Climate Wildfires
All Stories
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![The remains of a charred pole hang from power lines in the aftermath of the Smokehouse Creek fire near Canadian, Texas. The fire burned more than a million acres in the Texas Panhandle, killing at least two people.]()
![The remains of a charred pole hang from power lines in the aftermath of the Smokehouse Creek fire near Canadian, Texas. The fire burned more than a million acres in the Texas Panhandle, killing at least two people.]()
In Texas, as in California, big fires lead to big lawsuits
Electric utility Xcel is facing several lawsuits over its role in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, highlighting a growing threat to power providers.
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![A charred pickup truck sits in front of a pile of debris amid a scorched landscape.]()
![A charred pickup truck sits in front of a pile of debris amid a scorched landscape.]()
Many homes burned in the Texas wildfires weren’t insured, creating a steep path to recovery
Rural Texans are more than twice as likely to go without homeowners insurance than their urban peers.
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How climate change primed Texas to burn
The state's high plains get a month more fire weather now than they did in the 1970s.
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![The aerial view of Maui that's in color but is almost entirely black and white because of the fire damage.]()
![The aerial view of Maui that's in color but is almost entirely black and white because of the fire damage.]()
Insurance companies are going after Hawaiian Electric to reimburse Lahaina fire claims
Insurers have paid more than $1 billion in claims related to the Lahaina wildfires and want reimbursement from the utility.
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![Newly built homes bordering natural hillside vegetation in n the Winchester Ridge development in Winchester, California, on August 18, 2023.]()
![Newly built homes bordering natural hillside vegetation in n the Winchester Ridge development in Winchester, California, on August 18, 2023.]()
Why California’s housing market is destined to go up in flames
High costs and strict regulations are pushing development into fire country, putting homeowners in the crosshairs of climate change.
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![A lake surrounded by trees and filled with yellow smoke.]()
![A lake surrounded by trees and filled with yellow smoke.]()
Persistent wildfire smoke is eroding rural America’s mental health
Besides physical effects, wildfire smoke can create economic anxiety, isolation, and despair. In rural areas, scientists see a link between smoke and higher suicide rates.
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![Residents and volunteers work to salvage possessions among the rubble of homes in the aftermath of a tornado that struck Rolling Fork, Mississippi on March 24, 2023.]()
![Residents and volunteers work to salvage possessions among the rubble of homes in the aftermath of a tornado that struck Rolling Fork, Mississippi on March 24, 2023.]()
Extreme weather cost $80 billion this year. The true price is far higher.
The U.S. saw 25 billion-dollar weather disasters this year — more than ever before. Next year could be worse.
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![A firefighter monitors a controlled burn at Bouverie Preserve on May 30, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California.]()
![A firefighter monitors a controlled burn at Bouverie Preserve on May 30, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California.]()
Controlled burns can provide years of protection against wildfires, new study shows
New research finds that "beneficial" fires can cut the risk of high intensity blazes by 64 percent.
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![Fire Weather book cover and author John Valliant headshot]()
![Fire Weather book cover and author John Valliant headshot]()
What Canada’s most expensive disaster ever teaches us about climate change
The author of "Fire Weather," a National Book Award finalist, on the unimaginable reality of disaster.
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![fire blazing]()
![fire blazing]()
Millions of homes are being built in fire-prone grasslands
Climate change may be fueling fires, but housing demands are driving risk.
