Wildfires in the USA

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Erratic winds challenge firefighters battling two major California blazes

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — A massive wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave National Preserve was spreading rapidly amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the southwest that prompted evacuations.

https://apnews.com/article/bonny-fire-york-california-nevada-wildfires-mojave-national-preserve-4aa8ca08fbe4f391af31338d2ce9b6e4?

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As wildfires burn, scientists race to understand the health dangers of prolonged exposure

More than 120 million Americans — one-third of the U.S. population — have been living under air quality alerts this summer, with citizens in New York City, Chicago, and Detroit at times experiencing some of the unhealthiest air in the world. The hazy conditions, fed by an unprecedented surge in Canadian wildfires likely fueled by climate change, has grounded planes, canceled outdoor sporting events, and filled emergency rooms with asthma patients.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/07/31/wildfire-smoke-prolonged-exposure-health-risks/?

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Firefighting helicopters collide over Southern California desert, killing 3 in crash

CABAZON, Calif. (AP) — Two firefighting helicopters collided while responding to a blaze in Southern California, sending one to the ground in a crash that killed all three people on board.

https://apnews.com/article/southern-california-fire-helicopter-crash-10d52bcc63b4ab6cc9c8d6285b65d322?

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Wildfire on Maui kills at least 6, damages over 270 structures as it sweeps through historic town

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — A wildfire tore through the heart of the Hawaiian island of Maui in darkness Wednesday, reducing much of a historic town to ash and forcing people to jump into the ocean to flee the flames. At least six people died, dozens were wounded and 271 structures were damaged or destroyed.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-dora-winds-ec23c16abfbeb6ba689f1a98263720db?

Confirmed deaths from Maui wildfires climb to 36, county officials say

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s office said tonight that the confirmed death toll from the windswept wildfires that devastated Lahaina and other Valley Isle communities Tuesday has risen to 36.

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/08/09/breaking-news/massive-wildfires-devastate-lahaina-wreak-havoc-across-2-islands/

Maui fire deaths surge to 53 and likely to go higher, governor says. Over 1,000 structures burned

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — A search of the wildfire devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of obliterated neighborhoods and landmarks charred beyond recognition, as the death toll rose to at least 53 and survivors told harrowing tales of narrow escapes with only the clothes on their backs.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-lahaina-f5a7047d407f836f89e90dd7f10faa94?

Why this matters: On Wednesday, crews were continuing to battle blazes in several places on the island. Authorities urged visitors to stay away. The fires were the latest in a series of problems caused by extreme weather around the globe this summer. Experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of such events.   Fires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the U.S. West. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires.   Trade winds are a normal feature of Hawaii’s climate. But Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the islands this week, is exacerbating the low-pressure system and creating “unusually strong trade winds,” said Genki Kino, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Strong winds, combined with low humidity and dry vegetation that burns easily, can increase the danger of wildfire.

Related coverage ➤  LIVE UPDATES: Biden sends military to help with brutal Hawaii wildfires Scientists look beyond climate change and El Nino for other factors that heat up Earth What’s driving Maui’s devastating fires, and how climate change is fueling those conditions

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What Hawaii lost

Look beyond Maui's reputation as a vacationer's paradise to see the devastating toll of Hawaii's wildfires:

• At least 36 people have died and dozens more are wounded, with officials warning the number could rise.
• Thousands of residents of Lahaina — the historic town that once served as Hawaii's royal capital — are now homeless, CNN reports. More than 2,100 people sought refuge at four emergency shelters in Maui.
• Search and rescue teams are making their way through the area hoping to find more survivors, the communication director for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said.

Between the lines: Lahaina officials fear that some of its most culturally significant buildings and treasured history were decimated.

• A 150-year-old banyan tree, believed to be the largest in the U.S., was charred, officials said.
• The town's oldest building, the Baldwin Home, appears to be gone, a local foundation told the New York Times.
• The historic Waiola Church crumbled to the ground. Its lay minister told USA Today they would still hold its next service — even if it requires pop-up tents.

Satellite images show Lahaina in September 2022 (left) and August 2023. Photo: Planet Labs PBC

Zoom in: The Maui wildfires are the deadliest in the U.S. since California's Camp Fire in 2018, Axios' Ivana Saric and Shauneen Miranda write.

• Extreme winds from Hurricane Dora and drought conditions across Hawaii exacerbated the spread of the wildfires.

Get the latest.

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What to know about Hawaii's catastrophic wildfires

Authorities in Hawaii are still searching for survivors of this week's destructive wildfires, which killed at least 93 and injured dozens of others on Maui Island.

https://www.axios.com/2023/08/10/hawaii-maui-wildfires-2023-what-to-know?

