California wildfires

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Cops: 2 Teens Tried to Set Fresh Calif. Fires

As wildfires continue to rage across San Diego County

(Newser) - Firefighters are still trying to contain several wildfires consuming San Diego County, and two teenagers have been arrested and accused of trying to make things a lot worse. Police nabbed two males, ages 19 and 17, who are suspected of trying to set two brush fires in Escondido, reports the...

It's 'Like Armageddon' in San Diego County

A state of emergency has been declared over 9 wildfires

(Newser) - A state of emergency has been declared in San Diego County after nine wildfires scorched at least 14 square miles, with more dry winds and soaring temperatures due today. Gov. Jerry Brown issued the emergency order after the series of fires broke out yesterday, forcing thousands to flee their homes,...

California in 'Worst Drought in 100 Years': Governor

Meteorologists predict drought will last at least 3 more months

(Newser) - Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for California today, over what the governor called "perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen" in the roughly 100 years the state has been keeping records. Brown asked all residents to voluntarily cut back their water usage by 20%. "...

3 Men Arrested in California Wildfire

Campfire apparently got out of control

(Newser) - An illegal campfire and the Santa Ana winds appear to have combined to whip up a wildfire northeast of Los Angeles that has destroyed 1,700 acres so far and damaged two homes. Three men in their 20s have been arrested and charged with recklessly starting a fire, reports the...

Hunter Started Yosemite Fire: Feds

Campfire apparently got away from him

(Newser) - Looks like it wasn't an illegal pot farm after all : The gigantic wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park began when a hunter allowed an illegal fire to escape, the US Forest Service said today. No arrests have been made, and the hunter's name was being withheld pending...

There's an Upside to Yosemite Wildfire

It could restore the forest's ecosystem back to its natural state

(Newser) - The Atlantic goes looking for some silver lining to the Yosemite wildfire , and finds this: Carl Skinner, a US Forest Service ecologist, has discovered that the forest has been altered over the past 100 years due to human intervention into naturally occurring forest fires, becoming less diverse. So the current...

Yosemite Fire Will Burn for 18 More Days

It's now the 4th-largest fire in California history

(Newser) - California's Rim Fire is now 45% contained, but it's still getting bigger—so big, in fact, that it's now the fourth-largest the state has ever seen, the AP reports. It now covers 351 square miles; that's more ground than San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose combined,...

Rim Fire May Have Started on Illegal Pot Farm: Official

California's national parks are full of them, say authorities

(Newser) - A fire chief in California's Tuolumne County quietly revealed an interesting tidbit about the origins of the Rim Fire last week, the San Jose Mercury News reports: officials suspect it was started by marijuana growers. "We don't know the exact cause," he told a town meeting,...

Wildfire Smoke Reaches Yosemite Valley

Popular tourist area affected for first time

(Newser) - Smoke from a wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park is hampering both suppression efforts and the views sought by holiday weekend tourists. Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said smoke from the 2-week-old blaze obscured Yosemite Valley for the first time today. The valley is home to the park's most...

Yosemite Firefighters' Plan: Set More Fires

Rim Fire could be fully contained by Sept. 10, officials say

(Newser) - The giant Rim Fire near Yosemite is still growing—it's now the sixth-largest in California history—but it's also slowing, and firefighters expect to have the 301-square-mile blaze fully contained by Sept. 10, the Los Angeles Times reports. How will they do it? By setting more fires inside...

California Fire Damaging Air in Nevada

And it has a clear path deeper into Yosemite

(Newser) - The wildfire threatening Yosemite National Park is throwing so much smoke into the air that it is significantly hurting the air quality in Nevada—more than 100 miles away. Reno and Carson City issued emergency warnings over the smoke from the Rim Fire, and school children were kept inside for...

Yosemite Fire 'Will Burn Until Snow Flies'

But firefighters are gaining ground

(Newser) - The giant Rim fire near Yosemite National Park has now scorched an area the size of Chicago and is still growing, but firefighters are making steady progress. Officials say the fire is now around 20% contained and the 3,700 firefighters battling it are gaining ground as the blaze climbs...

Today Crucial in Yosemite Fire Battle

Rim fire still growing amid strong winds

(Newser) - The massive wildfire raging in and around Yosemite National Park is still growing, and forecasters warn that today will pose a huge challenge for firefighters. Progress has been made at the western edge of the fire, but it is still pushing to the north and east and strong winds spreading...

Yosemite Fire Now Threatens Giant Sequoias

Officials dig in as blaze looms 4 miles away

(Newser) - The Yosemite wildfire that is threatening to take out San Francisco's utilities now has some of the planet's biggest and oldest living things in its crosshairs: Firefighters are digging in around two groves of giant sequoias—about three dozen in all—taking the precautions of setting sprinklers and...

Calif. Wildfire Now Twice as Big as San Francisco

Rim Fire threatens Yosemite National Park

(Newser) - Tourists fled the area around Yosemite National Park yesterday, as a wildfire headed for the park quadrupled in size. The Rim Fire is now 63,000 acres, or about twice the size of San Francisco, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The main highway leading to the park was closed...

Brush That Last Burned in 1929 Is Fueling Calif. Fire

3K evacuated in Powerhouse blaze

(Newser) - A California wildfire has burned some 35 square miles north of Los Angeles and prompted evacuation orders for almost 3,000 people. Part of its fuel: "extremely old and dry" brush that last burned in 1929, a US Forest Service official explained yesterday, per the AP . Some 2,100...

Break in Weather May Tame Wildfire in California

Firefighters welcome lower temperatures, higher humidity

(Newser) - A wildfire tearing through a coastal region in Southern California nearly tripled in size as high temperatures fueled the flames, but a fire official said a favorable shift in the weather will likely help crews make progress against the flames today. The fire 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles mushroomed...

California Wildfire Burns Path to the Sea

Winds poised to worsen flames that have scorched 8K acres

(Newser) - Authorities are warning of "extreme fire danger" as Southern California wildfires continue to rage , having already cut a 10-mile path to the Pacific. The Springs Fire already scorched 8,000 acres of land, and it's putting 2,000 homes at risk, CNN reports. Winds today of some 35mph...

Calif. Wildfire Burns 3K Acres; 'Volatile' Season Looms

Fire activity up 60% as blazes light up across state

(Newser) - More than 400 firefighters worked to significantly contain a wildfire in Southern California yesterday, but warn that things may get worse before they get better. The blaze burned across 4 1/2 square miles in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, claiming one house and forcing hundreds to evacuate, NBC...

Man Who Set Deadly Wildfire May Get Death Sentence

Jury recommends it in 2003 California fire

(Newser) - A jury has recommended death for an arsonist convicted of murdering five men who died of heart attacks during a wildfire that ripped through Southern California nearly a decade ago. The murder charges against Rickie Lee Fowler, 31, signaled a tough new standard for such cases. The Old Fire scorched...

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