SAN FRANCISCO — California is poised to hit a fearsome milestone: 4 million acres burned this year by wildfires that have killed 30 people and incinerated hundreds of homes in what is already the worst fire season on record. Flames have scorched an area larger than Connecticut and fire crews...
Sheriff Says Three Dead in Wind-Fueled Northern California Fires
SAN FRANCISCO — Shasta County's sheriff says three people have died in a fast-moving wildfire west of Redding. Sheriff Eric Magrini announced the deaths during a Monday afternoon update on the Zogg Fire. He did not give any details about the people who died, but said more than 1,200 people...
New California Fire Scorches Wine Country Near San Francisco
ST. HELENA — California firefighters battled destructive new wildfires in wine country north of San Francisco Monday as strong winds fanned flames in the already badly scorched state. The new fires erupted Sunday in the famed Napa-Sonoma wine region and in far Northern California’s Shasta County, forcing hasty evacuations of...
Firefighter Dies Battling Wildfire Sparked by Gender Reveal
SAN BERNARDINO — A firefighter died battling a wildfire in California that officials said was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby's gender. The death happened Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement....
Sierra Nevada Reels as Flames and Smoke Drive Visitors Away
It was bad enough that 2020 announced itself with a global pandemic that cratered the world economy and kept many people confined to their homes. Then, just as vacationers were tentatively returning to California’s rural lakes, parks, trails and campgrounds, they turned their minivans and campers around, fleeing unpredictable wildfires...
‘Nothing Left in the Bucket’: Wildfire Resources Run Thin
Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break. Silvera, a 43-year-old battalion chief with Cal Fire, California’s...
What Mims Said About Meeting Trump, Newsom About Wildfires
With fire crews slowly getting a handle on the 200,000-plus acre Creek Fire, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims met with President Donald Trump and Governor Gavin Newsom to discuss wildfire response on Monday. Mims spoke with the two leaders and other state and federal officials at a roundtable discussion at...
Winds a Worry as Death Toll Reaches 35 From West Coast Fires
BEAVERCREEK, Ore. — Nearly all the dozens of people reported missing after a devastating blaze in southern Oregon have been accounted for, authorities said over the weekend as crews battled wildfires that have killed at least 35 from California to Washington state. The flames up and down the West Coast...
Fires Raise Fight Over Climate Change Before Trump’s Visit
BEAVERCREEK, Ore. — With crews battling wildfires that have killed at least 35 people, destroyed neighborhoods and enveloped the West Coast in smoke, another fight has emerged: leaders in the Democratic-led states and President Donald Trump have clashed over the role of climate change ahead of his visit Monday to...
New California Law Helps Former Inmate Firefighters Get Jobs
SACRAMENTO — California's inmate firefighters will have a shot at becoming professional firefighters once they complete their sentences, under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Friday. The new law will allow state and county inmates who train as firefighters to seek to erase the criminal records that...