wildfires

Environment

Western wildfires are making far away storms more dangerous

9:24am October 21, 2022

by Lauren Sommer

Scientists are finding that Western wildfires can have far-reaching impacts. If they're burning while Central U.S. thunderstorms are forming, the rain and hail can be dramatically more destructive.

A large fire in a recently deforested area of the Amazon rainforest along Highway BR-319 in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, on Sept. 25.

Brazil's election could determine the fate of the Amazon after record deforestation

7:01am October 01, 2022

by John Otis

Under President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for reelection in Sunday's vote, forest clearing and wildfires have surged in the Amazon.

Queue Listen Now

A search and rescue canine leaves a home leveled by the McKinney Fire on Monday in Klamath National Forest, Calif.

National

Four people have died in Northern California's huge wildfire

2:11pm August 02, 2022

by The Associated Press

The death toll doubled when two additional bodies were found within the burn zone of the McKinney Fire, the state's largest blaze of the year.

Many Western states lack building codes that require wildfire-resistant materials, but a new study shows the cost can be minimal.

Environment

Fireproofing your home isn't very expensive — but few states require it

5:07pm July 28, 2022

by Lauren Sommer

Many Western states lack building codes for wildfire-resistant homes. But a new study finds the costs can be minimal, undercutting long-held building industry arguments against such codes.

Firefighters mop up hot spots while battling the Oak Fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Monday.

Crews are making progress against a destructive forest fire near Yosemite

1:01pm July 26, 2022

by The Associated Press

Crews battling the Oak Fire in California's Mariposa County got a break from increased humidity levels. The blaze, which forced the evacuations of thousands, was 26% contained, Cal Fire said.

A firefighter aircraft drops water in a wildfire in Portugal on Saturday.

World News

Parts of the U.S. and Europe are bracing for some of their hottest temperatures yet

4:54pm July 17, 2022

by Shauneen Miranda

Parts of the Great Plains are forecast to hit record-breaking temperatures this week, while in Europe, extreme heat has fueled wildfires and contributed to hundreds of deaths in recent days.

This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region shows firefighters battling a wildfire on Thursday near Landiras, in southwestern France.

World News

Fires ravage French forests and other parts of Europe in the middle of a heat wave

3:11pm July 15, 2022

by The Associated Press

Challenged by high temperatures and strong winds, 1,000 firefighters and 10 water-dumping planes struggled Friday to contain wildfires in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France.

A scorched structure and vehicles stand on a property mostly destroyed by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire on June 2, near Las Vegas, N.M.

National

Ecologists say federal wildfire plans are dangerously out of step with climate change

7:54am July 03, 2022

by Eric Westervelt

Many forest ecologists say the U.S. Forest Service is hampered by an outdated approach to prescribed fires, a key tool for reducing the threat of megafires made worse by climate change.

Orange dots mark the trees that were damaged in the path of the jet crash.

Shredded trees, dead dolphins and wildfires — how Russia's invasion is hurting nature

4:35pm July 01, 2022

The environmental impacts from Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be felt far longer than the war itself.

Firefighters battle flames as the Dixie Fire pushes through the Genesee Valley in California in August 2021. The fire was California's largest single wildfire in recorded history, burning nearly 1 million acres.

Federal firefighters are waiting for pay raises they hope will help fill their ranks

9:07am June 11, 2022

by Ximena Bustillo

While they face longer and hotter wildfire seasons, federal firefighters are also battling staffing shortages in six of the nine regions across the country.