wildfires

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Skies Turn Orange &#39;Like a Scene From Mars&#39;
Skies Turn Orange
'Like a Scene
From Mars'
photo gallery
Sep 9, 2020 5:50 PM CDT

Skies Turn Orange 'Like a Scene From Mars'

Wildfires also create 'a strange smell' over the Bay Area

(Newser) - Wildfires raging through Oregon, Washington, California, and neighboring states caused an eerie orange light to appear over parts of the West Coast on Wednesday, NBC News reports. "I have never seen the sky in SF look like this in the nearly 20 years I've lived here," wrote...

Blaze Traps 14 California Firefighters

One was hospitalized in critical condition

(Newser) - A fast-moving wildfire in the mountains along California's central coast trapped 14 firefighters, who deployed emergency shelters as the blaze overran a fire station, authorities say. Several firefighters were treated for burns and one was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The US Forest Service...

California's Falling Ash May Be Toxic

Because it's 2020 after all

(Newser) - As if a global pandemic, record-high temperatures , a raging wildfire, and news of approaching winds weren't bad enough, Los Angeles County residents are being told to stay inside to avoid exposure to potentially toxic ash. Fine ash has been raining down on the San Gabriel Valley, as well as...

Gender Reveal Party Started 7K-Acre Wildfire: Cal Fire
Gender Reveal Party Has
Now Burned Through 7K Acres
the rundown
Sep 7, 2020 10:25 AM CDT

Gender Reveal Party Has Now Burned Through 7K Acres

Cal Fire blames a 'smoke generating pyrotechnic device'

(Newser) - It's perhaps time for expectant parents of a certain ilk to understand that not everyone at the local fire department cares about the gender of your coming bundle of joy. In the latest gender reveal party gone horribly, horribly wrong, Cal Fire— which is more than a little busy...

With Water Shut Off, Man Fights Fire in Atypical Way

Thank goodness for Bud Light

(Newser) - As the flames from the wildfires currently raging in Northern California approached his home, Chad Little protected it in an unlikely way: with Bud Light. Little stayed behind to defend his Vacaville home as the LNU Lightning Complex Fires came closer, planning to use firehoses and fire hydrants—until the...

As He Fought a California Fire, an 'Absolutely Disgusting' Act

Firefighter's wallet stolen, account drained while he worked; looters also break into evacuated homes

(Newser) - While some firefighting crews are working 72-hour shifts to battle the massive blazes now ravaging California, opportunists are taking advantage of both those on the front lines and residents affected by the fires. "Absolutely disgusting behavior," "saddening," and "sickening" is how fire officials are describing...

'Stretched' Fire Crews Get Some Surprise Help

Homeowners are joining the fight, whether they're wanted or not

(Newser) - As wildfires rage throughout California turning forests and homes into kindling, some firefighters are badly short-staffed, and some residents are taking matters into their own hands, the AP reports. In the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco, about 1,000 firefighters are battling a fire over 78 square miles—...

California Hasn't Seen Fires Like This in 'Many, Many Years'

Helicopter pilot dies while fighting them

(Newser) - A helicopter pilot died Wednesday fighting one of hundreds of wildfires burning in California. Authorities say the Bell UH-1 helicopter crashed for unknown reasons while making water drops in a remote area near Coalinga, Fresno County, the Fresno Bee reports. The crash ignited yet another brush fire. Fast-moving fires have...

Heatwave, Fires, Blackouts: California Declares Emergency

Gov. Gavin Newsom says crews are battling 30 large fires

(Newser) - Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency Tuesday over wildfires burning throughout California amid excessive heat while the state’s power grid operator thanked customers for conserving energy in order to avoid rolling blackouts. The California Independent System Operator had warned earlier in the day that many homes and businesses might...

Lightning Sparks New Wildfires Across California

Over 4.5K buildings are threatened by wildfire

(Newser) - A rare summer thunderstorm brought lightning that sparked several small blazes in Northern California on Sunday and stoked a huge forest fire that has forced hundreds of people from their homes north of Los Angeles, the AP reports. More than 4,500 buildings remained threatened by the wildfire, which was...

