California wildfires

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With Water Shut Off, Man Fights Fire in Atypical Way

Thank goodness for Bud Light

(Newser) - As the flames from the wildfires currently raging in Northern California approached his home, Chad Little protected it in an unlikely way: with Bud Light. Little stayed behind to defend his Vacaville home as the LNU Lightning Complex Fires came closer, planning to use firehoses and fire hydrants—until the...

As He Fought a California Fire, an 'Absolutely Disgusting' Act

Firefighter's wallet stolen, account drained while he worked; looters also break into evacuated homes

(Newser) - While some firefighting crews are working 72-hour shifts to battle the massive blazes now ravaging California, opportunists are taking advantage of both those on the front lines and residents affected by the fires. "Absolutely disgusting behavior," "saddening," and "sickening" is how fire officials are describing...

'Stretched' Fire Crews Get Some Surprise Help

Homeowners are joining the fight, whether they're wanted or not

(Newser) - As wildfires rage throughout California turning forests and homes into kindling, some firefighters are badly short-staffed, and some residents are taking matters into their own hands, the AP reports. In the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco, about 1,000 firefighters are battling a fire over 78 square miles—...

Stretched to Limit, California Seeks Help

Some crews are working 72-hour shifts

(Newser) - More than two dozen major fires were scorching California on Thursday and taxing the state's firefighting capacity, sparked by an unprecedented lightning siege that dropped nearly 11,000 strikes over several days. More than 10,000 firefighters are on the front lines, the AP reports, but officials in charge...

California Hasn't Seen Fires Like This in 'Many, Many Years'

Helicopter pilot dies while fighting them

(Newser) - A helicopter pilot died Wednesday fighting one of hundreds of wildfires burning in California. Authorities say the Bell UH-1 helicopter crashed for unknown reasons while making water drops in a remote area near Coalinga, Fresno County, the Fresno Bee reports. The crash ignited yet another brush fire. Fast-moving fires have...

Heatwave, Fires, Blackouts: California Declares Emergency

Gov. Gavin Newsom says crews are battling 30 large fires

(Newser) - Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency Tuesday over wildfires burning throughout California amid excessive heat while the state’s power grid operator thanked customers for conserving energy in order to avoid rolling blackouts. The California Independent System Operator had warned earlier in the day that many homes and businesses might...

Lightning Sparks New Wildfires Across California

Over 4.5K buildings are threatened by wildfire

(Newser) - A rare summer thunderstorm brought lightning that sparked several small blazes in Northern California on Sunday and stoked a huge forest fire that has forced hundreds of people from their homes north of Los Angeles, the AP reports. More than 4,500 buildings remained threatened by the wildfire, which was...

2020&#39;s Latest Gift: Potential &#39;Firenado&#39;
Just What 2020
Lacked: A 'Firenado'
Aug 16, 2020 8:14 AM CDT

Just What 2020 Lacked: A 'Firenado'

National Weather Service warns that Loyalton Fire in California could produce a tornado

(Newser) - If you were idly sitting around on your Sunday morning wondering what else 2020 could throw our way, well, you're reading your answer and it is "firenado." "A pyrocumulonimbus from the Loyalton Fire is capable of producing a fire induced tornado and outflow winds in excess...

PG&E Pleads Guilty to 84 Counts of Manslaughter

CEO apologizes for devastating 2018 wildfire

(Newser) - Pacific Gas & Electric confessed Tuesday to killing 84 people in a devastating 2018 wildfire that wiped out the Northern California town of Paradise in November 2018. PG&E CEO Bill Johnson entered guilty pleas on behalf of the company for 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the...

PG&E Agrees to Plead Guilty to Criminal Charges in Fire

Utility's electric grid sparked Camp Fire in 2018

(Newser) - Pacific Gas & Electric will plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for a swath of death and destruction left behind after its fraying electrical grid ignited a 2018 wildfire that decimated three Northern California towns. The fire and its aftermath also drove the nation's largest utility into...

Players, Coaches Lost Their Homes. Now, a Championship

Meet the inspired players at Paradise High School

(Newser) - A Northern California high school football team will play for a championship Saturday one year after most of the players and coaches lost their homes to a wildfire that nearly destroyed their town, the AP reports. Paradise High School will face Sutter Union High School for the Northern Section Division...

LA Firefighter Racks Up $360K in Overtime in One Year

Audit finds 18 members of LAFD made more than $200K in overtime

(Newser) - A Los Angeles firefighter racked up an eye-popping amount of overtime pay last fiscal year, per an audit released Wednesday: $360,010. In fact, the audit by City Controller Ron Galperin reveals, more than 90% of sworn police and fire employees in the city got overtime (an average of $27,...

Trump to California: 'No More' Funding for You

The president unloads on Twitter

(Newser) - President Trump hit Twitter on Sunday and repeated an old plan of his: stop giving money to California to fight wildfires, USA Today reports. Gov. Gavin Newsom "has done a terrible job of forest management," the president wrote . "I told him from the first day we met...

SoCal Blaze Threatens 2.5K Homes, Buildings

But firefighters are making progress against the Maria Fire

(Newser) - Authorities lifted evacuation orders for a farm community Saturday as firefighters make progress on a large wildfire in Southern California that continues to threaten about 2,500 homes and buildings, the AP reports. Ventura County officials allowed an unknown number of residents in Somis to return home Saturday morning after...

'Darn Smart' Idea Helped Save Reagan Library

Goats ate vegetation around library, fending off flames

(Newser) - As a new wildfire started up in California's hillsides this week, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library became a target—and officials are now patting themselves on the back for a "darn smart" idea that may have helped save it. CNN reports that the Easy Fire kicked up on...

Fire Surrounds Reagan Library Amid Historic Winds

Wildfires continue to rage in California as Santa Ana winds buffet the state

(Newser) - Wildfires continue to rage in California as historic winds buffet the area, and on Wednesday morning, a fire broke out in Simi Valley and quickly surrounded the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The Easy Fire had exploded to 1,300 acres by 10am and was threatening 6,500 homes, KTLA reports,...

As Blaze Rages, Precious Art Remains in 'Fireproof Fortress'

LA's J. Paul Getty Museum has its blaze-protecting fortifications in place

(Newser) - A wildfire is raging on the property of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, but don't fret about its masterpieces being turned to ash. The building is a "fireproof fortress" specifically designed to withstand natural disasters like earthquakes and wildfires, per the Guardian . The art is...

More Blackouts Coming as California Fires Rage

PG&E customers slam 'failure of epic proportions'

(Newser) - Millions of Californians prepared to be in the dark—some for five days, or longer—as the nation's largest utility said it was switching off power again Tuesday to prevent powerful winds from damaging its equipment and sparking more fires. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. said its latest blackout...

California Wildfire Forces LeBron to Evacuate

The Getty Fire is raging in Southern California, has shut down part of 405 freeway

(Newser) - Wildfires are raging in California amid winds that were gusting up to 102mph in some parts of the state, and the Getty Fire, which started early Monday near Southern California's Getty Center museum, had reached more than 500 acres by mid-morning. It caused part of the 405 freeway...

Record Winds Spread Flames in California's Wine Country

Nearly 200,000 people have evacuated

(Newser) - California's governor declared a statewide emergency with nearly 200,000 people ordered to flee their homes because of wildfires fueled by historic winds, while millions were without electricity after the largest utility cut power in some areas as a precaution to prevent other fires, the AP reports. Gov. Gavin...

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