Latest Wildfires News

A man trying to cremate his dog sparked a wildfire in Colorado, authorities say

Sep. 27, 2024 16:22 PM EDT

NUCLA, Colo. (AP) — Wildfire investigators looking for the cause of blaze in western Colorado last month discovered the partially burned remains of a dog — leading to the conclusion that a man's attempted cremation of his pet sparked a fire that damaged private property including a cabin. ...

Takeaways on AP's story about challenges to forest recovery and replanting after wildfires

Sep. 27, 2024 11:13 AM EDT

The U.S. is struggling to replant forests destroyed by increasingly intense wildfires, with many areas unlikely to recover on their own. Researchers are studying which species are likely to survive — and where — as climate change makes it difficult or impossible for many forests...

As many forests fail to recover from wildfires, replanting efforts face huge odds -- and obstacles

Sep. 27, 2024 09:32 AM EDT

BELLVUE, Colo. (AP) — Camille Stevens-Rumann crouched in the dirt and leaned over evergreen seedlings, measuring how much each had grown in seven months. "That's two to three inches of growth on the spruce,” said Stevens-Rumann, interim director at the Colorado Forest Restoration...

Hawaii Supreme Court agrees to weigh in on issues holding up $4B wildfire settlement

Sep. 26, 2024 20:52 PM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Supreme Court will consider questions about issues that threaten to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. A Maui judge last month agreed to ask the state high court questions about how insurance companies can go about...

California fire agency employee charged with arson spent months as inmate firefighter

Sep. 26, 2024 12:47 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection employee charged with starting five brush fires spent months as an inmate firefighter after being convicted of causing a fatal collision, according to officials and public records. Robert Hernandez, 38,...

Volunteers help seedlings take root as New Mexico attempts to recover from historic wildfire

Sep. 23, 2024 17:49 PM EDT

A small team of volunteers spent a few hours scrambling across fire-ravaged mountainsides, planting hundreds of seedlings as part of a monumental recovery effort that has been ongoing following the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history. The Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon...

Brazil drought punishes coffee farms and threatens to push prices even higher

Sep. 20, 2024 10:23 AM EDT

CACONDE, Brazil (AP) — Silvio Almeida’s coffee plantation sits at an ideal altitude on a Brazilian hillside, whose clay-rich soil does well at retaining moisture from rainfall and a nearby reservoir. Lately, though, water is scarce on Almeida's modest farm in Caconde, a town in...

Residents in Kyiv told to stay indoors as air pollution blankets the Ukrainian capital

Sep. 20, 2024 09:39 AM EDT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities in Ukraine advised residents in the capital Kyiv to stay indoors Friday as air pollution, partly caused by fires in the region, blanketed the city. Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources said the pollution was a...

As fire raged nearby, a tiny town's zoo animals were driven to safety

Sep. 19, 2024 21:28 PM EDT

BIG BEAR, Calif. (AP) — With a major wildfire burning near his mountain town east of Los Angeles, Cowboy the barn owl was unaware of the danger and instead having the adventure of a lifetime. Perched in the front seat of a truck, Cowboy — along with nearly 50 other animals —...

At least 15 dead since July and thousands of hectares scorched as wildfires sweep Peru

Sep. 19, 2024 00:44 AM EDT

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Wildfires in Peru have left at least 15 dead since July and more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of cultivated land and natural areas scorched, authorities said Monday. Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén told reporters that the fires were started by human...