California Wildfires

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October 2008
- Retreating California Fires Leave Smoke Hazard
  
  ABC News (Australia) | Oct 28, 08
  
  Firefighters tightened their grip on California's wildfires with the help of cooler weather, but a threat remained of health hazards from choking plumes of smoke over the region.
July 2008
- Forest Fire Rages by Yosemite
  
  Sacramento Bee | Jul 28, 08 4:42 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hundreds of people have been evacuated and 12 homes destroyed as a forest fire rages out of control near Yosemite National Park, the Sacramento Bee reports. The fire, which began Friday, has burned 26,000 acres of forest, including the Mariposa County foothills that serve as the gateway to the famous park. Thousands of firefighters are battling the blaze, apparently ignited by a stray bullet in target practice. More »
- California Fires Set Destruction Record
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 15, 08 3:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - California wildfires over the last three weeks have set a record for widespread destruction, reports the Los Angeles Times . Some 840,000 acres—1,300 square miles—have been scorched by 1,700 fires, sparked by lightning strikes. Firefighters are bringing the remaining 300 blazes under control, but officials worry that the worst is yet to come as summer temperatures climb in extremely dry conditions. More »
- Defying Cops, Brothers Save Home From Fire
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 7, 08 11:31 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - When wildfires threatened their 55-acre family compound, two brothers in Big Sur, Calif., fought back with a risky tactic—a controlled burn. The plan saved the homes on the property they've cultivated for decades, but one of the brothers is now facing jail time for disobeying police orders, reports the Los Angeles Times . More »
- California Blaze a 'Gorilla'
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 7, 08 3:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A wildfire in California's Santa Barbara County grew by another 700 acres in addition to 10,000 acres already charred as teams of exhausted firefighters continued to battle the fast-moving blaze. The Gap fire is a priority among the 1,781 blazes which have raged in the state over the last two weeks, reports the Los Angeles Times. More »
- Calif. Firefighters Battle 2 Huge Blazes
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 6, 08 3:03 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of California firefighters battled a huge blaze today that threatened homes in Santa Barbara County, but lost ground to another fire near Big Sur, the Los Angeles Times reports. And weather likely will not help: Winds, lightning strikes, and fierce heat are expected to hit the state this week. "That just gives us a day of lull," a forest service official said. "The calm before the storm." More »
- Firefighters Face 'Critical' Day
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 5, 08 1:33 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Today will be “critical” for battling the Goleta fire, one of more than 330 still raging across California, a fire commander told the Los Angeles Times . The blaze has already scorched 8,300 acres, sparked more than 2,500 evacuations, and razed four buildings—but it is now 24% contained. "We want to be vigilant, we want to stay persistent," the commander said. "Our hope is to close this off." More »
- Wind Keeps Wildfires Spreading Throughout Calif.
  
  Associated Press | Jul 4, 08 4:15 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - A pair of out-of-control wildfires roared along California's central coast today, chewing through opposite ends of a parched forest and threatening a total of more than 4,500 homes. While flames from the stubborn fire inched closer to Big Sur's historic vacation retreats, state emergency officials said hot winds had caused a newer blaze 200 miles south in Santa Barbara County to double in size overnight. More »
- Fires, Spiking Gas Aside, Calif. Tourism Still Sunny
  
  San Jose Mercury News | Jul 3, 08 4:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Near-continuous wildfires and soaring gas prices don’t seem to have made much of a dent in California’s tourism industry, the San Jose Mercury News reports. California's AAA reports only an 0.8% drop in Fourth of July domestic tourism, and a jump in visitors from abroad more than makes up the difference, travel officials say. More »
- Big Sur Evacuated as Fires Rage
  
