estimates could be $30 billion in potential liability costs from recent wildfires. Here, transmission towers in a valley near Paradise, Calif., as the Camp Fire bu

National

PG&E Plans To File For Bankruptcy Over Possible Liability In California Wildfires

5:03pm January 14, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

The utility says it could be facing tens of billions in liability costs connected to the 2017 and 2018 Northern California wildfires. PG&E also says its CEO is stepping down.

Flames burn near power lines in Montecito, Calif. State fire officials say power lines coming into contact with trees sparked four Northern California wildfires last October.

National

Federal Judge Proposes Restrictions On Unsafe PG&E Power Lines

8:58pm January 09, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

PG&E is under fire from many fronts as it faces the possibility of being found responsible for massive California wildfires the past two years.

Gabriela, 32, a strawberry picker from Oaxaca, Mexico, who lives in Oxnard, Calif., had to wear a bandanna to cover her nose and mouth to avoid inhaling smoke from a wildfire while working in the fields.

Many California Farmworkers Forced To Stay Behind During The Wildfires

1:25pm November 24, 2018

Farmworkers workers in Ventura County toiled through the wildfires despite the risks. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Juvenal Solano, a former farmworker and community organizer, about why workers stayed.

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The wreckage of a house sitting in Thousand Oaks, Calif., a city ravaged by the Woolsey Fire less than a day after a mass shooting.

National

'What Took A Lifetime To Accumulate ... Was Incinerated In Minutes'

1:41pm November 16, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

For those who have survived the deadly fires in Northern and Southern California, the escape was just the beginning. Now they face the daunting task of rebuilding the lives they made.

Suzanne Kaksonen and her cockatoo Buddy camp at a makeshift shelter outside a Walmart in Chico, Calif. on Wednesday. Kaksonen, a resident of Paradise, lost her home in the blaze.

National

More Deaths Reported In California Wildfire As List Of Missing Balloons

10:39pm November 15, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

The number of people who perished stands at 63. The roster of those unaccounted for has jumped from 130 to 631 as the sheriff's office combs through reports from people looking for loved ones.

A search and rescue worker, looking for Camp Fire victims, carries Susie Q. to safety after the cadaver dog fell through rubble at the Holly Hills Mobile Estates on Wednesday in Paradise, Calif.

Camp Fire Missing-Persons List Grows To More Than 300 Names

6:08pm November 15, 2018

by Emily Sullivan

At least 56 people have died in the Northern California blaze, which has destroyed entire neighborhoods and continues to burn. Meanwhile, Butte County says about 300 people are missing.

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