On Fire. Again.
There were orange skies in 2023, 2025 and now again in 2026. Over the last few years, one thing has become glaringly clear: The East Coast is totally unequipped for the next climate disaster, wildfires. The Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells explains that with every climate disaster, we’re not just adapting to a “new normal,” but bracing ourselves for what’s next.
There were orange skies in 2023, 2025 and now again in 2026. Over the last few years, one thing has become glaringly clear: The East Coast is totally unequipped for the next climate disaster, wildfires. The Opinion writer David Wallace-Wells explains that with every climate disaster, we’re not just adapting to a “new normal,” but bracing ourselves for what’s next.
After wildfires destroyed 95% of this California tribe’s forests, members uncovered 1,200 ancestral sites
CONCOW, Calif. — Until recently, when members of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu pulled up a map of their ancestral land in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, only about two dozen of their historic sites appeared.
CONCOW, Calif. — Until recently, when members of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu pulled up a map of their ancestral land in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, only about two dozen of their historic sites appeared.
New firefighters set out in Lane County amid a federal workforce restructuring
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of the Eugene-based nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE), and his organization have been tracking the new fire service since last year, offering policy analysis on what they view as a “deceptive downsizing” that could further strain systems both ecologically and operationally.
Ingalsbee has heard from people in the new service who told him they were transferred from their home agency within the Department of the Interior, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, into the new wildfire service earlier this year without a say in it.
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of the Eugene-based nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE), and his organization have been tracking the new fire service since last year, offering policy analysis on what they view as a “deceptive downsizing” that could further strain systems both ecologically and operationally.
Ingalsbee has heard from people in the new service who told him they were transferred from their home agency within the Department of the Interior, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, into the new wildfire service earlier this year without a say in it.
Old burn helps contain Pocket Fire near Sedona
“When this fire really blew up and headed toward Kachina Village and the south end of Flagstaff, it ran into Slide Fire burn,” Patterson said. The burnt area from that 2014 blaze did not provide much additional fuel.
“It calmed it right down,” Patterson said. “The burn helped prevent this from being a 100,000-acre catastrophic fire. So that’s a bit of success story.”
“When this fire really blew up and headed toward Kachina Village and the south end of Flagstaff, it ran into Slide Fire burn,” Patterson said. The burnt area from that 2014 blaze did not provide much additional fuel.
“It calmed it right down,” Patterson said. “The burn helped prevent this from being a 100,000-acre catastrophic fire. So that’s a bit of success story.”
Safety advocates call for transparency in investigation into deaths of three wildland firefighters in Colorado
"We need to ask more questions about policy," he said. "Why were crews sent to this place, and for what purpose? What were they really protecting or defending? What is the objective there?"
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"We should rapidly respond to every ignition, but there's a difference between taking an initial action and framing it as an initial attack," Ingalsbee said. "In some cases, that initial action may be okay. This is doing good work for free, reducing some of this hazardous surface fuel air."
"We need to ask more questions about policy," he said. "Why were crews sent to this place, and for what purpose? What were they really protecting or defending? What is the objective there?"
…
"We should rapidly respond to every ignition, but there's a difference between taking an initial action and framing it as an initial attack," Ingalsbee said. "In some cases, that initial action may be okay. This is doing good work for free, reducing some of this hazardous surface fuel air."
The Deadly Cost of Misguided Federal Wildfire Policy
But among the tributes and reminders of how wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect communities was the question from Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and founder of the group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology: “Why were they attacking that fire in the first place?”
The reason is that the Trump administration has reinstated a full suppression strategy applied to every wildfire, resurrecting an almost 100-year-old debate over how to handle wildfires — a debate that science and long-standing indigenous practices had settled by the late 1970s. Combined with the establishment of the US Wildland Fire Service, such policies could cost more lives
But among the tributes and reminders of how wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect communities was the question from Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and founder of the group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology: “Why were they attacking that fire in the first place?”
The reason is that the Trump administration has reinstated a full suppression strategy applied to every wildfire, resurrecting an almost 100-year-old debate over how to handle wildfires — a debate that science and long-standing indigenous practices had settled by the late 1970s. Combined with the establishment of the US Wildland Fire Service, such policies could cost more lives
Fatal Colorado wildfire thrusts Trump strategy into the spotlight
“The conditions are ripe for extreme wildfires,” said Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, in an interview before the firefighters were killed in Colorado. FUSEE represents wildland firefighters and promotes an ecological approach to fire management. “We really need a holistic fire management service that knows when and where to fight fires. … That's not where this agency is at, or seems to be headed, at the moment.”
“The conditions are ripe for extreme wildfires,” said Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, in an interview before the firefighters were killed in Colorado. FUSEE represents wildland firefighters and promotes an ecological approach to fire management. “We really need a holistic fire management service that knows when and where to fight fires. … That's not where this agency is at, or seems to be headed, at the moment.”
