wildfire Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Australia’s Wildfires Are Releasing Vast Amounts Of Carbon

By NPR News January 13, 2020

Much of New South Wales, Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, lay under a shroud of smoke Thursday. The state remains under severe or very high fire danger warnings as more than 60 fires continue to burn within its borders. CREDIT: Cassie Trotter/Getty Images

The Australian bushfires are emitting huge amounts of climate warming carbon into the atmosphere. Normally, new vegetation that grows back would recapture it, but that may be changing. Continue Reading Australia’s Wildfires Are Releasing Vast Read More

Across The West, Communities And Landowners Prepare For Their Own Paradise Wildfire Scenario

By NWPB News December 15, 2019

Towns living among forests have taken notice after recent deadly wildfires in Northern California, particularly after Paradise. But for the rural community of Foots Creek in Southern Oregon, wildfire has long been on their radar. CREDIT: April Ehrlich/JPR News

It’s been a little over a year since the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise, which impacted thousands of lives in Northern California. The disaster also alarmed people across the West, who are now asking themselves: Could a fire like that happen here? Read More

PG&E Announces $13.5 Billion Settlement Of Claims Linked To California Wildfires

By NPR News December 7, 2019

Seen in August 2019, the remains of a home destroyed in Northern California's 2018 Camp Fire. Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The utility hopes the settlement will help it emerge from bankruptcy proceedings by the end of the year. When it declared bankruptcy in January, the company faced potential liabilities of $30 billion. Continue Reading PG&E Read More

Paradise Bobcats Football Team Inspires And Motivates 1 Year After Camp Fire Devastated Town

By NPR News November 8, 2019

Paradise Camp fire - football team on field

Many are commuting to school in Paradise from surrounding cities and towns, including almost all of the town's high school football team, the Bobcats. The team is undefeated, and is about to find out if they are making it to the playoffs. Read More

Analysis: Big Fall Wildfires Signal Arrival Of A Planetary Fire Age

By PBS Newshour November 2, 2019

A home burns as the November 2018 Camp Fire moved through Paradise, Calif. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading fire killed 85 people and burned nearly 19,000 building in Butte County, making it the state’s deadliest and most destructive fire in modern times. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Free-burning fire is the proximate provocation for the havoc, since its ember storms are engulfing landscapes. But in the hands of humans, combustion is also the deeper cause. Continue Reading Analysis: Big Fall Wildfires Signal Arrival Of A Read More

Washington Land Managers Warn Fire Danger Persists With High Winds This Week

By Courtney Flatt October 28, 2019

Information on public fire danger signs comes from the Nation Fire Danger Rating System, which is being updated for the first time in more than four decades. CREDIT: JACOB FRANK/NPS

Don’t be fooled by the fall weather and cold temps hitting the Northwest this week. Washington officials are warning people to keep an eye on outdoor burning this time of year. It can still spark a fire, especially with strong winds whipping through the state Monday night through Tuesday morning. Read More

In Central Washington, Forest Equipment Chews Through Fuel To Reduce Threat Of ‘The Next Paradise’

By Courtney Flatt October 3, 2019

Land managers are using a masticator to help thin a dense forest outside Cle Elum, Washington. The masticator chews up the forest fuels with spinning metal teeth. It takes out whole trees at a time. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Connecting different projects – like these large-scale fuels management ones – with efforts by homeowners down below helps make the landscape more resilient. It’s part of a larger effort to help central Washington avoid the fate of towns like Paradise, California, which was devastated by the Camp Fire in 2018. Read More

Washington Ranchers Push To Create Their Own Fire Fighting Teams In ‘No Man’s Lands’

By Courtney Flatt September 9, 2019

Central Washington rancher Molly Linville would like ranchers to be able to fight fires on their own property in the state. She hopes the state will allow ranchers to form rangeland fire protection associations in areas where no agency is assigned to respond to wildland fires. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

