Latest Wildfires News
Trump administration slashes imperiled spotted owls' habitat
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it would slash millions of acres of protected habitat designated for the imperiled northern spotted owl in Oregon, Washington state and Northern California, much of it in prime timber locations in Oregon’s coastal ranges....
Environmentalists move toward lawsuit over fuel break plan
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Environmentalists have filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S government to block plans to build up to 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) of fuel breaks they contend would violate the Endangered Species Act in a misguided effort to slow the advance of wildfires in six Western states....
Lands chief again proposes dedicated funds to fight wildfire
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — After yet another year of catastrophic wildfires in Washington state, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz is once again proposing that the state create a dedicated fund to prevent and fight the fires. A similar attempt to use a surtax on home insurance premiums to raise money...
Study: Wildfires produced up to half of pollution in US West
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildfire smoke accounted for up to half of all health-damaging small particle air pollution in the western U.S. in recent years as warming temperatures fueled more destructive blazes, according to a study released Monday. Even as pollution emissions declined from other sources...
Australia sweltered through its 4th-hottest year in 2020
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia sweltered through its fourth-hottest year on record last year despite the recent return of the usually cooling La Nina climate pattern, the nation’s weather bureau said on Friday. The wetter-than-average 2020 followed Australia’s hottest and driest year in...
Mexico's state power company admits it falsified document
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s state-owned electrical power company acknowledged Tuesday it presented a falsified brush fire report to explain a widespread blackout in December. The Federal Electricity Commission has been criticized for being antiquated and polluting, and it has hotly denied the...
Waterfront homes evacuated due to landslide near Poulsbo
LOFALL, Wash. (AP) — Eight waterfront homes along Hood Canal in Washington have been evacuated due to a fire and a landslide that has destabilized the hillside and pushed trees into at least one home, emergency officials said. Firefighters responded to the scene, a cluster of homes on Seclusion Cove about...
Construction begins on FEMA housing site for fire victims
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal officials are starting to build a temporary housing site for residents in Linn and Marion county who lost everything in the 2020 wildfires. KOIN-TV reports the Mill City site will hold up to 16 temporary housing units, according to the Federal Emergency Management...
Columbia River Gorge trails reopened after 2017 wildfire
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The new year has brought a new beginning for some of the most famous trails in the Columbia River Gorge. Eagle Creek Trail, the iconic pathway that passes waterfalls and steep cliff edges, reopened Friday after 2017 wildfire damage kept it closed for more than three years, the Statesman...
Pandemic, protests and 'Murder Hornets' top state stories
Washington saw the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States this year, as well as the first deadly cluster as the pandemic upended virtually all activity in the state. The coronavirus outbreak was voted the state’s top news story of 2020 by Associated Press staff. Other top news items of the...
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