As blazes rage out West, federal firefighters describe a mounting strain
Zeke Lunder, a 30-year wildfire expert who specializes in mapping and wildfire science, said the loss of senior, qualified leadership can have a tangible effect on crews when they are in the field, because fire — when, where and how it burns — is often cyclical.
“History tells you the potential, the possibility of a fire. When you forget those stories we repeat those mistakes,” Lunder said. “The right question isn’t are your positions fully staffed. It’s how many people do you have who have been working over 20 years?”
Zeke Lunder, a 30-year wildfire expert who specializes in mapping and wildfire science, said the loss of senior, qualified leadership can have a tangible effect on crews when they are in the field, because fire — when, where and how it burns — is often cyclical.
“History tells you the potential, the possibility of a fire. When you forget those stories we repeat those mistakes,” Lunder said. “The right question isn’t are your positions fully staffed. It’s how many people do you have who have been working over 20 years?”
Out of control wildfires rip through Colorado after firefighters die tackling blaze
The consolidation of thousands of personnel into the fire service has sown confusion among some firefighters about who their bosses are and what their responsibilities should be, according to former government officials.
The administration's focus on "full suppression" of new fires marks a sharp reversal from a decades-long trend toward embracing flames as a tool - to burn off old vegetation and growth that acts like fuel and lessen the risk of catastrophic blazes being stoked by a warming planet.
Federal officials have not released details on the circumstances preceding the weekend deaths, including the firefighters' objective at the site where they were overrun.
The consolidation of thousands of personnel into the fire service has sown confusion among some firefighters about who their bosses are and what their responsibilities should be, according to former government officials.
The administration's focus on "full suppression" of new fires marks a sharp reversal from a decades-long trend toward embracing flames as a tool - to burn off old vegetation and growth that acts like fuel and lessen the risk of catastrophic blazes being stoked by a warming planet.
Federal officials have not released details on the circumstances preceding the weekend deaths, including the firefighters' objective at the site where they were overrun.
The tools firefighters use to protect themselves in the worst of conditions
News of three casualties in the Snyder Fire west of Grand Junction drove home that sentiment earlier this week. Three wildland firefighters who to traveled to Colorado died fighting the blaze.
So today on In The NoCo, we’re looking at the story from a different angle. We want to hear about how wildland firefighters protect themselves in the worst of circumstances.
Timothy Ingalsbee is a former wildland firefighter based in Oregon. He’s now executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.
He talked with Erin O’Toole about the tools and techniques firefighters use to give themselves a fighting chance in a deadly scenario.
News of three casualties in the Snyder Fire west of Grand Junction drove home that sentiment earlier this week. Three wildland firefighters who to traveled to Colorado died fighting the blaze.
So today on In The NoCo, we’re looking at the story from a different angle. We want to hear about how wildland firefighters protect themselves in the worst of circumstances.
Timothy Ingalsbee is a former wildland firefighter based in Oregon. He’s now executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.
He talked with Erin O’Toole about the tools and techniques firefighters use to give themselves a fighting chance in a deadly scenario.
Stretched resources and low morale as firefighters face an already blazing wildfire season
Wildfire season is just beginning in the West, but firefighting resources are already strained following a windstorm last week that sent flames racing through Great Basin states mired in drought.
Adding pressure, the Trump administration has told firefighting agencies to pursue a “full suppression” strategy, meaning agencies are expected to try to snuff out every wildfire by default rather than allow some to burn when communities aren’t at risk.
Wildfire season is just beginning in the West, but firefighting resources are already strained following a windstorm last week that sent flames racing through Great Basin states mired in drought.
Adding pressure, the Trump administration has told firefighting agencies to pursue a “full suppression” strategy, meaning agencies are expected to try to snuff out every wildfire by default rather than allow some to burn when communities aren’t at risk.
Trump administration seeks to stomp out all fires quickly, reviving policy that has been discredited
“The question is, why were they attacking that fire in the first place?” asked Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and cofounder of the advocacy group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “What was actually at risk? If it was a bunch of shrubs on remote mountaintops, what was the real risk that justified putting those firefighters at risk?”
“The question is, why were they attacking that fire in the first place?” asked Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and cofounder of the advocacy group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “What was actually at risk? If it was a bunch of shrubs on remote mountaintops, what was the real risk that justified putting those firefighters at risk?”
After a challenging 2025, LGBTQ wildland firefighters push for a more inclusive workplace
Kyle Trefny, a wildland firefighter and co-founder of the FireGeneration Collaborative, said the challenges faced by queer firefighters like himself are also at play.
“If the fire workforce is anti-queer, it will be unattractive to many young people,” he said, pointing to data showing that more than one-fifth of Gen Z folks now consider themselves LGBTQ. “We grew up much more able to be ourselves than the generations before us.”
