Wildfires in the USA

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Living through a ‘low-attention disaster,’ Mountain Fire survivors recover in LA’s shadow

SOMIS, Calif (AP) — The ashes of Hatim Naim’s burned home lie just a few dozen miles west of the Los Angeles areas destroyed by January’s Palisades and Eaton fires.

https://apnews.com/article/mountain-fire-california-wildfires-ventura-county-fema-la-fires-9a81fe2b68a8b6933fc6295177346e41?

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Lawsuits accuse insurers of colluding to drop coverage in fire-prone parts of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two lawsuits filed in Los Angeles allege major home insurance companies have colluded to limit coverage in California communities at high risk for wildfires and force homeowners onto the state’s last-resort insurance plan that offers basic coverage and high premiums.

https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-insurance-fair-plan-lawsuit-950c41726b47f58403a907d32ec5e742?

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New Jersey wildfire

A raging wildfire in southern New Jersey expanded to 8,500 acres on Tuesday. According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the blaze started in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area of Ocean County yesterday morning. The fire has already burned several businesses and is currently threatening another 1,320 structures. As thick, black clouds filled the sky, worsening air quality, authorities ordered more than 3,000 evacuations. Numerous roads were closed, including a portion of the Garden State Parkway, the state’s main artery. Power outages have also left more than 25,000 customers in the dark. So far, only 10% of the wildfire has been contained. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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Wildfire in New Jersey Pine Barrens expected to grow before it’s contained, officials say

CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said Wednesday, though it’s expected to grow before forecast rain later this week.

https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-new-jersey-evacuations-garden-state-parkway-54b9d32e868a12be0556f2631975e552?

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Left alone by humans, wildlife returns to the Eaton Fire burn area

Four months after the Los Angeles area wildfires tore through the Angeles National Forest and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in Altadena, wildlife is returning to the Eaton Fire burn area and scientists are closely tracking them. Read More.

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?️ Mapped: Fire weather flare-ups

Data: Climate Central. Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Hot, dry and windy weather that helps wildfires spread is becoming more common across much of the U.S. amid climate change, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes. Why it matters: What used to be several months of "fire season" is stretching in some places into a yearlong phenomenon, straining fire departments and others tasked with controlling or containing wild blazes. By the numbers: The number of "fire weather" days rose by 37 in the Southwest and 21 in the West on average between 1973 and 2024, according to Climate Central, a climate research group. Go deeper.

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California’s largest blaze this year explodes in size as hot weather raises wildfire risk statewide

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A wildfire in a wilderness area of central California exploded in size as dry, hot weather Thursday raised the fire risk for large portions of the state ahead of the July Fourth holiday.

https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfire-weather-891998f4d195031b68d201013f9ae550?

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Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, forcing officials to close access to that area for the season, the park said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/grand-canyon-wildfire-lodge-north-rim-f3510c22a6fddc9ff1322dbd450aedb8?

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Oregon's Cram Fire nears 100K acres, now largest in the nation

The Cram Fire burning in central Oregon is the largest wildfire in the nation as the Pacific Northwest sees an active start to the fire season.

https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/07/21/cram-fire-oregon-wildfires?

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A look at megafires as an Oregon wildfire approaches the 100,000-acre mark

A wildfire burning in a sparsely populated region of central Oregon has become the largest fire this year and is on the verge of surpassing 100,000 acres to become what’s officially known as a megafire.

https://apnews.com/article/megafire-wildfires-oregon-cram-fire-9aec4a2ac9ed8a43446e866b31b0985b?

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'Fire clouds' over Arizona and Utah wildfires are creating their own erratic climate

Two wildfires burning in the western United States — including one that has become a “megafire” on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon — are so hot that they are spurring the formation of “fire clouds” that can create their own erratic weather systems. Read More.

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Gifford Fire

California’s Gifford Fire became the state’s largest wildfire of the year on Tuesday. It has already consumed nearly 84,000 acres of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since igniting on Friday. Despite efforts by almost 2,000 firefighters, only 9% of the blaze has been contained as of Tuesday evening. Faced with more warm, dry air and gusty winds, authorities have issued evacuation orders for portions of both counties. Smoke from the Gifford Fire has also spread south and east into other parts of Southern California, and has even reached as far as Las Vegas.

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California wildfires

A brush fire that ignited north of Los Angeles and quickly spread on Thursday has prompted authorities to order thousands to evacuate. The Canyon Fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest, and spreading east. About 250 firefighters on the ground are working with air support to battle the blaze, which is being fed by hot dry weather, rugged terrain and dry fuel, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department said. The Canyon Fire burned about 15 square miles in just six hours and remained 0% contained as of late Thursday afternoon. The Gifford Fire, which became the state’s largest wildfire of the year this week, continues to burn in the Los Padres National Forest. By Thursday afternoon, it had spread to 154 square miles and was at 15% containment. Evacuation orders have been issued for parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The causes of the fires are under investigation.

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LA brush fire forces thousands to evacuate.

A wildfire ignited Thursday afternoon in the mountains of Ventura County, north of Los Angeles. Within 10 hours, it grew to more than 7.6 square miles, forcing some 2,700 LA County residents to evacuate and placing another 14,000 Ventura County residents under evacuation warnings (see latest evacuation orders here). At least 400 personnel, supported by multiple aircraft, have been deployed to fight the blaze. Officials cite extreme heat and low humidity as key factors in its rapid spread.