There are no agencies assigned to fight fires on certain stretches of Washington rangeland. Ranchers want to form their own firefighting teams – something already happening in Oregon and Idaho. Continue Reading Washington Read More

Columbia River Gorge Inches Closer To Recovery, 2 Years After Eagle Creek Fire

By NWPB News September 4, 2019

Scene from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire in Columbia River Gorge

Labor Day weekend marked the second anniversary of the start of the Eagle Creek Fire, which burned almost 50,000 acres of forest land in the Columbia River Gorge. Continue Reading Columbia River Gorge Inches Closer To Recovery, Read More

Okanogan County Firefighter Severely Injured, Remains In Coma At Seattle Hospital

By Courtney Flatt September 3, 2019

County and state firefighters responded quickly to the Spring Coulee Fire on Sunday, Sept. 1, in Okanogan County, where Christian Johnson was severely injured. He was flown to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. Courtesy of Okanogan County Emergency Managment aerial video

A Washington firefighter was badly burned over the Labor Day weekend while fighting a small brush fire in Okanogan County. He’s currently in a medically induced coma at a Seattle hospital. Continue Reading Okanogan County Read More

Goats & Wildfire Prevention

By McKayla Fox August 9, 2019

Goat clearing brush for wildfire prevention

Goats & Wildfire Prevention Clearing brush for fire prevention can be hard and dangerous work for firefighters so Wenatchee, Wash. is trying a different tactic…goats. Tri-Cities Correspondent Courtney Flatt found how how effective these goats really are. Full Transcript – There’s a little over 300 goats out here and we’re doing a fire mitigation Read More

Mild Northwest Fire Season Could Blow Up In Late Summer As Fuels Dry Out

By Anna King August 6, 2019

The Williams Flats Fire started from a lightning strike Aug. 2, 2019 near Keller, Washington, on the reservation of the Colville Confederated Tribes. CREDIT: INCIWEB

The fire season so far has been relatively mild as far as large fires and region-wide smoke inundation go. But that could change in late summer and early fall, according to a recent federal report from the National Interagency Fire Center. Read More

Trouble In Paradise: Water Uncertainty Frustrates Victims Of California’s Devastating 2018 Wildfire

By NPR News August 2, 2019

A mobile home park destroyed by last year's wildfire in Paradise, California. Those rebuilding homes and lives say they're getting contradictory messages about whether the water is safe to drink. CREDIT: Meredith Rizzo/NPR

After the 2018 Camp Fire, scientists detected dangerous levels of cancer-causing benzenes from burned plastics in some water lines. Recent tests show the problem has not gone away. Chronic exposure to benzenes can heighten the risk of blood cancers such as leukemia. Read More

Hey, That’s My Grass! Goats Chomp Fire Fuels Around Previously Burned Wenatchee Neighborhood

By Courtney Flatt July 28, 2019

These goats from a herding operation based in Ephrata were in Wenatchee in July to clean out fire fuels near Broadview neighborhood that burned in the 2015 Sleepy Hollow fire. CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT/NWPB

A fire district around Wenatchee has come up with a new way to make wildland fires less severe. Chelan County Fire District 1 is ditching the hand tools and machinery that firefighters traditionally use to thin overgrown brush. Instead, they’re turning to a more natural approach to thin out fuels around the Broadview neighborhood that burned in the 2015 Sleepy Hollow Read More

Firefighters Address Central And Eastern Washington Fires After Lightning Storms

By Anna King July 25, 2019

Smoke seen from a small fire burning in brush and wheat near Washtucna, Washington on Thursday, July 25, 2019. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

It’s been a relatively quiet summer so far for Northwest wildland firefighters. But after a couple days of lightning storms in eastern and central Washington, paired with dry and windy conditions, more fires are starting to flare up. Read More

Cold Creek Fire Near Hanford Grows Big, Threatens Sensitive Ecological And Cultural Areas

