Fire chief: Gas leak caused home explosion that injured 2

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (AP) — A fire chief says a house explosion and fire that injured two people at a West Virginia home were caused by a gas leak. Citizens Fire Department Chief Larry Herbst told The Journal that an HVAC technician working in the Charles Town home and another person were injured in...

Man, woman, young girl killed in Missouri apartment fire

CLINTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a man, woman and young girl have been killed in an apartment fire in Missouri. Clinton Fire Chief Leo Huff says the fire was reported around 2:20 a.m. Tuesday. He says a second story apartment in the 12-unit building was burning when crews arrived. The blaze was brought...

Winds fan ferocious fires in Australia's most populous state

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Ferocious wildfires were burning at emergency-level intensity across Australia's most populous state and into Sydney's suburbs on Tuesday as authorities warned most people in their paths that there was no longer time to flee. New South Wales state is under a weeklong state of...

Rally Australia cancelled because of concern over wildfires

COFFS HARBOUR, Australia (AP) — The final round of the World Rally Championship has been cancelled because of concerns over destructive wildfires near the venue in the northeast of Australia's most populous state. Rally Australia organizers initially proposed a revised, shortened route but took the...

Widow sues boat owner in fire off California that killed 34

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The widow of a passenger who died in a fiery dive boat disaster that killed 34 people in the waters off California sued the vessel's owners Monday. Christine Dignam, whose husband, Justin Dignam, died when the Conception caught fire Sept. 2 off the Santa Barbara coast, claimed that the...

West Virginia home explodes, 2 injured

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Officials say a West Virginia home exploded, causing non-life-threatening injuries to two people. WTTG-TV in Washington reports the home in Charles Town was destroyed in the Monday blast. Witnesses told the station the homeowners had problems with their propane furnace on Sunday....

Rebirth, angst and the 'new normal' of California wildfires

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Tina Chandler walks outside her home and sniffs the air. "Do you smell smoke?" she asks. Even when the scent is no longer there, it haunts her. So does the fear of the monstrous winds of autumn, the kind that stoked the wildfires that destroyed her northern California neighborhood...

Australian state declares emergency due to wildfires

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's most populous state declared a state of emergency on Monday due to unprecedented wildfire danger as calls grew for Australia to take more action to counter climate change. New South Wales state Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said residents were facing what...

Still a chance? 2020 longshots insist race is up for grabs

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Bernie Sanders rallied hundreds of supporters outside the New Hampshire capital when the senator formally filed to compete in the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary. A howling crowd cheered South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg as he walked through the statehouse to...

A man has been set on fire following an apparent dispute over national identity on chaotic day in Hong Kong protests

HONG KONG (AP) — A man has been set on fire following an apparent dispute over national identity on chaotic day in Hong Kong protests.