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Maui survivors face surreal scenes

The scene yesterday in Lahaina, Hawaii. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The death toll in Hawaii has reached 80 as search and rescue operations continue following a Maui wildfire that erupted on Tuesday. The fire is the deadliest in the U.S. since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise, AP reports. The latest: A new wildfire last night triggered the evacuation of Kaanapali in West Maui, a community northeast of the area that burned earlier, but crews were able to extinguish the fire before 8:30 p.m., authorities said. This is projected to be the second-costliest disaster in Hawaii's history, behind only Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Above: Cars back up for miles on the Honoapiilani highway as residents were allowed back into areas affected by the recent wildfire yesterday. Crews are continuing to search for missing people. Go deeper: Why the wildfires were so deadly

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LEVER TIME: The Deadliest Wildfire In 100 Years

The Lever team speaks with a former Hawaii state representative about the recent disaster in Maui and how the community aims to rebuild.

https://www.levernews.com/mauis-devastating-wildfire/

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‘The house lit up.' Highland Fire destroys couple's home of 15 years within minutes

A couple evacuated during the early stages of the fast-moving Highland Fire returned Wednesday to find ashes where their home of 15 years once stood.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california-wildfires/highland-fire-riverside-county-aguanga-wildfires/3257446/

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Five years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors forge different paths toward recovery The Camp Fire in Paradise, California, destroyed about 11,000 homes — about 90% of the town’s structures. So far 2,500 homes have been rebuilt. About 700 are under construction at any one time, many on original lots. But just six of the town’s 36 mobile home parks that served mostly low-income and older residents have reopened. Five years later, residents are sharing their stories freely and managing their post-traumatic stress enough to return to Paradise to help make something new. Read more.

Why this matters: Wildfires have always been a part of life in California, but they are getting more severe as climate change has caused hotter, drier summers. Seven of the state’s 10 most destructive fires happened in the past decade.   The Camp Fire, the official name of the Paradise fire, marked a turning point. Now, utility companies routinely shut off power for millions of people during wind storms to prevent fires from starting. Major property insurance companies have raised homeowners’ rates to exponential highs or dropped coverage for many in wildfire-prone areas while other providers have simply stopped writing new policies altogether, and towns have installed warning sirens and are working to create more evacuation routes.

Related coverage ➤ How are people supposed to rebuild Paradise, California, when nobody can afford home insurance?

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There’s another wildfire burning in Hawaii. This one is destroying irreplaceable rainforest on Oahu

HONOLULU (AP) — A wildfire burning in a remote Hawaii rainforest is underscoring a new reality for the normally lush island state just a few months after a devastating blaze on a neighboring island leveled an entire town and killed at least 99 people.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-oahu-native-forest-wildfire-e676c5bd5384554bc100ca5208bacf43?

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Record wildfire smoke chokes U.S.

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

This year's wildfire season more than doubled the previous record for fire-related air pollution in the U.S., Axios data journalists Will Chase, Erin Davis and Kavya Beheraj report. The average American was exposed to 66% more air pollution than the previous record year, driven by Canada's worst wildfires ever, according to the Stanford Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab. 😷 Why it matters: Exposure to wildfire smoke can cause breathing problems, exacerbate heart disease and respiratory illness, and damage crops. It's estimated to cost the U.S. $144 billion annually in lost labor alone. This may be the new normal: Human-caused climate change has lengthened fire seasons, increased the likelihood of fires and strengthened the intensity of fires. All that adds up to more smoke in our future. See the data project.

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Father in gender-reveal that sparked fatal 2020 California wildfire has pleaded guilty

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A man whose family’s gender reveal photo shoot sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter in 2020 has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-gender-reveal-california-el-dorado-b9f3f9b9cd4a1d8ae43654c4a5cdf453?

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Out-of-control wildfires scorch the Texas Panhandle A series of wildfires swept across the Texas Panhandle early Wednesday, prompting evacuations, cutting off power to thousands, and forcing the shutdown of a nuclear weapons facility. Read more.

Recent developments: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as the largest blaze, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, burned nearly 400 square miles, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Since the fire sparked Monday, it’s more than doubled in size.   As the evacuation orders mounted, county and city officials tried to answer questions from panicked residents. Officials implored them to turn on their cellphones’ emergency alerts and be ready to evacuate. They described some roads as having fire on both sides and said resources were being stretched to their limit.   Authorities have not said what might have caused the blaze, which tore through sparsely populated counties surrounded by rolling plains as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the flames.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Study says 2023’s Atlantic ocean heat and low Antarctic sea ice give a glimpse of a much hotter world   US government may sue PacifiCorp, a Warren Buffett utility, for nearly $1B in wildfire costs   These numbers capture the wild weather hitting much of the US this week

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Why did the Texas Panhandle fires grow so fast?