By Anna King July 19, 2019

The Cold Creek Fire burning July 18 on the Hanford Reach National Monument had grown to an estimated 15,000 acres by Friday, July 19. CREDIT: Franklin County Fire District 13

A wildfire continued burning today near the Hanford Nuclear Site. The Cold Creek Fire is burning sensitive, federally protected habitat. As of Friday afternoon it was estimated at about 18,000 acres and 10 percent containment. Read More

Pateros And North Central Washington Continue Rebuilding 5 Years After Carlton Complex Fire

By Courtney Flatt July 18, 2019

Libby Harrison, who at the time was the mayor of Pateros, and her husband are rebuilding their home, which burned in the 2014 Carlton Complex. They’re doing most of the work themselves and hope to move back in, in a few months. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Five years later, the Carlton Complex is still the single largest fire in Washington state’s history. By the end of summer, the Okanogan Long Term Recovery Group will have rebuilt 39 homes. The group’s contractors are putting the finishing touches on the final two homes now. They’ve held a ribbon cutting at nearly each spot. Read More

Federal Agencies Boost Efforts To Address Wildland Firefighter Suicides

By NWPB News July 15, 2019

Bill Arsenault of the Idaho Falls Fire Department looks at memorial stones at the Wildland Firefighters Monument at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Federal officials at the NIFC are bolstering mental health resources for wildland firefighters following an apparent increase in suicides. CREDIT: KEITH RIDLER/AP

No figures on wildland firefighter suicides are available because federal agencies often track only fatalities that occur during work hours, and families don’t always release a cause of death. But lang management agencies are concerned about an increasing number of suicides, and seeking to address ways to help. Read More

Central Washington Fire District Will Use Goats To Reduce Fire Risk Around Wenatchee

By Courtney Flatt June 19, 2019

File photo. Briana Murphy's goats can clear 150 pounds of foliage a day. CREDIT: Jule Gilfillan/OPB

Four years ago, the Sleepy Hollow Fire burned to the edge of Wenatchee. Flames rushed through, consuming brush and cheatgrass and quickly destroying 28 homes and three businesses. Now, with the help of a federal grant, firefighters are getting rid of some of those grasses to better protect homes. Read More

Western Forest Fires Release Less Carbon Than Thought, Study Shows

By NWPB News June 7, 2019

An air tanker makes a retardant drop on the South Umpqua Complex fires. CREDIT: U.S. FOREST SERVICE

The amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere from forest fires in the U.S. West is being greatly overestimated, possibly leading to poor land management decisions, researchers at the University of Idaho said. Continue Read More

1 Billion Acres At Risk For Catastrophic Wildfires, U.S. Forest Service Warns

By NPR News June 5, 2019

Crews tend to a prescribed fire in April 2016 northeast of Silver City, N.M. In line with a controversial Trump administration executive order pushing for "active forest management," the U.S. Forest Service is aiming to perform thinning, brush clearing, prescribed burns and other treatments on 3.5 million of its 80 million acres this year. CREDIT: NATIONAL FOREST/AP

The chief of the U.S. Forest Service is warning that a billion acres of land across America are at risk of catastrophic wildfires like last fall's deadly Camp Fire that destroyed most of Paradise, Calif. Continue Reading 1 Billion Read More

Firefighters Tackle Central Washington Fire Near Wanapum Dam, Expecting Growth Overnight

By Anna King June 4, 2019

The 243 Fire, named for the state highway near which it started, burned near Mattawa Tuesday, June 4, 2019. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

Firefighters continued to attack a growing fire today in Grant County. It’s burning near the Wanapum Dam between the Columbia River and Royal City. Afternoon estimates had the so-called 2-4-3 Fire at nearly 5,000 acres, with that number expected to rise in windy conditions this afternoon and overnight. Read More