  USA Today | Jul 3, 08 3:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - California residents have been ordered to evacuate the coastal resort Big Sur as wildfires rage in the hills above the town, USA Today reports. Ash rained on people as they packed cars before fleeing to safety. The Big Sur blaze is one of more than 1,100 wildfires in the state, mostly ignited by lightning, that have charred 680 square miles and destroyed 60 homes. More »
June 2008
- Emergency Declared in Calif. Fires
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jun 29, 08 9:18 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush declared a region stretching from Nevada to the Pacific Ocean a federal disaster area, the Los Angeles Times reports, as more than 1,000 fires raged across northern California. Some 17,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, which threaten 6,800 homes. “We don’t have any of the fires under control,” said a state fire department spokeswoman. More »
- Fires Threaten Big Sur
  
  Associated Press | Jun 27, 08 5:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Firefighters rushed to guard historic buildings in the scenic coastal town of Big Sur yesterday as a lightning-sparked wildfire blazed through a national forest in California, AP reports. The fire, only 3% contained, has burned 42 square miles of redwoods and destroyed 16 homes since Saturday. With 700 fires blazing statewide and more lightning forecast, firefighting resources are stretched dangerously thin. More »
- Condors Pulled From Calif. Fires
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Jun 24, 08 2:02 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Wildfires in Northern California spurred the rescue of eight California condors from their Monterey County refuge, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The unusual operation was performed by a US Coast Guard helicopter crew after a wildlife organization said that the fires threatened the condor sanctuary. The birds were taken to another preserve nearby. There are only 315 California condors in existence. More »
- 8,000 Lightning Bolts Spark California Fires
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jun 24, 08 2:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of lightning strikes over a wide swath of Northern California ignited more than 700 wildfires that have burned some 44,000 tinder-dry acres of grassland, brush and forest. Firefighters managed to protect most homes in almost all of the fires. The historically bad fire season has been spurred by record low levels of rainfall and warm, flame-whipping winds. More »
- Wildfires Tamed in Calif., Rage in NM
  
  Associated Press | Jun 21, 08 6:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Firefighters almost completely contained a Northern California blaze today as fires in New Mexico threatened to spread, buoyed by lightning and high winds, the AP reports. The California fire, in Santa Cruz County, has leveled up to 15 homes and led to the continued evacuation of 2,000 people. Officials hope it will completely contained by the end of the day. More »
April 2008
- Sierra Madre Blaze Rages On
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 28, 08 6:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A California wildfire that has sparked mass evacuations kept burning up Sierra Madre today, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials said the blaze was 23% contained, compared to 30% last night, and four of 580 firefighters have suffered minor injuries—but there are no fatalities so far. The fire now consumes 500 acres and has edged "downhill toward the homes in Sierra Madre," an Angeles Forest Spokesman said. More »
- 1,000 Flee Raging SoCal Wildfire
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 27, 08 4:21 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Roughly 1,000 people abandoned 400 California homes today as firefighters battled a blaze in the Sierra Madre foothills, the Los Angeles Times reports. The fire spread through some 400 acres, and containment is not expected for days. Record-setting temperatures are to blame for the blaze marking an early start of the fire season. "This is not a lazy fire," a fire chief said. "This fire is burning with some energy." More »
January 2008
- Report: Calif. Should Boost Firefighting
  
  Fox News | Jan 25, 08
  
  Firefighters tightened their grip on California's wildfires with the help of cooler weather, but a threat remained of health hazards from choking plumes of smoke over the region.
December 2007
- LA Cops to Arrest 5 in Malibu Wildfire
  
  Los Angeles Times | Dec 13, 07 9:27 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Arson investigators in LA plan to arrest five young men who they say accidentally set the Malibu wildfire that destroyed scores of ritzy homes over Thanksgiving weekend, the LA Times reports. The men, ages 18 to 27, were having an illegal campfire in a restricted area when they triggered the larger blaze. They could face up to 10 years in prison. More »
November 2007
- Malibu Blaze 'Looks Good'
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 25, 07 3:40 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The wildfire that scorched 50 Malibu homes yesterday is now 40% contained and should be corralled by Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dying Santa Ana winds and what one official called "unprecedented mobilization" helped firefighters control the blaze. Crews are busy stamping out hot spots today to make sure they don't reignite. More »