Latest Wildfires News
Fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island cause smoky haze, prompting calls for people to work from home
PALEMBANG, Indonesia (AP) — More than 300 forest and peatland fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island caused hazy skies across the region on Monday, prompting government officials to ask people to work from home. The military, police and local government were working together to...
A woman who fled the Maui wildfire on foot has died after weeks in a hospital burn unit
HONOLULU (AP) — A woman who escaped Hawaii’s Lahaina wildfire by running through a flaming field has died after spending more than seven weeks in a hospital burn unit. Laurie Allen died Friday at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, according to a gofundme page set up for her and...
Native Hawaiian neighborhood survived Maui fire. Lahaina locals praise its cultural significance
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Shaun “Buge” Saribay felt like giving up. Hours of makeshift firefighting with garden hoses and buckets of water across Lahaina didn't stop flames from consuming his house, his rental properties and thousands of other structures in his beloved hometown. ...
When Kula needed water to stop wildfire, it got a trickle. Many other US cities are also vulnerable
Hours before devastating fires scorched the historic town of Lahaina on Maui, Kyle Ellison labored to save his rental house in Kula, a rural mountain town 24 miles away, from a different blaze. As high winds whipped burning trees and grass, Ellison and his landlord struggled with...
Many questions but few answers in congressional hearing on Maui's wildfire and electric provider
Lawmakers probing the cause of last month’s deadly Maui wildfire did not get many answers during Thursday's congressional hearing on the role the electrical grid played in the disaster. The president of Hawaiian Electric, Shelee Kimura, said she didn't know specific details about...
AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean
Sept. 22 – 27, 2023 A plane in Brazil dropped water on a forest fire fanned by strong winds, high temperatures and dry weather. In northern Chile, Aymara Indigenous women weave textiles surrounded by the hills and sandy roads of the Atacama Desert where they raise llamas and...
Authorities in Maui will open more of the burn zone to visits by residents next week
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Authorities in Maui are opening more of the burn zone from last month's devastating wildfire for visits by residents and property owners who lost homes. Early this week, officials began permitting those who lived in a small section in the north end of Lahaina...
Things to know about California's new proposed rules for insurance companies
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Months after California's home insurance market was rattled by major companies pausing or restricting their coverage, the state's top regulator said Thursday that he would write new rules aimed at persuading insurers to continue doing business in the nation's most...
Inside scientists' mission to save America’s wine industry from climate change
ALPINE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America's wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires — a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralize. Sample a good wine and you might...
Wildfire-prone California to consider new rules for property insurance pricing
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will let insurance companies consider climate change when setting their prices, the state's chief regulator announced Thursday, a move aimed at preventing insurers from fleeing the state over fears of massive losses from wildfires and other natural disasters....
