U.S. News

Arson arrest made in LA wildfire that forced evacuations

LOS ANGELES — An arson suspect was arrested in connection with a Los Angeles wildfire that forced evacuations in canyons where thick vegetation hasn't burned in more than 60 years, authorities said Monday.

Fires

Police: 2 arson suspects detained in Los Angeles wildfire

LOS ANGELES — A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave, authorities said.

Health

Fire officials aim to douse blazes fast, avoid megafires

BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. officials said Thursday they will try to stamp out wildfires as quickly as possible this year as severe drought tightens its grip across the West and sets the stage for another destructive summer of blazes.

Wildfires

PG&E confesses to killing 84 people in 2018 California fire

Pacific Gas & Electric confessed Tuesday to killing 84 people in one of the most devastating wildfires in recent U.S. history during a dramatic court hearing punctuated by a promise from the...

Mountains

Wildfire near Tucson, Arizona, threatens hundreds of homes

TUCSON, Ariz. — Hundreds of foothills homes on the outskirts of Tucson remained under an evacuation notice Friday as firefighters worked to keep a wildfire from moving downhill from canyons...

Wildfires

Fire expert: Mount Rushmore fireworks display ill advised

RAPID CITY, S.D. — A July 3 fireworks display planned at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial would be “ill advised” because of the abnormally dry conditions and risk of summer wildfires, a...

Business

PG&E critics urge judge to reject utility’s bankruptcy plan

SAN RAMON, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric's proposal to pay $25.5 billion for a series of deadly Northern California wildfires ignited by its equipment faced a final barrage of resistance...

Wildfires

Regulators approve PG&E bankruptcy plan despite safety fears

BERKELEY, Calif. — California power regulators on Thursday unanimously approved Pacific Gas & Electric's $58 billion plan for getting out of a bankruptcy caused by a series of deadly...

Wildfires

PG&E’s long-running bankruptcy saga enters pivotal stage

BERKELEY, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric limped into bankruptcy vilified for its long-running neglect of a crumbling electrical grid that ignited a succession of horrific Northern California...

Wildfires

Officials: Email delays key vote on PG&E’s bankruptcy plan

BERKELEY, Calif. — California power regulators unexpectedly delayed a key vote Thursday on Pacific Gas & Electric's plan for getting out of bankruptcy after saying one of the utility's most...

Wildfires

PG&E’s bankruptcy plan wins support from wildfire victims

BERKELEY, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric's plan for getting out of bankruptcy has won overwhelming support from the victims of deadly Northern California wildfires ignited by the utility's...

Wildfires

US report indicates broad risk of COVID-19 at wildfire camps

BOISE, Idaho — Outbreaks of the coronavirus could sweep through large camps where crews typically stay as they fight wildfires across the U.S., according to a federal document obtained by The...

Wildfires

US plans reimagine fighting wildfires amid crews’ virus risk

BOISE, Idaho — In new plans that offer a national reimagining of how to fight wildfires amid the risk of the coronavirus spreading through crews, it's not clear how officials will get the...

Wildfires

PG&E to purge most of its board in fallout from bankruptcy

BERKELEY, Calif. — PG&E Corp. will sweep out three quarters of its board of directors to start with a mostly clean slate when it emerges from a bankruptcy case triggered by deadly wildfires...

Wildfires

PG&E’s top exec to end short stint at beleaguered utility

BERKELEY, Calif. — PG&E Corp. CEO Bill Johnson will step down from his job just 14 months after the nation's largest utility hired him to rescue it from a financial mess caused by a history...

Ukraine

Smoke from wildfires near Chernobyl engulfs Ukraine capital

KYIV, Ukraine — Smoke from wildfires in the contaminated evacuation zone around the wrecked Chernobyl nuclear power plant has engulfed Kyiv, placing the Ukrainian capital near the top of the...

Wildfires

Judge OKs PG&E plan to pay $19M in fees from victims fund

BERKELEY Calif. — The Northern California victims of catastrophic wildfires caused by Pacific Gas & Electric's decaying electrical grid will have at least $19 million siphoned way from a...

Wildfires

Judge refuses to approve fire victims letter attacking PG&E

BERKELEY, Calif. — A federal judge has refused to put his stamp of approval on a letter to Northern California wildfire victims from attorneys who allege that Pacific Gas & Electric may be...

Typhoons

Pandemic hurts ability of nations to face natural disasters

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Before New Zealand began its four-week lockdown to fight the coronavirus, a reporter asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern what would happen if an earthquake struck...