Not Enough Is Known About Smoke’s Effect On Wildland Firefighters’ Health

By Jes Burns May 30, 2019

A line of wildland firefighters marches through the woods during the Yellowstone fires of 1988. The massive complex of fires, which burned more than 790,000 acres, was a transformative moment in the country's view of wildfire. CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Over the past few years, Northwest communities have been getting better acquainted with wildfire smoke. But even in the most affected places, people can get some relief by limiting time outside and using air filters and inexpensive masks. These aren’t options for wildland firefighters. Read More

Big Spring Growth Could Make For Big Fire Season At Hanford And Across The West

By Anna King May 29, 2019

Hanford fire crews burn built-up brush along a roadway in preparation for a more-challenging-than-usual fire season.

At the Hanford Nuclear Site in southeastern Washington, and across the West, winter’s deep snow and a cool spring have produced lots of brush and grass. That’s a problem for the coming fire season. Continue Reading Big Spring Read More

Federal BLM Bans Exploding Targets In Idaho After Firearms Users Caused Wildfires Last Year

By NWPB News May 15, 2019

The 2018 Sharps Fire in Idaho was caused by an exploding target. CREDIT: INCIWEB

The federal Bureau of Land Management has banned fireworks and exploding targets this summer in Idaho. Last year, people shooting at exploding or steel targets caused 60% of the wildfires on BLM land. Continue Reading Read More

Poll: Northwest Residents Are More Concerned About Wildfires Than 4 Years Ago

By Courtney Flatt May 5, 2019

The Eagle Creek Fire as seen from the Cascade Locks Hatchery. To keep hatchery fall chinook from dying because of the fire, Oregon officials released them early. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

More people in the Northwest are worried about wildfires than they were four years ago. A new poll has found people in Washington are now five times more likely to say they’ll feel the effects of wildfires. In Oregon, people are three times more likely to worry about wildfires. Read More

Snow Melts, Anxiety Rises: Wildfire Season Is Here

By Ashley Ahearn May 1, 2019

Elise Walker poses for a portrait with her Great Pyrenees, Mina, on Monday, April 22, 2019, at her home on Old Highway 97 in Okanogan. Walker has three scanners in her home playing at all times to monitor fire calls. CREDIT:KUOW PHOTO/MEGAN FARMER

As wildfires become more frequent and intense, the disappearance of snow now ushers in a season of higher anxiety for those who have experienced the destruction of wildfire. And this spring feels particularly ominous, with water levels in ponds and lakes already exposing bathtub rings of pale earth that wouldn’t normally be visible until the end of the dry summer months. Read More

Mushroom Hunters, Rejoice: Springtime Crop Benefits From Summertime Fires

By Courtney Flatt April 28, 2019

Spring coral and morel mushrooms. Courtesy of Rachel Zoller

Springtime means it’s morel mushroom harvesting season. Depending on where fires burned last summer, mushroom collecting could take you to different spots across the Northwest. Continue Reading Mushroom Hunters, Rejoice: Springtime Crop Read More

Washington Senate Democrats Propose New Taxes On Capital Gains, Support For Wildfire Funding

By Austin Jenkins March 29, 2019

Washington State Sen. Manka Dhingra speaks to reporters during a briefing on the Senate Democratic budget on Friday. AUSTIN JENKINS / N3

Washington Senate Democrats on Friday proposed a capital gains tax that would fund a suite of tax reductions for low-income families, small businesses and senior citizen homeowners. The tax proposal was rolled out in conjunction with the Senate Democrats' unveiling of a $52 billion two-year state spending plan, which followed a House Democratic budget presentation earlier Read More

‘Reimagining Paradise’ — Making Plans To Rebuild A Town Destroyed By Wildfire

By NPR News March 7, 2019

Cal Poly architecture students focused on reimagining and rebuilding Paradise, Calif., by presenting models, renderings and updated concepts during a community forum in Chico, Calif. CREDIT: JASON HALLEY/CSU CHICO

