wildfires

The extreme wildfire that hit Lahaina burned all the way to the coast. As the cleanup continues, rainstorms could wash toxic runoff into the ocean.

Environment

Another struggle after the Maui fires: keeping toxic runoff out of the ocean

1:55pm August 29, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

There's little that separates the ocean from the 2,200 burned buildings in Lahaina. Officials are working to block runoff that could harm the coral reefs offshore.

The fire that devastated historic Lahaina in western Maui left a red-roofed house relatively unscathed. Its owner says he wants to open the house to the neighborhood to help the rebuilding process.

National

'Miracle house' owner hopes it will serve as a base for rebuilding Lahaina

5:00am August 24, 2023

by Bill Chappell

"There was a neighbor who sent a note to us and said, 'Oh, you won the lottery,'" Trip Millikin, whose house survived, told NPR. "And I almost wanted to throw up when I got that."

Residents watch the wildfire in Avantas village, near Alexandroupolis, in the northeastern Evros region of Greece on Monday.

World News

Greek authorities find 18 bodies as they continue to combat raging wildfires

1:53pm August 22, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

Firefighters have been battling blazes across the Mediterranean nation for weeks. Extreme weather and gale-force winds have worsened the fires, authorities said.

Pastor Estrella Arquero leads Koinonia Pentecostal Church with her husband. There are at least 20 church members sleeping in the parish hall because they lost their homes in the fire.

A Filipino congregation took in its own members after their Lahaina homes burned

3:37pm August 18, 2023

by Jason DeRose

The devastating fires on Maui burned more than 2,000 homes and buildings in Lahaina. Many churches have taken in their congregants because they have nowhere to go.

Queue Listen Now

In this image taken from video, a wildfire burns in Zbarbar, Bouira Province, Algeria, Monday, July 24, 2023.

Wildfires across Algeria have killed at least 2 dozen people

3:19am July 25, 2023

by The Associated Press

Wildfires across Algeria have killed 25 people, including 10 soldiers trying to get the flames under control in the face of high winds and scorching summer temperatures, government ministries said.

A row of mailboxes tagged with evacuation notices during the Oak Fire in Mariposa, Calif., in July 2022. Many residents in the area are losing their home insurance because of rising wildfire risk.

How climate change could cause a home insurance meltdown

4:29pm July 24, 2023

It's increasingly expensive and difficult to get home insurance, as losses rise from climate-driven disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. And the solutions aren't always politically popular.

July 19, 2023: Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in a forest near Nea Peramos, west of Athens.

World News

Wildfires in Greece prompt massive evacuations, leaving tourists in limbo

2:56pm July 24, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Tens of thousands of people, many of them British tourists, are scrambling to evacuate from Rhodes and Corfu as wildfires rage across the country. Temperatures are expected to climb again Tuesday.

Canada's smoke blanketed the Midwest less than three weeks ago.

Minnesota and Wisconsin issue air quality alerts amid a new round of Canada smoke

12:31pm July 15, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Parts of the Midwest are seeing unhealthy air quality this weekend, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana and the Dakotas. It can be most dangerous for kids, older people and other sensitive groups.

People at a viewing deck of the Rockefeller Center gaze at the Manhattan skyline on Friday during heavy smog brought by wildfire smoke from Canada.

Canada's record wildfire season continues to hammer U.S. air quality

4:34pm July 01, 2023

by Willem Marx

Several hundred wildfires are continuing to burn across Canada this weekend, with an ongoing impact on impact air quality for vast swaths of the North American continent.

The sun rises over a hazy New York City skyline as seen from Jersey City, N.J., Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside.

National

Photos: Extreme Canadian wildfire smoke shrouds parts of U.S.

3:11pm June 07, 2023

by Nicole Werbeck

Unhealthy air quality grips the East Coast reaching as far south as North and South Carolina.