Latest Wildfires News
A judge is forcing Hawaii to give wildfire investigation documents to lawyers handling lawsuits
HONOLULU (AP) — A judge on Friday forced the Hawaii attorney general's office to turn over to lawyers involved in the hundreds of lawsuits over last summer's Maui wildfires all documents, interviews and data collected by the outside team hired to investigate the disaster. ...
Jordan stations 2 firefighting helicopters in Cyprus to help as summer fire season arrives
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Jordan on Monday stationed two helicopters in Cyprus to help the Mediterranean island nation combat potential forest fires until it can lease firefighting aircraft of its own for the summer fire season. Cypriot Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou said the...
Hawaii lawmakers wrap up session featuring tax cuts, zoning reform and help for fire-stricken Maui
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers on Friday wrapped up a legislative session heavily focused on addressing Maui's needs after last year's deadly Lahaina wildfire. They also took on Hawaii's housing shortage, tax cuts and measures to support distinctive Hawaii agricultural products like coffee and...
Maui sues cell carriers over wildfire warning alerts that were never received during service outages
HONOLULU (AP) — Had emergency responders known about widespread cellphone outages during the height of last summer's deadly Maui wildfires, they would have used other methods to warn about the disaster, county officials said in a lawsuit. Alerts the county sent to cellphones...
A committee finds a decayed and broken utility pole caused the largest wildfire in Texas history
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A decayed utility pole that broke, causing power wires to fall on dry grass in the Texas Panhandle, sparked the state’s largest wildfire in history, a Texas House committee confirmed Wednesday. And other poorly maintained power equipment sparked four...
After Maui, Hawaii lawmakers budget funds for firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers on Wednesday appropriated funds for more firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ripped through the historic Maui town of Lahaina and exposed shortcomings in the state's readiness for such flames. ...
Greece boosts special firefighting units to cope with its growing heat risk
KRYO PIGADI, Greece (AP) — Skimming over miles of hills blackened by wildfires west of Athens, Fire Lt. Col. Ioannis Kolovos readies his elite fire crew crouched inside a helicopter. The 10-member group from the 1st Wildfire Special Operation Unit bristles with tools needed to hold...
Growing wildfire risk leaves states grappling with how to keep property insurers from fleeing
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Months after a catastrophic fire burned more than 2,200 homes in Hawaii, some property owners are getting more bad news — their property insurance won't be renewed because their insurance company has deemed the risk too high. It's a problem that has played out...
5 former officials are convicted over Greece's deadliest wildfire but are freed after being fined
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek court convicted five former firefighting and disaster response officials on Monday over the deadliest wildfire in the country's history, with more than 100 people killed outside the capital. But some survivors were outraged when they were fined and let go. ...
Firefighters fully contain southern New Jersey forest fire that burned hundreds of acres
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Firefighters have completely contained a forest fire that burned several hundred acres (hectares) in southern New Jersey. The blaze in the Wharton State Forest started sometime Tuesday night in Waterford Township in Camden County and spread into...
