Jul 31 Wildfires grow in multiple states across the West By Associated Press Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. Continue reading
Jul 30 House approves legislation to help the West cope with wildfires and drought By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The measure combines 49 separate bills and would increase firefighter pay and benefits; boost resiliency and mitigation projects for communities affected by climate change; protect watersheds; and make it easier for wildfire victims to get federal assistance. Continue reading
Jul 28 Watch 4:16 News Wrap: House Democrats back bill to boost U.S. semiconductor industry In our news wrap Thursday, House Democrats back $280 billion bill to bolster the U.S. semiconductor industry, parts of Appalachia faced flash flooding after days of rain, the Pacific Northwest heat wave persists, Russian said there no agreement yet on… Continue watching
Jul 25 Watch 2:30 Massive California wildfire forces thousands to evacuate By Nicole Ellis, Tommy Walters In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the sprawling Oak Fire continues to rapidly spread across central California outside Yosemite National Park. The blaze erupted Friday and has now consumed more than 16,000 acres. As firefighters battle the wildfire, the… Continue watching
Jul 25 Watch 5:49 What it's like living near the Oak Fire outside Yosemite The explosive spread of the Oak fire spread suggests another bad fire season ahead in California. Beth Pratt, the California regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, lives in Midpines, California, which is being threatened by the fire. She… Continue watching
Jul 25 U.S. announces reforestation effort to combat destructive wildfires By Matthew Brown, Associated Press The Biden administration says it will replant trees on millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands as officials struggle to counter climate change's increasing toll on the nation’s forests… Continue reading
Jul 25 Massive wildfires burn through 'fireproof' regions in Alaska By Mark Thiessen, Associated Press Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen. So far this year more than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut and the typically worst of the fire season lays ahead. Continue reading
Jul 24 California's Oak Fire rages near Yosemite as thousands flee to safety By Associated Press Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fire's effects. Evacuation orders were in place for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span of the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Continue reading
Jul 23 'Explosive' Oak Fire outside Yosemite prompts mandatory evacuations By Associated Press The Oak Fire, which began Friday afternoon southwest of the park near Midpines in Mariposa County, grew to 10.2 square miles (26.5 square kilometers) by Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Continue reading
Jul 23 U.S. takes emergency action to save giant sequoias from wildfires By Brian Melley, Associated Press More than a century of aggressive fire suppression has left forests choked with dense vegetation, downed logs and millions of dead trees killed by bark beetles that have fanned raging infernos intensified by drought and exacerbated by climate change. Continue reading