Trump on California wildfires: ‘You got to get rid of the leaves’
President Trump renewed his criticism of California’s forestry practices Thursday as wildfires burned up and down the state, saying “many years of leaves and broken trees” are contributing to the disasters.
Northern California ‘drastically short’ of firefighters while an onslaught of blazes rages
SCOTTS VALLEY, Santa Cruz County — By Thursday afternoon, the command post in Scotts Valley remained eerily quiet. Socially distanced folding chairs sat empty in the yellow grass. The grounds, normally bustling with firefighters resting between shifts, were quiet. Everyone was already on the front lines of an uncontrollable wildfire.
In lightning-struck California, the smoke is now scarier than the pandemic
Oakland, California — A wildfire pollution sky is the color of dirty porcelain and it glares, so your eyes hurt even before you look up. It’s the smell that really gets you, though. That and the sour scrape in your throat. From my house in Oakland we can’t quite see the nearest fires—we scan the horizon for them, obsessively, but so far this week we see fire only in the photos and videos coming at us nonstop. Fat black plumes. Burning fields. House walls, county roads, children’s play structures, all engulfed in flames.
'Severe inhumanity': California prisons overwhelmed by Covid outbreaks and approaching fires
California’s raging wildfires have created a crisis at multiple state prisons, where there are reports of heavy smoke and ash making it hard to breathe, unanswered pleas for evacuation, and concerns that the fire response could lead to further Covid-19 spread.
As California Fires Rage, Pandemic Leaves State Hundreds of Firefighters Short
As California battles both wildfires and the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, resources have been "stretched totally thin," the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) told Newsweek.
COVID Plans Put to Test as Firefighters Crowd Camps for Peak Wildfire Season
HELENA, Mont. — Jon Paul was leery entering his first wildfire camp of the year late last month to fight three lightning-caused fires scorching parts of a Northern California forest that hadn’t burned in 40 years.
More than half of California's incarcerated firefighters are under lockdown as coronavirus sweeps through state prisons, resulting in a shortage of crews in fire season
As more than 360 fires burn across the state of California, the coronavirus pandemic is creating a shortage of inmate fire crews to battle the wildfires.
COVID-19 Could Threaten Firefighters as Wildfire Season Ramps Up
Paul is one of thousands of firefighters from across the U.S. battling dozens of wildfires burning throughout the West. It’s an inherently dangerous job that now carries the additional risk of COVID-19 transmission. Any outbreak that ripples through a camp could easily sideline crews and spread the virus across multiple fires—and back to communities across the country—as personnel transfer in and out of “hot zones” and return home. Though most firefighters are young and fit, some will inevitably fall ill in these remote makeshift communities of shared showers and portable toilets, where medical care can be limited. The pollutants in the smoke they breathe daily also make them more susceptible to COVID-19 and can worsen the effects of the disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Videos: California Wildfires Rage Across State, Tens of Thousands Forced to Evacuate
During a Wednesday news conference, California Governor Gavin Newsom revealed that there are more than 360 known fires currently burning in California. The state is experiencing record heat levels and has seen more than 10,000 lightning strikes in the last 72 hours.
COVID-19 could threaten firefighters as wildfire season ramps up
Jon Paul was leery entering his first wildfire camp of the year late last month to fight three lightning-caused fires scorching parts of a Northern California forest that hadn’t burned in 40 years.
California Teaming Up With Native American Tribes To Prevent Wildfires
For more than a century, California's Native American tribes were largely banned from doing traditional burning of the landscape. Now, they're restoring that practice to help prevent fires.
Four Wildfires Engulf More Than 125,000 Acres In A Hot And Dry Colorado. And There’s No Relief In Sight
More than 125,000 acres of Colorado have burned as four different wildfires continue to rage in different parts of the state. All the fires are fueled by the heat, the low humidity and the wind. Not to mention the drought that Colorado is experiencing