Maya Hilty - The Santa Fe New Mexican Apr. 21—As Brandon Glenn hiked through a light, open area of the Santa Fe National Forest northeast of the city Thursday morning, he paused and bent over a circle of burned earth about six feet in diameter, skimming the back of...
CO Looking at ‘Normal’ Wildfire Season As Long-Awaited Firehawk Helicopter Goes Into Service
Noelle Phillips - The Denver Post Colorado residents can expect a normal year for wildfires through July, but state officials on Wednesday warned that doesn’t mean there won’t be large, potentially catastrophic fires — especially later this summer and early fall as...
Communications Breakdown Left Authorities in the Dark and Residents Without Alerts Amid Maui (HI) Fire
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, REBECCA BOONE, CLAUDIA LAUER and CHRISTOPHER L. KELLER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — As unpredictable wildfires roared across Maui last August, the head of the emergency management agency dragged his heels about returning to the island...
CA Lawmaker Wants Additional Home Insurance Discounts for Wildfire Work
Stephen Hobbs - The Sacramento Bee A California lawmaker wants the state to consider expanding the list of insurance discounts homeowners are eligible for if they take steps to protect their properties from wildfires. At a hearing Wednesday, Assemblyman Damon...
Maui (HI) Fire Department Report on Deadly Wildfire Details Need for More Equipment and Mutual Aid Plans
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, REBECCA BOONE and CLAUDIA LAUER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — When wildfires broke out across Maui last August, some firefighters carried victims piggyback over downed power lines to safety and sheltered survivors inside their engines....
Lessons Learned from Line-of-Duty Deaths in the Wildland
By THOMAS W. AURNHAMMER After moving from New Mexico to Colorado, I must admit that I had a lot to learn about fighting fire in the wildland. I was used to having resources in my former fire department such as water and somewhat adequate staffing. Providing fire...
Drought, Heat Raise the Risk of a Repeat of Canada’s Record-Breaking Wildfires Last Year
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada's emergency preparedness minister warned Wednesday the country's wildfire season could be more explosive than last year when it led to unprecedented smoke conditions across much of the country and into the United States. Persistent...
As Fire Season Fast Approaches, Greece’s Planners Look for an Edge in Response Time
By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press GLYKA NERA, Greece (AP) — In a drill at a 12th century monastery near Athens, a fast-approaching wildfire threatens to trap clergy and a group of people attending a baptism. Volunteers and firefighters race to pull them to safety...
US Wildfires Are Getting Bigger and More Complex, Changing Firefighting Workforce
By TY ONEIL Associated Press PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — It’s shaping up to be a long wildfire season, with Texas already seeing its largest blaze in recorded history and firefighters becoming overwhelmed with recent blazes in Virginia. Just in the first three months of...
FL Panhandle Wildfire Destroys One Home and Damages 15 Others
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A wildfire in the Florida Panhandle has destroyed a home and damaged at least 15 others. The Florida Forest Service said Friday that the blaze, which broke out Thursday near Pensacola, was now more than 60% contained over an area of 50 acres (20...
TX Emergency Management Chief Believes the State Needs Its Own Firefighting Aircraft
By STEPHEN SIMPSON, The Texas Tribune PAMPA, Texas (AP) — Texas' top emergency manager told a panel of lawmakers that the state should establish its own firefighting aircraft division after a series of wildfires, including the largest in state history, scorched the...
15-Year Plan Calls for Burning 74,000 Acres North of Los Alamos (NM)
Scott Wyland The Santa Fe New Mexican (TNS) Apr. 1—The federal government plans to conduct large-scale tree thinning and prescribed burns northwest of Los Alamos in a 10- to 15-year project intended to enhance forest lands and watersheds while reducing wildfire risks....