If it seems that wildfires are burning nearly all the time these days, that there’s no longer a definable fire season in California, you’re right. Fourteen of the 20 most destructive fires in state history have occurred since 2007, and California has 78 more annual “fire days” now than it had...
Jerry Brown’s Last Stand on Pension Reform
Six years ago, as California strained to emerge from the Great Recession, Gov. Jerry Brown worked a minor political miracle — a rebalancing of the massive state pension systems for public employees. Shuttling between unions and the strapped governments on the hook for public sector benefits and paychecks, Brown scaled...
What Fresno County Is Doing to Prevent Deadly Wildfires
It has become an annual tradition of tragedy — wildfires ravaging large swaths of the California landscape, each year shattering records of destruction seemingly set only months prior. Once again wildfires rage in our own backyard, blazing through countless acres of dead and dying vegetation still struggling to recover following...
14,000 Fight California Fires, Some From Prisons or Overseas
UKIAH — Firefighters said for the first time Wednesday that they have made good progress battling the state's largest-ever wildfire but didn't expect to have it fully under control until September. The blaze north of San Francisco has grown to the size of Los Angeles since it started two weeks...
Congress OKs Massive Firefighting Planes for California
Thanks to Congress, California has a good chance of getting more aid in fighting its deadly wildfires. Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-California) provision to transfer seven C-130H air tankers to California to help fight deadly wildfires. The provision is included in the National Defense Authorization...
The Rush and Risks of Fighting Fires on a Bulldozer
Not all firefighters carry a hose or shovel. The adrenaline junkies who steer heavy bulldozers across steep ridges face serious hazards, from smoke and flames but also from unsteady dirt and steep terrain that can flip them over. The deaths of two bulldozer operators battling California wildfires in July highlighted...
Why Won't State Use Fresno Company's Wildfire Fighting System?
A Fresno manufacturer has created an aerial firefighting system that increases the amount of fire suppression materials delivered in a shorter period of time at nearly half the cost of conventional platforms. The Guardian system has been used to fight wildfires all over the world — including this week's deadly...
Terrifying Tornadoes of Flame Burn Redding, Kill Two
REDDING — An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities before reaching the city of Redding, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, killing a city of Redding firefighter, burning three firefighters, destroying 65 homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee. Flames swept through the...
ABC30: Ferguson Fire Smoke Will Force Yosemite Valley Closure
The more than 3,300 personnel battling the deadly Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County are starting to get a bigger handle on the 37,000-acre blaze, which is in its 12th day. The fire's commanders reported 25% containment Tuesday morning. The fire is burning in very rough...
Fire Turns Yosemite National Park Smoky, Hurts Businesses
MARIPOSA — A deadly wildfire near Yosemite National Park shrouded the popular destination in smoke and left some tourist-dependent businesses hurting Monday, but visitors still braved trails, campgrounds, lodges and restaurants in the California park, officials said. Amenities were open and visitors posted photos on social media as they hiked...