SANTA CRUZ — Thousands have been driven from their homes by the wildfire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco and authorities say criminals are taking advantage by burglarizing vacant homes. At least 13 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting or planning to loot neighborhoods...
Big California Wildfires Burn on as Death Toll Reaches 7
SCOTTS VALLEY — Firefighters battling three massive wildfires in Northern California got a break from the weather early Monday as humidity rose and there was no return of the onslaught of lightning strikes that ignited the infernos a week earlier. Fire officials are cautiously optimistic after dodging a major lightning...
Firefighting Crews Make Slow Progress With California Fires
SAN FRANCISCO — Fire crews made slow progress Saturday battling some of the largest wildfires in California history — thanks to improved weather conditions and additional resources coming from others states. But danger loomed with the threat of thunderstorms and lightning forecast for Sunday that could spark new fires and...
Reinforcements Arriving to Help in Deadly California Fires
SAN FRANCISCO — Firefighters and aircraft from 10 states began arriving in California Friday to help weary crews battling some of the largest blazes in state history as weekend weather threatened to renew the advance of flames that have killed six people and incinerated hundreds of homes. Some 560 wildfires...
Collision of Crises: Central Valley’s Searing Heat, Smoke, Virus Hot Spots
As ash drifted down from the fires burning through Solano County, a woman sweating under the smoke-reddened sun dug through her car, searching for an adapter for her husband’s oxygen machine. The couple had fought traffic on Wednesday to reach the evacuation shelter at Vacaville’s Ulatis Cultural Center — but,...
San Francisco Blanketed in Smoke as California Fires Rage
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people were under orders to evacuate in regions surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday as nearly 40 wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week. Smoke blanketed the city of San Francisco. Police and firefighters went door-to-door...
California Scrambles for More Firefighters Amid Pandemic
SACRAMENTO — As California enters wildfire season, the state is scrambling to find sufficient firefighters amid the coronavirus outbreak that has depleted the ranks of inmates who usually handle some of the toughest duties and caused a budget deficit that derailed plans to hire 600 new state firefighters and support...
Families of California Wildfire Victims Slam PG&E for Crimes
The families of some of the 85 people killed by a horrific Northern California wildfire ignited by Pacific Gas & Electric's long-neglected equipment vilified the company Wednesday as greedy, corrupt and reckless, telling heartbreaking stories of their loss in court. The speakers tearfully told of holiday and birthday celebrations that...
Who They Were: Victims of the Deadliest California Wildfire
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing 84 of the 85 victims of a 2018 wildfire in Northern California. A report released by the Butte County district attorney listed the names of all but two who have not been identified and how they died. ___ Joyce Acheson, 78, of...
PG&E to Plead Guilty to Deaths From California Wildfire
SAN RAMON — Pacific Gas & Electric is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter during a court hearing in which the nation's largest utility will be confronted with its history of neglect and greed that culminated in a wildfire that killed 85 people and...