Wildfires

PG&E to use wildfire victims fund to pay for past crimes

BERKELEY, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric is warning its elaborate plan for getting out of bankruptcy might collapse if the utility can’t pay for its crimes in a deadly Northern California...

Wildfires

PG&E to plead guilty to lethal crimes in 2018 wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric will plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for a swath of death and destruction left behind after its fraying electrical grid ignited a...

Wildfires

Court approves PG&E’s $23B bankruptcy financing package

BERKELEY, Calif. — Pacific Gas & Electric on Monday won court approval to raise $23 billion to help pay its bills over destructive California wildfires after Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped his...

Wildfires

California is abnormally dry after low-precipitation winter

SAN FRANCISCO — A dry beginning of the year has left most of California abnormally parched and officials are bracing for the possibility of an early and more intense wildfire season amid...

Wildfires

California wildfire victims fear coming last in PG&E payout

SAN FRANCISCO — A $13.5 billion settlement between victims of California's catastrophic wildfires and the utility blamed for causing them was supposed to bring some peace and hope to people...

Wildfires

Canary Islands’ airports reopen as wind and sandstorm ease

MADRID — All airports on Spain's Canary Islands had reopened Monday after authorities said the worst is over from strong winds that have thickened the air with sand and dust from the Sahara...

Wildfires

Judge rips PG&E for poor safety record leading to wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. judge ripped into Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday, saying its executives have put greed before safety and telling officials from the utility blamed for catastrophic...

Wildfires

Report: Work to reduce wildfire risks has economic benefits

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Projects to reduce the risk of wildfires and protect water sources in the U.S. West have created jobs and infused more money in local economies, researchers say, and they...

Wildfires

PG&E banking on big profits after utility leaves bankruptcy

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric says it expects to become more profitable than ever after it emerges from bankruptcy and pays off more than $25 billion in losses sustained in...

Wildfires

Deluge in Australia drenches fires and eases 3-year drought

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Drought, wildfires and now flooding have given Australia's weather an almost Biblical feel this year. The good news is that a recent deluge in eastern parts of the...

Wildfires

Victims: PG&E still has rickety power line near Paradise

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric is still operating a rickety power line near the one that ignited a 2018 wildfire that wiped out the Northern California city of Paradise and killed 85...

Wildfires

Correction: Australia-Wildfires-Arson story

CANBERRA, Australia — In a story February 1, 2020, about the cause of recent wildfires in Australia, The Associated Press erroneously reported arson researcher Janet Stanley's title. Stanley...

Wildfires

California firefighters return from battling Australia fires

LOS ANGELES — Twenty firefighters from California returned to the United States on Wednesday after spending nearly a month battling wildfires in Australia.

Forests

As forests burn around the world, drinking water is at risk

Fabric curtains stretch across the huge Warragamba Dam to trap ash and sediment expected to wash off wildfire-scorched slopes and into the reservoir that holds 80% of untreated drinking water for...

Wildfires

PG&E clears another bankruptcy hurdle with debt refinancing

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Tuesday approved a settlement that moves Pacific Gas & Electric closer to getting out of bankruptcy, but the troubled utility still must navigate nettlesome...

Plants

Extreme weather has gardeners looking for resilient plants

Fiercer and more frequent natural disasters in recent years have many homeowners re-evaluating their landscaping. Many are restocking with trees and plants more resilient in the face of storms,...

Melbourne

The Latest: Djokovic’s tribute to Kobe after Australian win

MELBOURNE, Australia — The Latest on the Australian Open (all times local):

Wildfires

PG&E pledges to shake up board in bid to placate California

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric is pledging to overhaul its board of directors in an attempt to avoid a potential takeover attempt by the state of California and prove the nation's...

Wildfires

Wildfire creates state of emergency in Australian capital

CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian capital region declared a state of emergency on Friday because of an out-of-control forest fire burning erratically to its south.

Wildfires

PG&E and California governor at odds over bankruptcy plan

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric attorneys on Wednesday assured a federal judge the utility will emerge from bankruptcy by its June deadline, even as California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed...

Wildfires

3 Americans killed in Australia all had military backgrounds

DENVER — Growing up in a small rural community on Colorado's plains, Ian McBeth went to work as a ranch hand in neighboring Nebraska at 14 and was a standout athlete in football, wrestling...

New South Wales

Firefighting plane crashes in Australia, killing 3 Americans

SYDNEY — Three American firefighting airplane crew members were killed Thursday when the C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker they were in crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern...