wildfires

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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...

2 Planes Collide Fighting Nevada Fire

Both pilots are dead

(Newser) - Two pilots are dead after the air tankers they were flying collided while fighting Nevada's Bishop Fire Thursday. They were the only people aboard the single-engine planes, which were based out of Utah and were being used in an attempt to bring the wildfire under control, News 3 Las...

&#39;Five Mile Swamp Fire&#39; Rages in Florida
Hundreds Flee
Florida Swamp Fires
May 7, 2020 10:15 AM CDT

Hundreds Flee Florida Swamp Fires

'Five Mile Swamp Fire' is out of control

(Newser) - It's springtime, and swamps are burning in the Florida Panhandle. Authorities said Wednesday night that the Five Mile Swamp Fire in Santa Rosa County had burned more than 2,000 acres and was only 20% contained, the Pensacola News Journal reports. Authorities said the fire began when a contractor...

3 American Firefighters Die in Australia 'Fireball' Crash

Aerial water tanker went down in New South Wales

(Newser) - Three Americans died Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in the Snowy Monaro region of Australia's southern New South Wales state, officials say. Coulson Aviation in Oregon said in a statement that one of its C-130 Lockheed large air tankers was lost after...

Wiggle Recovering After Cardiac Arrest at Fundraiser

Greg Page sang for 90 minutes before collapsing

(Newser) - One of the original Wiggles, Greg Page, is recovering in a Sydney hospital after collapsing during a show to raise money for groups fighting the Australian wildfires. The cause was cardiac arrest, the BBC reports. The children's band's Twitter account said Page, the band's original lead singer,...

Firefighters Save World's Only 'Dinosaur Trees'

Australian wildfire almost wiped out Wollemi Pines

(Newser) - Specialist firefighters have saved the world’s last remaining wild stand of a prehistoric tree from wildfires that razed forests west of Sydney, officials say. Firefighters winched from helicopters to reach the cluster of fewer than 200 Wollemi Pines in a remote gorge in the Blue Mountains a week before...

An Aussie Open Cloaked in Smoke: 'I Couldn't Walk Anymore'

One player quit her match, 2 called medical timeouts, Sharapova's match called off amid fires

(Newser) - The Victorian government's advice as Australia's bushfires rage on is to "minimize the time spent in smoky conditions" and "avoid exercise"—both tough to do if you're competing outdoors in the Australian Open. But that's what players were forced to contend with Monday...

Bezos Donation to Australia Doesn't Land Well

Critics fault him for giving less than others

(Newser) - It's not often a million-dollar donation is called paltry. But such is the case when the person giving it is Jeff Bezos—and when the million is in Australian dollars, making it worth $690,000 American. The controversy started after the Amazon CEO announced the donation on Instagram , reports...

Australia Air-Drops Food for Struggling Wildlife

'Operation Rock Wallaby' aids endangered species

(Newser) - Australian wildlife struggling to survive in the aftermath of devastating wildfires are getting some help from above. Thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes and carrots have been dropped from helicopters by national park staff as part of Operation Rock Wallaby in New South Wales, 9News reports. The brush-tailed rock wallaby...

Australia Fires Set to Merge Into 'Megablaze'

Thousands flee homes as danger rises again

(Newser) - Thousands of people fled their homes and helicopters dropped supplies to towns at risk of nearby wildfires as hot, windy conditions Friday threatened already fire-ravaged southeastern Australian communities. The danger is centered on New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, where temperatures and wind speeds are escalating...

His Family Lost Their Home. Then, Her 'Special Numbers' Delivered

A hopeful story out of Australia's devastating bushfires

(Newser) - Enormous tragedy followed by enormous good fortune: A Queensland man who lost his family home in New South Wales in Australia's devastating bushfires will be able to rebuild it with funds from the lottery he just won. The man, who doesn't want to be identified, won a million...

As Nation Burns, Australians Turn Rage on Their PM

Anger is mounting over Scott Morrison's wildfire response

(Newser) - The question a few weeks ago was " where the bloody hell " was Scott Morrison. The question now is whether Australia's prime minister can survive the crisis at home and serve out a full three-year term. As the AP reports, there's been an eruption of anger over...

She Wanted to Help Australia's Fire Victims. Out Came the Nudes

'Naked Philanthropist' Kaylen Ward says she's brought in $700K, but the initiative has its downside

(Newser) - The "Naked Philanthropist" will be sending out a lot of nude photos after she says she raised $700,000 for victims of Australia's bushfires. Los Angeles model Kaylen Ward urged Twitter followers Friday to donate to groups such as the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Victoria Country...

Golden Globes' Cause du Jour: Australian Wildfires

Russell Crowe was forced to miss ceremony due to fires in his homeland

(Newser) - Russell Crowe won a Golden Globe on Sunday night—but the Australian was in his homeland, helping protect his family and his home from raging wildfires. Presenter Jennifer Aniston read out his absentee acceptance speech for best actor in a TV miniseries, which Crowe won for his portrayal of Roger...

Nicole Kidman Throws $500K at Fighting Aussie Fires

Australian comedian's campaign tops $22M in 48 hours

(Newser) - A Facebook fundraiser to help firefighting efforts in Australia quickly topped $22 million on Sunday, with help from celebrities. Australian comedian Celeste Barber started the campaign, to benefit the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales, only 48 hours before. The athletes who have contributed include the No. 1 women'...

Big Name Pledges $500K to Help Fight Aussie Fires

Singer Pink steps up to help friends Down Under, where one blaze is now the size of Manhattan

(Newser) - More than 100 firefighters from the US and Canada have rushed to the other side of the world to help fight the wildfires in Australia that have killed nearly two dozen people and an estimated 500 million animals so far. CNN reports things don't look to get any better...

In Rare Move, US Sends Firefighters to Australia

Mass evacuations underway as danger rises

(Newser) - In 2018, around 140 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand helped fight wildfires in California and other western states. With wildfires now raging in Australia, the help is being repaid. Around 100 American firefighters have been sent to Australia over the last four weeks and at least 50 more will...

500M Animals Feared Dead in Australia Fires

'Our concern is that ... they're not there anymore, basically'

(Newser) - Those devastated to learn of the likely deaths of thousands of koalas in Australia's wildfires should take a deep breath. Ecologists from the University of Sydney now estimate some 480 million animals have been killed since September, per News.com.au . The outlet notes the figure is "likely...

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