CAlifornia

Firefighters monitor a back fire as they battle the Mendocino Complex Fire on Tuesday near Lodoga, Calif.

National

Largest California Wildfire Won't Be Contained Until September, Officials Say

7:36am August 08, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The Mendocino Complex Fire, the biggest in the state's history, now covers 457 square miles. Officials previously estimated Aug. 15 for its containment, but now say it won't be until Sept. 1.

A firefighter gathers water from a pool while battling the Ranch Fire near Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on Saturday.

National

PHOTOS: As One California Wildfire Ebbs, Another Explodes

2:04pm August 06, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

The Carr Fire, which killed seven people, has been partially contained and the threat to residents reduced. But the Mendocino Complex Fire is now the second-largest wildfire in state history.

A car passes through flames on Highway 299 as the Carr Fire burns through Shasta, California, on July 26. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze has destroyed multiple structures and killed seven people.

National

California Fires Spread Rapidly, Killing Seventh Victim

1:50pm August 05, 2018

by Shannon Van Sant

There are 18 fires blazing in California, and officials say this year the wildfires have spread faster and burned more land earlier in the fire season than usual.

Northern California's River Fire tore through a canyon near the town of Lakeport early last week, filling orange-tinged skies with smoke for miles around.

California Wildfires Reignite Old Trauma For Survivors Of Last Year's Blazes

10:06am August 05, 2018

In fire-torn parts of the West, some people who are now safe struggle mightily when they again smell smoke or see an orange haze in the sky. That's normal, say therapists. And you can quench the fear.

Queue Listen Now

At the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier in southern California, researchers logged the warmest sea surface temperature in 102 years.

San Diego Researchers Measure The Highest Ocean Surface Temperature In A Century

7:50pm August 03, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The water, collected by scientists with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, measured 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit. "It really is weird," a research scientist said. It all started with the blob.

An historic schoolhouse burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity.

National

California's Carr Fire Jumps Sacramento River, Reaching Outskirts Of Redding

4:52am July 27, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The fire that began earlier in the week tripled in size overnight Thursday, fueled by high winds, record-breaking temperatures and low humidity.

A house is covered in pink fire retardant as the Cranston Fire burns out of control near the town of Idyllwild in the San Bernardino National Forest on Wednesday.

National

Arson Arrest Made In Fast-Moving Southern California Fire

7:02pm July 26, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

The Cranston Fire has destroyed five homes and forced some 3,200 people to evacuate from Riverside County. The fire spread very rapidly, expanding to 4,700 acres in just a few hours.

The California state flag flies outside City Hall in Los Angeles. A bid to ask voters if they want to split California into three separate states has been stymied by the state Supreme Court.

National

California Supreme Court Squashes Bid To Split State Into Three

3:33pm July 19, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

The court ruled that the proposal to divide California can't be placed on the November ballot. A venture capitalist has spent years arguing the state would be better off as several smaller states.

The Klamathon Fire burns this week in Hornbrook, Calif., just south of the Oregon border. At least one person was killed in the fire.

Fires Across California Force Evacuations, Claim Homes And At Least One Life

7:06pm July 07, 2018

by Maggie Penman

Multiple counties have ordered evacuations as crews work to contain fires across the state.

In a file photo from 2004, a sign at the entrance to the Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water Company bottling plant, owned by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé, on the Morongo Indian Reservation near Cabazon, Calif.

Nestlé Offered Permit To Continue Taking Water From California Watershed

10:56pm June 28, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The company's U.S. bottled water unit had been found to be operating under a long-expired permit, taking tens of millions of gallons a year from a watershed in the San Bernardino National Forest.