wildfires – News Stories About wildfires - Page 27

Oct 27, 2007 2:16 PM CDT

Air Pollution High in Fire's Wake

Breathing carefully, residents return to face gas, water shortages, power outages

(Newser) - Evacuees trickling home in fire-ravaged Southern California find themselves largely without power, natural gas or potable water. Perhaps worse, the barely breathable air is laden with soot and dust, raising health concerns, the AP reports. Satellite pictures show thick smoke throughout the region. “We're all at risk of the...

The Lucky Find Homes, but No Water, Power

Oct 27, 2007 6:24 AM CDT

The Lucky Find Homes, but No Water, Power

Returning SoCal residents face weeks of hardships

(Newser) - Thousands of Southern California residents have returned to their homes—those fortunate enough to find them standing—to find no electricity and no drinking water, with town reservoirs drained to fight fires, and air choked with smoke and ash. The threat of changing weather also looms: the hot winds that...

Look for More, and Bigger, Wildfires as West Warms

Oct 26, 2007 6:09 PM CDT

Look for More, and Bigger, Wildfires as West Warms

Get used to more frequent, more damaging blazes

(Newser) - After 16 uncontrolled wildfires this week prompted the largest evacuation in California history, the San Francisco Chronicle asks climate experts whether we'll be seeing more of them, thanks to global warming. The answer: Yes. Hotter, drier conditions in the future will lead to more fires in more places. This was...

Red Tape Grounded Copters in California Fires

Oct 26, 2007 1:26 PM CDT

Red Tape Grounded Copters in California Fires

Residents pick up the pieces after blaze

(Newser) - Firefighting helicopters sat idle as wildfires broke out across California, an AP investigation concludes, thanks to a web of bureaucracy. By the time Navy, Marine, and National Guard aircraft got clearance, up to a day after blazes started, it was already too dangerous to fly. Others were missing crucial equipment...

California Fire Death Toll Hits 12

Oct 26, 2007 2:54 AM CDT

California Fire Death Toll Hits 12

Six more found dead; 60 injured

(Newser) - Four charred bodies found in the mountains near the Mexican border and two others discovered in a house in San Diego County boosted the death toll of the California wildfires to 12, with 60 others injured. Authorities confirmed yesterday that the 25,000-acre Santiago Fire in Orange County was arson,...

CA Fires Won't Harm Economy in Long Term

Oct 24, 2007 12:15 PM CDT

CA Fires Won't Harm Economy in Long Term

Rebuilding will give a boost to sagging home building sector

(Newser) - California’s runaway wildfires are not likely to do longterm damage to the state’s economy, the Los Angeles Times reports—in fact the disaster could be a boon to some sectors. One of those is construction: In the first nine months of the year, construction jobs were down 3%...

Wildfire Winds to Drop Tonight

Oct 24, 2007 9:48 AM CDT

Wildfire Winds to Drop Tonight

(Newser) - The latest forecasts show the gale-force winds whipping flames across Southern California for the fourth day slackening by early evening, giving aircraft an opening to fight fires that have forced almost a million to evacuate, the AP reports. The news prompted one emergency official to declare: "The worst is...

Million Flee Fires; Feds Mobilize

Oct 24, 2007 4:59 AM CDT

Million Flee Fires; Feds Mobilize

Bush steps up to avoid Katrina repeat

(Newser) - Firefighters look for the wind to change late this afternoon, as more than 15 rampaging wildfires continue to turn swaths of Southern California into writhing walls of flames. In a bid to avoid a repeat of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, President Bush yesterday declared a federal emergency for seven counties...

Fires Delay SDSU-BYU Game

Oct 24, 2007 12:24 AM CDT

Fires Delay SDSU-BYU Game

Moved from Saturday to Dec.1 amidst concerns for displaced residents and public health

(Newser) - With refugees from the wild fires sweeping through the San Diego area taking shelter in Qualcomm Stadium, officials have postponed this weekend's college football matchup of Brigham Young and San Diego State universities. The decision was also motivated by concern for air quality and fan safety, leading to the postponement...

Bush Declares Calif. Emergency

Oct 23, 2007 12:16 PM CDT

Bush Declares Calif. Emergency

(Newser) - Federal aid will soon be pouring into Southern California: President Bush today declared a state of emergency for the fire-scorched region. Wildfires ripping across seven counties have forced half a million people to evacuate. “We extend our prayers and our thoughts” to them, Bush said. Homeland Security chief Michael...

