SAN FRANCISCO — A firefighter from Texas killed battling a wildfire in the Northern California forest was working the fire lines when her truck rolled off a remote backcountry road as she tried to escape the flames, fire officials said. Diana Jones, 63, was an emergency medical technician with the...
World's Largest Volunteer Force Fights Australia's Wildfires
TOMERONG, Australia — The wildfire was behaving erratically last week, and Doug Schutz and his team needed to make a quick decision. So they moved a bulldozer from another job and used it to widen a firebreak. That likely helped prevent hundreds of homes from going up in flames. If...
Australian Prime Minister Is Jeered in Wildfire-Ravaged Zone
PERTH, Australia — Prime Minister Scott Morrison was confronted by angry residents who cursed and insulted him Thursday as he visited a wildfire-ravaged corner of the country. Locals in Cobargo, in New South Wales, yelled at him, made obscene gestures and called him an “idiot” and worse, criticizing him for...
Official: California Must Mull Home Ban in Fire-Prone Areas
SACRAMENTO — California's increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires have become so unpredictable that government officials should consider banning home construction in vulnerable areas, the state's top firefighter says. Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott will leave his job Friday after 30 years with the agency. In an...
Yosemite Valley Closure Costs $50M in Lost Tourism. It Is Now Open.
The reopening of iconic Yosemite Valley, a favorite destination of tourists worldwide, is finally here for Douglas Shaw. A 20-day closure during peak tourist season at one of the busiest parks in the U.S. cost Shaw $200,000 in lost revenue at his hotel just outside Yosemite National Park. Most of...
Firefighter Killed in Wildfire Near Yosemite National Park
A second-generation California firefighter who was using a bulldozer to prevent a wildfire from spreading was killed Saturday near Yosemite National Park, state fire officials said. Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney, 36, died in the morning hours, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The Ferguson Fire...