wildfires

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Yosemite Fire Now Threatens Giant Sequoias

Officials dig in as blaze looms 4 miles away

(Newser) - The Yosemite wildfire that is threatening to take out San Francisco's utilities now has some of the planet's biggest and oldest living things in its crosshairs: Firefighters are digging in around two groves of giant sequoias—about three dozen in all—taking the precautions of setting sprinklers and...

Yosemite Fire Threatens San Francisco Utilities

City in state of emergency over massive wildfire 150 miles away

(Newser) - It's some 150 miles away, but a massive wildfire burning in the Sierra foothills in and around Yosemite National Park has triggered a state of emergency in San Francisco, reports the Chronicle . The Rim Fire threatens transmission lines that carry power to the city, along with the reservoir that...

Calif. Wildfire Now Twice as Big as San Francisco

Rim Fire threatens Yosemite National Park

(Newser) - Tourists fled the area around Yosemite National Park yesterday, as a wildfire headed for the park quadrupled in size. The Rim Fire is now 63,000 acres, or about twice the size of San Francisco, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The main highway leading to the park was closed...

2.3K Evacuated in Idaho Wildfire

Vast, rapidly moving blaze threatens ski resort

(Newser) - At least 2,300 residences have been evacuated near the posh ski resort of Ketchum, Idaho, as an 11-day-old wildfire classified as the nation's top-priority fire threatened homes and subdivisions. The blaze was pushing north yesterday, even as officials said they were making progress. "It was a good...

Sole Surviving Arizona Firefighter Finally Speaks

Brendan McDonough says he isn't quitting firefighting

(Newser) - Brendan McDonough, the only member of the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew to survive a deadly wildfire in Arizona in June , has given his first interview since the tragedy to ABC News . Contrary to earlier reports, McDonough—known to his colleagues as "Donut"—says the team was aware that...

How the Arizona Fire Tragedy Unfolded

New reports detail the final moments of the Hotshot crew

(Newser) - Although the circumstances of how 19 firefighters were killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire are already broadly known , new reports offer a more detailed look at how the tragedy unfolded. The AP has compiled a map of the Hotshot crew's final movements, confirmed by fire officials, showing the...

Arizona Fire Now 45% Contained

Yarnell Hill blaze has ravaged 8.4K acres

(Newser) - The Arizona wildfire that killed 19 elite firefighters has been 45% contained, up from an official figure of 8% yesterday, as teams link fire lines, the Arizona Republic reports. "We’ve had a very productive day today," an official said yesterday. Authorities said they hadn't seen any...

Hotshots' Doom Sealed by Fire's Sudden Shift

'Burn over' in Yarnell Hill fire overtook 19 firefighters

(Newser) - The 19 firefighters killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire were among "the best of the best" in their field, say peers—but that wasn't enough to protect members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew when the fire took a quick, unexpected turn. "Only Mother Nature...

3 Fallen Firefighters Were Expectant Dads

14 of the men were in their 20s

(Newser) - More than a thousand people gathered in Prescott, Ariz., yesterday to mourn 19 firefighters who died battling an out-of-control wildfire . Speakers including Rep. Trent Franks praised the men for their heroism and sacrifice, the AP reports. Authorities have now released the names of the 19 victims, 14 of whom were...

19 Firefighters Dead in Arizona

 19 Elite Firefighters 
 Dead in Arizona 
UPDATED
Jul 1, 2013 7:52 AM CDT

19 Elite Firefighters Dead in Arizona

They were trapped by wildfire in Yarnell

(Newser) - Tragedy in central Arizona, where 19 elite firefighters are dead after getting trapped by a fast-moving wildfire in the town of Yarnell. Eighteen of the men were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew from Prescott, reports the Arizona Republic . An additional crew member wasn't with his team and...

Colorado Fire May Wipe Out Tourist Town

South Fork evacuated, was used in 'Vacation' movie

(Newser) - The mountain resort of South Fork, Colorado, is a ghost town today as a massive wildfire approaches. (If you've seen the Chevy Chase movie Vacation, you've seen the place: The Griswolds picnicked there, notes AP .) The town has 400 full-time residents, all of whom had evacuated by...

Colorado Wildfire Now a 'Crime Scene'

483 structures destroyed

(Newser) - Colorado's Black Forest fire is now 65% contained, but authorities are still puzzling over the cause of the blaze that's destroyed at least 483 structures. Now, the El Paso County sheriff is calling the 16,000-acre fire a "crime scene" until there's proof to the contrary,...

Colorado Fire Sets Destruction Record

Death toll now at 2

(Newser) - The Black Forest Fire, near Colorado Springs, has claimed 360 homes, a record for the state, the Denver Post notes in its live blog. Meanwhile, 15,700 acres have burned and the fire is just 5% contained—and the death toll now stands at two. Some 38,000 have evacuated,...

Colo. Fire Forces Evacuation of 900 Prisoners

4 blazes have destroyed dozens of homes

(Newser) - Wildfires are raging in Colorado, and one of them caused more than 900 prisoners to be evacuated from a state prison early today. The medium- and low-risk prisoners were taken by bus to other prisons, a spokesperson tells the AP . The fire hasn't actually reached the Colorado Territorial Correctional...

Big Threat to Amazon: Unseen Forest Fires

They cause more damage than deforestation with their slow burns

(Newser) - Someone flying above the Amazon in a plane would see nothing amiss, but scores of small, slow-moving fires beneath the canopy of trees are destroying more land than deforestation, reports LiveScience . New satellite imaging from NASA has revealed these so-called "understory fires." Flames are only a few feet...

Brush That Last Burned in 1929 Is Fueling Calif. Fire

3K evacuated in Powerhouse blaze

(Newser) - A California wildfire has burned some 35 square miles north of Los Angeles and prompted evacuation orders for almost 3,000 people. Part of its fuel: "extremely old and dry" brush that last burned in 1929, a US Forest Service official explained yesterday, per the AP . Some 2,100...

1K Evacuated as Wildfires Threaten NM, Calif.

Season off to an early start in West

(Newser) - Firefighting teams in California and New Mexico are battling early season wildfires that have blackened thousands of acres and threatened homes and buildings, spurring numerous evacuations. Residents of more than 1,000 homes were ordered to leave as erratic winds pushed a wildfire closer to two foothill communities, where officials...

North Wisconsin Fire Biggest in 33 Years

It's burned through 8.7K acres

(Newser) - Firefighters have contained 90% of a wildfire in northwest Wisconsin, which has burned through 8,700 acres and 47 structures, including 17 houses. It's the biggest wildfire in northern Wisconsin in 33 years, WEAU reports. At least 60 people evacuated their homes last night, with 22 staying overnight in...

Break in Weather May Tame Wildfire in California

Firefighters welcome lower temperatures, higher humidity

(Newser) - A wildfire tearing through a coastal region in Southern California nearly tripled in size as high temperatures fueled the flames, but a fire official said a favorable shift in the weather will likely help crews make progress against the flames today. The fire 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles mushroomed...

California Wildfire Burns Path to the Sea

Winds poised to worsen flames that have scorched 8K acres

(Newser) - Authorities are warning of "extreme fire danger" as Southern California wildfires continue to rage , having already cut a 10-mile path to the Pacific. The Springs Fire already scorched 8,000 acres of land, and it's putting 2,000 homes at risk, CNN reports. Winds today of some 35mph...

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