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Wildfires

As residents in the western US deal with a dangerous heat wave, parts of California and Oregon are once again on fire. Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate on Sunday in Northern California's wine country and in central Oregon as crews battled the flames. According to Cal Fire, the Pickett Fire has charred about 10 square miles of Napa County. Despite the efforts of more than 1,230 firefighters and 10 helicopters, the blaze is just 11% contained. In Oregon, the Flat Fire — which is burning in Deschutes and Jefferson counties — has grown to 29 square miles. Although firefighters were able to cut containment lines and managed to suppress some of the flames, their efforts were challenged by difficult terrain, low humidity and triple-digit temperatures, officials said.   Wildfires threaten homes in Oregon and California, prompting hundreds of evacuations Thousands of homes in Northern California wine country and central Oregon were under evacuation orders and warnings Sunday as firefighting crews battled wildfires in dry, hot weather. https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-oregon-california-evacuations-9f109bcd8e7ab61b08f8c67b93dfb1ed?

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Grove of giant sequoia trees burns in California’s Sierra National Forest

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A lightning-sparked wildfire in California’s Sierra National Forest burned Tuesday through a grove of giant sequoias and set some of the ancient towering trees on fire.

https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfire-sequoia-trees-burned-sierra-forest-93687ec9d3c431b30887c1bc9c58dc36?

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LA County response to deadly fires slowed by lack of resources, outdated alert process, report says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings as flames began consuming neighborhoods during deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires in January, according to an outside review.

https://apnews.com/article/eaton-fire-california-report-f053786a9670af06a0a90cd2ea7150f0?

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LA residents are still battling toxic hazards a year after historic wildfires It’s been a year since the most destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area’s history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people. People whose homes were left standing are still living with the hazards, including new trauma for those afraid of what still lurks inside. Read more.

What to know: Indoor air quality after wildfires remains understudied, and scientists still don’t know the long-term health impacts of exposure to massive urban fires like last year’s in Los Angeles.   According to a report released by the Eaton Fire Residents United, a volunteer group formed by residents, six out of 10 homes damaged by smoke from the Eaton Fire still have dangerous levels of cancer-causing asbestos, brain-damaging lead or both.   Residents are also at the mercy of their insurance companies, who decide on what they cover and how much. The state’s insurer of last resort has been scrutinized for years over its handling of fire damage claims.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Amid wildfire grief, an LA-area resident sowed sunflowers and hope where her home once stood   Photos of what life looks like after the deadly wildfires

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A community foundation raised $100 million after the LA fires. Here’s what they learned spending it

When fires broke out across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025, Miguel Santana grasped the magnitude of the catastrophe befalling his hometown sooner than most — he flew over the blazes, twice.

https://apnews.com/article/la-wildfires-california-community-foundation-miguel-santana-330c1d04add44e57eb6f5a8a84967ae9?

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Plains megafire

Dangerous fire weather is impacting the Plains for a fourth consecutive day today as firefighters battle more than a dozen wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and forced evacuations. The Ranger Road megafire is the largest, scorching more than 283,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas — an area nearly twice the size of Chicago. Dry air and gusty winds are hampering fire crews, particularly in the southern Rockies and Plains, where blustery conditions in New Mexico and Texas are fueling rapid spread through tinder-dry grasses. Homes and buildings have been destroyed by the fires, local officials told CNN, though the full extent of the damage remains unclear.

A fire near the Oklahoma town of Tyrone destroyed multiple homes on Tuesday. (Brian Emfinger/CorClips)

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Growing fears

Experts are warning that the Western heat wave has set the stage for a potentially perilous wildfire season. The relentless temperatures have caused the mountain snowpack to virtually vanish and put the region in “uncharted territory.”

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Evacuations ordered as two wildfires break out in southern California

A pair of wildfires broke out in southern California on Friday, marking the region’s first significant burns in a spring that has seen a major heatwave.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/03/wildfires-southern-california?

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Georgia wildfires

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for 91 counties in response to ongoing wildfires fueled by an exceptional drought. Extreme drought conditions are covering 71% of the state, marking the highest figure since 2012. Throughout the US, drought has reached record levels this spring, fueling broader wildfire and water shortage concerns. Read more

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A fast-growing Georgia wildfire tops 31 square miles, with evacuations possible

NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) — One of two large wildfires in southeastern Georgia continues to grow and now exceeds 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), officials reported Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/georgia-florida-wildfires-drought-730bee62fb42b0c5eea77c08888025c3?

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States across the wildfire-prone Western US are using AI for early detection

As record-breaking heat and an abysmal snowpack raise concerns about severe wildfires, states across the fire-prone West are adding AI to their wildfire detection toolbox, banking on the technology to help save lives and property. Arizona Public Service has nearly 40 active AI smoke-detection cameras and plans to have 71 by summer’s end. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

California says State Farm violated the law in handling of insurance claims after 2025 LA wildfires Prosecutors say arson suspect in Los Angeles’ Palisades Fire was angry ‘at the world’