Kyle Trefny, a wildland firefighter and co-founder of the FireGeneration Collaborative, said the challenges faced by queer firefighters like himself are also at play.
“If the fire workforce is anti-queer, it will be unattractive to many young people,” he said, pointing to data showing that more than one-fifth of Gen Z folks now consider themselves LGBTQ. “We grew up much more able to be ourselves than the generations before us.
Three Wildland Firefighters Killed in Colorado Blaze
“Climate change is producing these fast fires that just can overwhelm conventional suppression strategies and tactics,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, an education and advocacy group. He said he didn’t know enough about the details of the Snyder Fire to comment on the conditions there, “but that’s a general statement that spans the continent.”
“Climate change is producing these fast fires that just can overwhelm conventional suppression strategies and tactics,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, an education and advocacy group. He said he didn’t know enough about the details of the Snyder Fire to comment on the conditions there, “but that’s a general statement that spans the continent.”
Fireworks, heat and drought put this July 4th at high risk for wildfires
Fireworks, from bottle rockets to Roman candles, start a lot of fires in the U.S. every year – 32,000 of them in 2023 alone. And each year there is a clear spike in human-caused fires on July 4.
The return of good fire: The Maidu reclaim an ancient tool to heal and protect land from wildfires
In Berry Creek, a 60-acre property burned to ash in the 2020 North Complex Fire has becoming something else: a place of restoration, healing and renewed purpose for local Maidu tribes.
In Berry Creek, a 60-acre property burned to ash in the 2020 North Complex Fire has becoming something else: a place of restoration, healing and renewed purpose for local Maidu tribes.
Senate Republicans propose rescinding ‘roadless rule’ — by tacking it onto federal wildfire bill
A brief moment of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate turned political on Wednesday, when Republican lawmakers introduced a new provision to a wildfire bill.
That bill, called the Wildfire Prevention Act, would mandate increasing prescribed fires and forest thinning in federal forests.
It had support of both Democrats and Republicans when it was first introduced before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. That common ground evaporated after Senate Republicans attached a repeal of what’s known as the “the roadless rule” to the bill.
A brief moment of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate turned political on Wednesday, when Republican lawmakers introduced a new provision to a wildfire bill.
That bill, called the Wildfire Prevention Act, would mandate increasing prescribed fires and forest thinning in federal forests.
It had support of both Democrats and Republicans when it was first introduced before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. That common ground evaporated after Senate Republicans attached a repeal of what’s known as the “the roadless rule” to the bill.
Trump is taking aim at forest and wildfire research just as the West is poised to burn
If Congress were to approve President Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S. Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of wildfires in the U.S. The agency already lost thousands of staff last year to layoffs, buyouts and early retirement due to President Trump's DOGE team.
Westerners working at research universities are nervous, as are people in small towns that depend on the USFS for everything from jobs to fighting fires to forecasting smoke.
If Congress were to approve President Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S. Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of wildfires in the U.S. The agency already lost thousands of staff last year to layoffs, buyouts and early retirement due to President Trump's DOGE team.
Westerners working at research universities are nervous, as are people in small towns that depend on the USFS for everything from jobs to fighting fires to forecasting smoke.
Mike Lee ignites controversy after adding roadless rule repeal to a wildfire bill
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and fellow Republicans added a repeal of the controversial roadless rule to a previously bipartisan wildfire bill on Wednesday.
The amended Wildfire Prevention Act passed out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on an 11-9 vote split along party lines and now heads to the full Senate. The act would nullify the 2001 roadless rule, which prevents logging and roadbuilding on nearly 59 million acres of national forest land, including roughly 4 million acres in Utah.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and fellow Republicans added a repeal of the controversial roadless rule to a previously bipartisan wildfire bill on Wednesday.
The amended Wildfire Prevention Act passed out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on an 11-9 vote split along party lines and now heads to the full Senate. The act would nullify the 2001 roadless rule, which prevents logging and roadbuilding on nearly 59 million acres of national forest land, including roughly 4 million acres in Utah.
Planned forest fires have wider benefits than previously thought
Setting intentional forest fires and letting other low-severity ones burn can significantly lower the chances of extreme blazes torching those same areas in the future, according to a new study released Thursday, while reducing toxic smoke over time.
Those controlled blazes, known as prescribed burns, can offer fire protection for more than a decade, the researchers found in a paper published in the journal Science. The findings are the latest in a robust body of research showing how managed fires can reduce the chances of megafires.
Setting intentional forest fires and letting other low-severity ones burn can significantly lower the chances of extreme blazes torching those same areas in the future, according to a new study released Thursday, while reducing toxic smoke over time.
Those controlled blazes, known as prescribed burns, can offer fire protection for more than a decade, the researchers found in a paper published in the journal Science. The findings are the latest in a robust body of research showing how managed fires can reduce the chances of megafires.