A federal official surveying the Creek Fire this week says thinning the forest could help prevent future disasters. James Hubbard, the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met with elected officials and firefighters Wednesday at the incident command post located at Minarets High School...
NorCal Fire That Killed 3 Threatens Thousands of Homes
OROVILLE — A Northern California wildfire threatened thousands of homes Thursday after winds whipped it into a monster that incinerated houses in a small mountain community and killed at least three people. Several other people have been critically burned and hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and other buildings are...
Granville Homes Launches $50K Creek Fire Relief Fund to Assist Victims
Granville Homes launched a Creek Fire relief campaign on Wednesday aiming to raise $50,000 to assist those affected by the wildfire. The company pledged to match, dollar for dollar, the first $25,000 in contributions made through the Granville Creek Fire Relief Fund website. The site also includes links to other...
Creek Fire Adds To 2M Acres Burned in State Already This Year
SHAVER LAKE — Wildfires have burned more than 2 million acres in California this year, setting a state record even as crews battled dozens of growing blazes in sweltering temperatures Monday that strained the electrical grid and threatened power outages for millions. The most striking thing about the record is...
Some Californians Didn’t Get Evacuation Alerts in Wildfires
SAN FRANCISCO — When Debra DeAngelo went to sleep, she thought the flames chewing through Northern California wine country were too far away to be dangerous. Plus, she had signed up for all the alerts that emergency officials pressed on people after years of catastrophic wildfires. A frantic phone call...
Thousands Begin Returning Home as Gains Made on California Fires
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people forced to flee their homes were allowed to return Thursday after firefighters made progress in their effort to put out massive and deadly wildfires in Northern California. Officials were working on plans to repopulate other evacuated areas. Cooler weather and higher humidity, along with...
Neighbors With Hoses Target Fires as Crews Urge Them To Stop
REDWOOD CITY — With California firefighters strapped for resources, residents have organized to put out flames themselves in a large swath of land burning south of San Francisco, defending their homes despite orders to evacuate and pleas by officials to get out of danger. They are going in despite California’s...
California Lawmakers Propose Ratepayer Fee Extension for Fighting Wildfires
Facing another catastrophic wildfire season, state lawmakers are proposing last-minute legislation to tap into a utility-bill fee to free up $500 million for training firefighters and other immediate steps. The proposed legislation also sets aside $2.5 billion for future projects related to handling wildfires and adapting to climate change. The...
Weather, Reinforcements Helping in California Wildfire Fight
VACAVILLE — Firefighters hard-pressed by some of the largest wildfires in California history scrambled Wednesday to take advantage of cooler weather and an influx of aid as they carved and burned containment lines around the flames to prevent more land from burning. “Every percent of containment is hours and hours...
Crews Keep Working to Pen in Huge California Wildfires
SCOTTS VALLEY — Aided by weather and reinforcements, firefighters were cautiously optimistic Tuesday about their progress to pen in California wildfires that have killed at least seven people and burned more than 1,200 homes and other buildings. A warning about dry lightning and strong winds that could spark more fires...