FORT NELSON, British Columbia (AP) — An intense wildfire could hit a town in western Canada on Monday, based on forecasts of strong winds that have been fueling the out-of-control blaze which has already forced the evacuation of thousands, fire experts and officials...
After Maui Fire, HI Lawmakers Budget for Firefighting Equipment and a State Fire Marshal
By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers on Wednesday appropriated funds for more firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ripped through the historic Maui town of Lahaina and...
Greece Boosts Special Firefighting Units to Cope With Its Growing Heat Risk
By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press KRYO PIGADI, Greece (AP) — Skimming over miles of hills blackened by wildfires west of Athens, Fire Lt. Col. Ioannis Kolovos readies his elite fire crew crouched inside a helicopter. The 10-member group from the 1st Wildfire...
Growing Wildfire Risk Leaves States Grappling With How to Keep Property Insurers From Fleeing
By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Months after a catastrophic fire burned more than 2,200 homes in Hawaii, some property owners are getting more bad news — their property insurance won't be renewed because their insurance company has deemed the...
Fire Chief, Four Others Convicted Over Greece’s Deadliest Wildfire
By DEREK GATOPOULOS and COSTAS KANTOURIS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek court convicted five former firefighting and disaster response officials on Monday over the deadliest wildfire in the country's history, with more than 100 people killed outside...
Wildfire Rips Through Wharton (NJ) State Forest
Jessica Schladebeck New York Daily News (TNS) Emergency crews on Wednesday were working to battle back a wildfire ripping through Wharton State Forest, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The blaze, dubbed the County Line Wildfire, was sparked sometime...
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...
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....
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...