Western Wildfires

A wildfire burns a section of forest in the Grande Prairie district of Alberta, Canada on May 6, 2023.

Government of Alberta Fire Service / The Canadian Press via AP file

States hit with unusually wet winters now brace for an unpredictable wildfire season

Many factors determine the dynamic of a fire season. While it might seem like a wet winter would play a dramatic role, experts say it’s easy to overstate its influence.

Latest stories

More than 24,000 people evacuated in western Canada as 103 wildfires burn

The wildfires are affecting about 301,243 acres in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith said.

House bill to improve accountability for wildfire prevention work advances to floor

An NBC News investigation found the Forest Service overstated the land it treated to reduce wildfire risk by an estimated 21% nationally.

Image: Christina Barba, Fuels planner for the Mountaintop Ranger District of the San Bernardino National Forest, left, points to a map showing the different wildfire management projects around the Big Bear Lake area while Jason Collier, a NEPA Planner, looks on,
on June 6, 2022.

How polluted is your city’s air? Use our interactive tool to find out.

Fewer wildfires led to better air across the country, particularly in the West.

A way of life is all but extinguished by New Mexico's largest wildfire

Nearly a year after the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire destroyed adobe homes that had survived for centuries, and millions of acres of forestland that sustained many, families are still struggling to find their footing.

A flare up near Cleveland, just down 519 from Mora, N.M. darkens the sky on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, where firefighters have been battling the Hermit's Peak and Calf Canyon fire for weeks. Weather conditions described as potentially historic are on tap for New Mexico on Saturday, May 7, and over the next several days as the largest fire burning in the U.S. chews through more tinder-dry mountainsides.

California Wildfires

119d ago

California Wildfires

PG&E to face manslaughter trial over deadly California fire

A judge in Shasta County ruled there was enough evidence for the country’s largest utility to face trial on 11 felony and misdemeanor charges, including involuntary manslaughter and recklessly starting a fire, in the 2020 incident.

A judge ruled on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, that Pacific Gas & Electric must face trial for involuntary manslaughter over its role in the 2020 wildfire in Northern California that killed four people.

Western Wildfires

132d ago

Western Wildfires

U.S. earmarks $490 million for wildfire prevention

Ongoing “megadrought” conditions in the West have made many states vulnerable to destructive wildfires, turning distinct wildfire seasons into year-round threats.

Firefighter Christian Mendoza manages a backfire, flames lit by firefighters to burn off vegetation, while battling the Mosquito Fire in Placer County, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2022.

California Wildfires

221d ago

California Wildfires

Four years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors still await their settlement money

“We’re not even close to recovered,” said Inez Salinas, who has bounced from car to trailer to tent in the years since the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed her home.

Inez Salinas and her daughter, River, at the site of their new house in Concow, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2022.

Western Wildfires

222d ago

Western Wildfires

Forest Service 'burn boss' arrested after prescribed fire torches private land in Oregon

The Grant County Sheriff's Office arrested the U.S. Forest Service employee on suspicion of reckless burning, the district attorney's office said.

Firefighters light a controlled burn along Nacimiento-Fergusson Road to help contain the Dolan Fire near Big Sur, Calif., on Sept. 11, 2020.

Climate in Crisis

223d ago

Climate in Crisis

Seattle and Portland endure the world's worst air quality as wildfires burn

The lush Pacific Northwest is being choked by smoke from a series of nearby fires.

Western Wildfires

226d ago

Western Wildfires

Washington state wildfire burns out of control, forcing thousands to evacuate

The Nakia Creek Fire, ignited near Vancouver, Washington, is being fueled by warmer temperatures that are rare for the rainy and damp Pacific Northwest.

A wildfire burns the Conway family farm in Camas, Wash.

California Wildfires

260d ago

California Wildfires

Dozens of buildings burn as gusty winds fan California wildfire

A section of Interstate 80 was closed after a second fire ignited near the community of Dutch Flat.

Western Wildfires

Top videos

Latest stories

More than 24,000 people evacuated in western Canada as 103 wildfires burn

House bill to improve accountability for wildfire prevention work advances to floor

How polluted is your city’s air? Use our interactive tool to find out.

A way of life is all but extinguished by New Mexico's largest wildfire

PG&E to face manslaughter trial over deadly California fire

U.S. earmarks $490 million for wildfire prevention

Four years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors still await their settlement money

Forest Service 'burn boss' arrested after prescribed fire torches private land in Oregon

Seattle and Portland endure the world's worst air quality as wildfires burn

Washington state wildfire burns out of control, forcing thousands to evacuate

Dozens of buildings burn as gusty winds fan California wildfire