Last fall's deadly Camp Fire has brought renewed questions about whether towns in high-risk areas like Paradise, Calif., should even be rebuilt. Continue Reading ‘Reimagining Paradise’ — Making Plans To Rebuild A Town Read More

Washington May Rope In Ranchers To Help With Wildfires — As Oregon And Idaho Already Do

By Tom Banse January 18, 2019

A water tender for fighting wildfires is parked next to rancher Charlie Lyon’s barn near Mountain Home, Idaho. CREDIT: JESSICA ROBINSON/N3

Washington may soon copy a rural wildfire fighting strategy that Oregon, Idaho and Nevada already employ: letting private ranchers attack range fires before the blazes get big. Continue Reading Washington May Rope In Read More

Shutdown Cancels Federally Funded Wildfire Training As Northwest States Scramble To Prepare For Season

By Emily Schwing January 15, 2019

Dillon Sanders looks on as a collection of wildland firefighters train for an upcoming season. Sanders is the owner of Inbound LLC in Oakridge, Oregon, which runs 20-person hand crews and 13 engines for fire suppression. CREDIT: TONY SCHICK

From aviation contracts to deals with vendors and even seasonal hiring, the partial federal government shutdown is cutting into planning and preparation for the 2019 wildfire season in the Northwest. Read More

Crisis Builds In Chico In Aftermath Of Camp Fire That Devastated Paradise And Butte County

By NPR News January 14, 2019

After the November 2018 Camp Fire, thousands of people whose homes were destroyed were forced to seek refuge in nearby Chico, Calif. Some 700 people, some in their RVs, are still living at a Red Cross shelter at the Chico fairgrounds. The shelter is expected to close at the end of January. Kirk Siegler/NPR

More than two months after the Camp Fire, the small city of Chico, Calif. is struggling to handle an influx of an estimated 20,000 new people from neighboring Paradise. Continue Reading Crisis Builds In Chico In Read More

Shutdown Hampers Wildfire Preparedness And Training In The West And Across The Country

By NPR News January 12, 2019

Firefighters and forest managers are losing valuable time to prepare for the upcoming wildland fire season as the partial government shutdown continues. Continue Reading Shutdown Hampers Wildfire Preparedness And Training Read More

Report: Climate Change Is Already Bringing Problems To Northwest — And It Will Get Worse

By Cassandra Profita November 28, 2018

The Northwest is already seeing the effects of climate change, according to a new national climate assessment. Continue Reading Report: Climate Change Is Already Bringing Problems To Northwest — And It Will Get WorseRead More

California Fire Evacuees To Spend Thanksgiving Without Homes, As Restaurants Step In To Help

By NPR News November 21, 2018

A holiday mug is seen among the wreckage of what was once someone's kitchen in Paradise, Calif. CREDIT: Elise Hu/NPR

Both those homes burned to the ground in the historic Camp Fire. The scale of the fire's destruction is so spread out that very little of the towns of Paradise, Magalia and Concow remain. So far, the fire scorched 230 square miles — an area the size of Chicago. So many evacuees have fled to nearby Chico, prompting local businesses to try and give them a place to exhale. Read More

New Research Says Northwest Forests Will Weather Climate Change Better Than Others In The West

By Jes Burns November 19, 2018

A roadside reminder in southwest Washington's Gifford Pinchot National Forest that homes in the "wildlands urban interface" need special landscaping, building materials and maintenance to reduce the risk of being destroyed by a wildfire. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

Climate change is expected to increase drought and wildfire vulnerability in forests across the West. But new research out of Oregon State University shows that some places will fare better than others. Continue Reading New Research Read More

Serving Time, Dodging Tumbling Boulders, And Fighting Wildfires For $2 A Day

By NPR News November 18, 2018

Inmate firefighters battle a California wildfire in July. Qualified inmates can volunteer to be trained in firefighting; in exchange, they are paid $2 a day and an extra $1 per hour when fighting fires. The inmate firefighters also receive sentence reductions. CREDIT: Noah Berger/AFP/Getty Images

