Latest Wildfires News

Subpoenas on Maui agencies and officials delay release of key report into deadly wildfire

Mar. 18, 2024 21:23 PM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s attorney general on Monday blamed a delay of the release of a key report into a deadly Maui wildfire on county agencies that forced investigators to issue subpoenas. The first phase of an independent investigation into the Aug. 8 fire that killed at...

Maui's mayor prioritizes housing and vows to hire more firefighters after Lahaina wildfire

Mar. 16, 2024 18:57 PM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — Maui's mayor says he is prioritizing housing, evaluating evacuation routes and hiring more firefighters as his Hawaii community recovers from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Mayor Richard Bissen outlined the steps in emotional remarks more than...

Interior Department will give tribal nations $120 million to fight climate-related threats

Mar. 14, 2024 09:02 AM EDT

The Biden administration will be allocating more than $120 million to tribal governments to fight the impacts of climate change, the Department of the Interior announced Thursday. The funding is designed to help tribal nations adapt to climate threats, including relocating infrastructure. ...

It's not just 'hang loose.' Lawmakers look to make the friendly 'shaka' Hawaii's official gesture

Mar. 14, 2024 01:24 AM EDT

KANEOHE, Hawaii (AP) — A pinky and thumb extended with the remaining fingers curled down: That’s the “shaka” in Hawaii. The gesture is sometimes known outside the islands as the “hang loose” sign associated with surf culture, but it was a fixture of daily life in the...

Europe is not prepared for the growing climate extremes it faces, its first risk assessment finds

Mar. 11, 2024 23:52 PM EDT

Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc Monday. The agency said Europe is prone to more frequent and more punishing weather extremes — including increasing wildfires,...

Maui officials aim to accelerate processing of permits to help Lahaina rebuild

Mar. 08, 2024 20:12 PM EST

HONOLULU (AP) — Local officials in Hawaii next month plan to open an office that will speed up Maui County's notoriously slow processing of building permits to help the town of Lahaina to recover from last year's deadly wildfire. Keanu Lau Hee, the county’s deputy managing...

Power lines ignited the largest wildfire in Texas history and one nearby, officials say

Mar. 07, 2024 17:02 PM EST

Power lines ignited massive wildfires across the Texas Panhandle that killed at least two people, destroyed homes and livestock, and left a charred landscape, officials said Thursday, including the largest blaze in state history. The Texas A&M Forest Service said its...

Utility provider Xcel Energy says its facilities appeared to have a role in igniting largest wildfire in Texas history

Mar. 07, 2024 10:11 AM EST
CANADIAN, Texas (AP) — Utility provider Xcel Energy says its facilities appeared to have a role in igniting largest wildfire in Texas history.

Editorial Roundup: Tennessee

Mar. 07, 2024 07:12 AM EST

Kingsport Times News. February 29, 2024. Editorial: Spring fire season is underway in Tennessee, Virginia Reporting on severe drought conditions in the region last November, we passed along a request from the Tennessee Forestry Service to avoid burning anything...

PacifiCorp ordered to pay Oregon wildfire victims another $42M. Final bill could reach billions

Mar. 05, 2024 20:09 PM EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — A jury in Oregon has ordered PacifiCorp to pay more than $42 million to 10 victims of devastating wildfires on Labor Day 2020 — the latest verdict in litigation that is expected to see the electric utility on the hook for billions in damages. Last June, a...