The rapid growth of raging wildfires in the Texas Panhandle has been staggering. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties Tuesday as the blaze forced widespread evacuations. On Wednesday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire had grown to rival the largest in state history.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-panhandle-rapidly-growing-fire-766075c32469334c73e53b64bdb9ccbe?

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A wildfire scorching the Texas Panhandle has grown to the largest in state history

STINNETT, Texas (AP) — A dusting of snow covered a desolate landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and burned out homes in the Texas Panhandle on Thursday, giving firefighters brief relief in their desperate efforts to corral a blaze that has grown into the largest in state history.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-panhandle-fire-evacuations-cbbb6a279bef1bd020722ed48927114a?

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Charred homes, blackened earth after Texas town revisited by destructive wildfire 10 years later

FRITCH, Texas. (AP) — The small town of Fritch is again picking through the rubble of a Texas wildfire, a decade after another destructive blaze burned hundreds of homes and left deep scars in the Panhandle community.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-wildfires-fritch-panhandle-9a2800423d67bdfb77c0afe9da35b5d5?

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Power lines ignited the largest wildfire in Texas history and one nearby, officials say

Power lines ignited massive wildfires across the Texas Panhandle that killed at least two people, destroyed homes and livestock, and left a charred landscape, officials said Thursday, including the largest blaze in state history.

https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-texas-smokehouse-xcel-energy-22540df0a0c1d2c42a7fe0284858845a?

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“It Feels Impossible to Stay”: The U.S. Needs Wildland Firefighters More Than Ever, but the Federal Government Is Losing Them

Black Butte is an inactive volcano that rises from the high desert in eastern Oregon. In May 2022, a turboprop plane approached its pine-blanketed slopes, carrying about 10 men wearing bulky Kevlar outfits. They were smokejumpers with the United States Forest Service, the agency that directs the majority of the nation’s efforts to manage wildfires. Within the vast and hierarchical fire service, smokejumpers occupy a singular niche, parachuting into remote areas to fight early-stage wildfires. There are only about 450 nationwide, and the physical requirements are rigorous.

https://www.propublica.org/article/wildland-firefighters?

The Big Burnout: Wildland Firefighters and the West

As record-setting blazes grow more common, poor compensation is spurring an exodus of wildland firefighters, thinning America’s last line of defense against fires. For residents of fire-prone areas, the stakes could not be higher.

https://www.propublica.org/events/the-big-burnout-wildland-firefighters-and-the-west?

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California firefighters continue battling wind-driven wildfire east of San Francisco

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California firefighters made significant progress Sunday to tame a wind-driven wildfire that scorched thousands of acres 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of San Francisco, burned down a home and forced residents to flee the area near the central California city of Tracy.

https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfire-national-lab-c125ea03f228b8df65d4e66729477189?

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Strong winds, steep terrain hamper crews battling Los Angeles area’s first major fire of the year

GORMAN, Calif. (AP) — Strong winds pushed flames through dry brush in mountains along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles on Sunday, and officials warned residents in the wildfire’s path to be prepared to leave if it explodes in size again.

https://apnews.com/article/california-gorman-brushfire-freeway-los-angeles-3d940b9dae55ca39175e9b2bc815869c?

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California firefighters gain ground against big wildfires after hot, windy weekend

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters increased their containment of a large wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles on Monday after a weekend of explosive, wind-driven growth along Interstate 5.

https://apnews.com/article/california-gorman-brushfire-freeway-los-angeles-5d4d72092c5f4dda5b5533eb8d9c5dc7?

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At least 1 dead in New Mexico wildfire that forced thousands to flee, governor’s office says

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of southern New Mexico residents fled a mountainous village as a wind-whipped wildfire tore through homes and other buildings, and killed at least one person. Officials warned the danger isn’t over.

https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-wildfire-ruidoso-evacuation-86ee7230cc09ed7922a8f3a3815c7e7c?

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FBI offers reward for information about deadly southern New Mexico wildfires

RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — Federal authorities offered a reward for information about those responsible for igniting a pair of New Mexico wildfires that killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the past week.

https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-wildfires-ruidoso-765b87c261012abe4f6dcc73b7814454?

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The Lahaina fire worsened Maui’s housing shortage. Now officials eye limiting tourist Airbnb rentals

HONOLULU (AP) — Alicia Humiston bought her condo in Lahaina after she visited Maui and fell for its rainforests, lava fields and the whales that gather offshore. She travels there about three times a year and rents out her unit for short periods when she’s not in Hawaii.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-maui-wildfires-vacation-rentals-housing-362b482610fbb9d9bbb9da51989b5398?