As flames consume parts of California, an unexpected group of firefighters has put their lives at risk to protect communities: prison inmates. For $2 per day — and another $1 an hour when battling fires — qualified inmates can volunteer to help authorities combat fires. Read More

California Camp Fire: Confirmed Deaths Above 70 As Missing List Balloons Over 1,000

By NPR News November 15, 2018

A fire truck drives through an area burned by the Camp Fire in Paradise on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2018. CREDIT: John Locher/AP

Authorities say at least 63 people died in the Northern California wildfire known as the Camp Fire, which has burned through at least 218 square miles of land and consumed the town of Paradise. Seven sets of remains were discovered on Thursday. Read More

A Personal And Harrowing Account Of How The Camp Fire Devastated Paradise

By NWPB News November 14, 2018

The burned remains of Paradise Elementary School is seen Friday, in Paradise, Calif. Authorities say a wildfire has all but destroyed the Northern California town. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The Camp Fire tore through Paradise, Calif., the morning of Nov. 8, 2018. Paul Weingartner, a nurse at the Adventist Health Feather River hospital in Paradise, recounts how it unfolded, and how he narrowly escaped, to return to the hospital and treat patients. Read More

Paradise Lost: Northern California Town Destroyed By Fire, At Least 29 Dead, 6,000+ Structures Burned

By NPR News November 10, 2018

The entire town of 27,000 people was evacuated in front of the wildfire in Northern California. The fire is the latest in a string of disastrous wildfires to hit the state in the past year. Continue Reading Paradise Lost: Northern Read More

To Save Money And Resources, Replanting Trees After Wildfires May Not Be Necessary

By Jes Burns November 9, 2018

The Chetco Bar Fire remained relatively quiet for its first month before exploding into Oregon's largest wildfire. Courtesy of Chetco Bar Fire incident command team

After wildfire season ends each year, land managers start planning what comes next for the areas that burned. Often, the strategy used to ensure the forests return is to salvage log and then replant. But a recent study suggests that in some areas, it might be just as effective to leave the forest alone. Read More

To Prevent Devastating Wildfires, Old Adversaries Are Finding Ways To Work Together

By Tom Banse October 22, 2018

Grayback Forestry crew boss Bob Larkin at work on a thinning project in the Malheur National Forest. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

Nothing is simple when it comes to federal lands management. But in order to thin fire-prone forests — and to break legal and ideological gridlock — national forests in the Pacific Northwest are supporting collaborations with formerly adversarial interests. Read More

‘Historic’ Wildfire Funding Request Goes To Washington Legislature

By Emily Schwing October 10, 2018

Firefighters from a Washington state Department of Natural Resources crew took this photo of the Boylston Fire Thursday, July 19, 2018.

Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is asking the state legislature to nearly double funding to manage and respond to wildfire. Continue Reading ‘Historic’ Wildfire Funding Request Goes To Washington LegislatureRead More

Why Many Northwest Animals And Plants Need Wildfire

By Aaron Scott October 8, 2018

Not all wildfire is a force of destruction. Many of our favorite Northwest plants and animals have evolved to depend on it. Continue Reading Why Many Northwest Animals And Plants Need WildfireRead More

Agencies Downgrade Preparedness And Burn Bans, But Northwest Wildfire Risk Persists

By Emily Schwing October 3, 2018

Washington fire managers responded to nearly 70 new fire starts August 11, 2018, including the Grass Valley Fire that threatened the Grand Coulee Dam area and forced hundreds of evacuations. CREDIT: INCIWEB

State and federal agencies throughout the Northwest are starting to lift burn restrictions on some lands. The Wildfire Preparedness level for the region was downgraded to its lowest stage -- Level 1 -- this week. But the region is below normal for precipitation and has been so for the past two months. Read More