500,000 Flee So Cal Firestorm

Oct 23, 2007 4:58 AM CDT

500,000 Flee So Cal Firestorm

Powerful Santa Ana gusts drive wildfires; more than 800 buildings destroyed

(Newser) - High winds and hotter temperatures are forecast for Southern California today, frustrating firefighters struggling to contain the runaway blazes that have forced more than half a million people from their homes and consumed almost 900 buildings in the last two days. At least a dozen fires are still torching tinder-dry...

Wildfires Impact LT, Chargers

Oct 22, 2007 9:43 PM CDT

Wildfires Impact LT, Chargers

Tomlinson, others forced to evacuate homes

(Newser) - The wildfires blazing through San Diego County forced 40 Chargers to evacuate their homes, including star running back LaDainian Tomlinson. The team cancelled practice today due to poor air quality, and will move their operations to Arizona for the rest of the week. It is not yet clear whether the...

Fire Rescues Tax Resources

Oct 22, 2007 12:16 PM CDT

Fire Rescues Tax Resources

(Newser) - As wildfires rage across the region, Southern California officials are begging residents to evacuate when ordered and to avoid making phone calls, CNN reports. “We've been unable to do any suppression effort because the fire resources are being used to do rescues,” one fire chief railed. Rescuers complain...

Wildfires Racing to San Diego

Oct 22, 2007 6:49 AM CDT

Wildfires Racing to San Diego

(Newser) - A wildfire bearing down on San Diego this morning, moving faster than expected, is forcing 10,000 to evacuate their homes, after one person was killed and 17 more injured in a series of fires across Southern California yesterday. Near hurricane-level winds have fanned a dozen outbreaks from Santa Barbara...

Hundreds Flee Malibu Fires

Oct 21, 2007 4:57 PM CDT

Hundreds Flee Malibu Fires

Hundreds evacuated as 1,000-acre fire rages out of control

(Newser) - Massive brushfires raged through Malibu today, causing hundreds to flee and destroying at least 6 buildings. Officials say that the 1,000-acre fire is out of control despite 500 firefighters on the scene and almost 1,000 en route. Twenty-to-thirty mile-per-hour winds will sustain the fire for days and threaten...

Greek PM Wins New Term Despite Wildfire Fallout

Sep 17, 2007 4:51 AM CDT

Greek PM Wins New Term Despite Wildfire Fallout

Ruling party only loses 8 seats

(Newser) - Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis won a second four-year term and his conservative New Democratic Party retained its parliamentary majority, according to early results from yesterday's elections. The wildfires that recently ravaged southeastern Greece threatened to topple Karamanlis and his party, but they wound up losing only 8 seats in...

Desperate Greeks Look to TV for Help

Aug 30, 2007 11:17 AM CDT

Desperate Greeks Look to TV for Help

Fire victims appeal to broadcasters , not government, for help

(Newser) - Desperate Greeks have resorted to calling TV stations with pleas for rescue from wildfires that have been raging for the past week, Der Spiegel reports, highlighting what one critic calls a "deep mistrust of the capability of the state machine." And the stations have gotten results: "Wherever...

Fires Are 'National Humiliation'

Aug 29, 2007 5:21 PM CDT

Fires Are 'National Humiliation'

Officials say blazes are contained, but critics condemn 'national humiliation'

(Newser) - Firefighters in Greece said today they have tamed the wildfires that have ravaged the countryside, the BBC reports, but the political tempest over the handling of the crisis is just heating up. As protesters demonstrated in Athens against the government, crews said the fires that have claimed 63 lives are...

Anti-Terror Squads Probe Fires

Aug 28, 2007 7:17 AM CDT

Anti-Terror Squads Probe Fires

As blazes continue, police call for increased powers

(Newser) - As fires continues to ravage Greece, the government has used anti-terrorist forces to question 32 suspects arrested for alleged arson. New fires continue to break out, and Greek authorities are now offering a $2 milion reward to catch arsonists. The blazes have killed at least 60 people since Friday and...

Greek Fires Probed; Toll Hits 61

Aug 27, 2007 7:26 AM CDT

Greek Fires Probed; Toll Hits 61

A prosecutor will probe whether the fires can be considered terrorism

(Newser) - A day after flames were beaten back at the ruins of ancient Olympia, Greek officials are considering whether the blazes still raging across the country can be considered terrorism, and arsonists prosecuted accordingly. Wildfires started in may disparate places have killed at least 61 people. Several people have been held...