wildfires

Ongoing wildfires have torched more than half a million acres in 10 western states, according to the National Fire Information Center. In Washington, where at least 16 houses have been destroyed, Gov. Jay Inslee attributed the wildfires in part to climate change. Another fire in central California has charred more than 33,000 acres while the […]

With more than 25,000 acres still burning, firefighters managed to achieve four percent containment of the Blue Cut fire in California late Wednesday night. The blaze, which spread from a few acres to 30,000 in just 24 hours, was called a “once in a lifetime kind of fire” by the U.S. Forest Service. Sizzling temperatures, […]

By Douglas Bevington In California, dead trees are big news. In June, the U.S. Forest Service reported that 66 million trees had died since 2010 as the state has experienced a prolonged drought. Drought stress has weakened trees’ natural defenses to native bark beetles, resulting in a pulse of tree mortality. Yet amid all of […]

A huge wildfire burning since Friday in the Santa Clarita Valley area north of Los Angeles has tripled in size over the weekend to 33,172 acres, destroying at least 18 homes and leaving one man dead. More than 1,500 homes have been evacuated as 1,673 firefighters battle the Sand fire. A California wildfire spread across […]

A massive heat wave struck Alaska this week, with the town of Deadhorse witnessing a high of 85 F. This has been the warmest ever in Deadhorse, where average temperatures tend to be 57 F at this time of the year. The temperatures were in the 80s across the region. The new all-time record of […]

A group of 31 of the country’s top science organizations sent a letter to Congress this week highlighting the dangers of climate change and urging immediate action. The letter, representing millions of scientists, mentions several impacts of climate change, including extreme weather, sea level rise and wildfires. Photo credit: Shutterstock “The severity of climate change […]