2 Planes Collide Fighting Nevada Fire

Both pilots are dead

(Newser) - Two pilots are dead after the air tankers they were flying collided while fighting Nevada's Bishop Fire Thursday. They were the only people aboard the single-engine planes, which were based out of Utah and were being used in an attempt to bring the wildfire under control, News 3 Las...

&#39;Five Mile Swamp Fire&#39; Rages in Florida
Hundreds Flee
Florida Swamp Fires
May 7, 2020 10:15 AM CDT

Hundreds Flee Florida Swamp Fires

'Five Mile Swamp Fire' is out of control

(Newser) - It's springtime, and swamps are burning in the Florida Panhandle. Authorities said Wednesday night that the Five Mile Swamp Fire in Santa Rosa County had burned more than 2,000 acres and was only 20% contained, the Pensacola News Journal reports. Authorities said the fire began when a contractor...

3 American Firefighters Die in Australia 'Fireball' Crash

Aerial water tanker went down in New South Wales

(Newser) - Three Americans died Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in the Snowy Monaro region of Australia's southern New South Wales state, officials say. Coulson Aviation in Oregon said in a statement that one of its C-130 Lockheed large air tankers was lost after...

Wiggle Recovering After Cardiac Arrest at Fundraiser

Greg Page sang for 90 minutes before collapsing

(Newser) - One of the original Wiggles, Greg Page, is recovering in a Sydney hospital after collapsing during a show to raise money for groups fighting the Australian wildfires. The cause was cardiac arrest, the BBC reports. The children's band's Twitter account said Page, the band's original lead singer,...

Firefighters Save World's Only 'Dinosaur Trees'

Australian wildfire almost wiped out Wollemi Pines

(Newser) - Specialist firefighters have saved the world’s last remaining wild stand of a prehistoric tree from wildfires that razed forests west of Sydney, officials say. Firefighters winched from helicopters to reach the cluster of fewer than 200 Wollemi Pines in a remote gorge in the Blue Mountains a week before...

An Aussie Open Cloaked in Smoke: 'I Couldn't Walk Anymore'

One player quit her match, 2 called medical timeouts, Sharapova's match called off amid fires

(Newser) - The Victorian government's advice as Australia's bushfires rage on is to "minimize the time spent in smoky conditions" and "avoid exercise"—both tough to do if you're competing outdoors in the Australian Open. But that's what players were forced to contend with Monday...

Bezos Donation to Australia Doesn't Land Well

Critics fault him for giving less than others

(Newser) - It's not often a million-dollar donation is called paltry. But such is the case when the person giving it is Jeff Bezos—and when the million is in Australian dollars, making it worth $690,000 American. The controversy started after the Amazon CEO announced the donation on Instagram , reports...

Australia Air-Drops Food for Struggling Wildlife

'Operation Rock Wallaby' aids endangered species

(Newser) - Australian wildlife struggling to survive in the aftermath of devastating wildfires are getting some help from above. Thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes and carrots have been dropped from helicopters by national park staff as part of Operation Rock Wallaby in New South Wales, 9News reports. The brush-tailed rock wallaby...

Australia Fires Set to Merge Into 'Megablaze'

Thousands flee homes as danger rises again

(Newser) - Thousands of people fled their homes and helicopters dropped supplies to towns at risk of nearby wildfires as hot, windy conditions Friday threatened already fire-ravaged southeastern Australian communities. The danger is centered on New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, where temperatures and wind speeds are escalating...

His Family Lost Their Home. Then, Her 'Special Numbers' Delivered

A hopeful story out of Australia's devastating bushfires

(Newser) - Enormous tragedy followed by enormous good fortune: A Queensland man who lost his family home in New South Wales in Australia's devastating bushfires will be able to rebuild it with funds from the lottery he just won. The man, who doesn't want to be identified, won a million...

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