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California wildfires are causing unprecedented levels of air pollution

September 17, 2020 -

In particular, certain regions near Sacramento and Fresno are showing up purple on AirNow, an online interactive map that provides real-time observed air quality information across the US. Purple represents an air quality index (AQI) value of 300 or more, indicating hazardous air quality.

Meanwhile, large swaths of land in the neighboring states of Oregon and Washington, which are also battling wildfires that have spread from California, are also showing up purple ...

Thousands forced to evacuate as wildfires blaze across California

August 20, 2020 -

Despite around 6,900 firefighters and emergency personnel responding to the fires, California asked for additional fire engines and hand crews from neighboring states, a spokesman from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Agency (CAL FIRE) told The Wall Street Journal.

Strong gusts of wind spread the roaring fires throughout northern California, prompting local authorities to issue evacuation orders across communities surrounding San Francisco.

Fire ...

California Burning: The hidden crisis behind the Golden State’s wildfires

a month ago -

California's wildfires have become a recurring nightmare, but the root causes extend far beyond climate change. Decades of misguided policies, political corruption and systemic failures have turned the Golden State into a tinderbox – both literally and metaphorically. The book "California Burning: The Unseen Crisis, AI's Rise, and the Fight for America's Future" aims to explain this crisis behind the state's wildfire problem.

In reality, California's ...

SUPER TOXIC SMOKE from California wildfires poses serious health risks

January 24, 2025 -

As wildfires ravage Southern California, millions face respiratory risks while experts warn of long-term health effects and record-breaking economic damage.

Southern California is grappling with an unprecedented wildfire crisis, with fires burning through densely populated areas, releasing "super toxic" smoke that threatens the health of millions. The fires, which began in early January, have already consumed nearly 40,000 acres, claimed at least ...

Devastating wildfires continue to blaze across California, Oregon and Washington

September 12, 2020 -

The fires, which started last month due to unusual lightning storms, have been raging out of control from Southern California, through Oregon and up into Washington, according to Financial Times.

In California, the North Complex Fire, a monstrous group of blazes that includes the fast-moving Bear Fire, has spread to cover more than 200,000 acres northeast of San Francisco, claiming 10 lives in Butte County.

Thick smoke and ash from the blazing fires are also ...

California flames produce massive cloud that makes wildfires even worse

September 09, 2020 -

Experts said that the fires are so intense that they’re making their own pyrocumulus cloud systems. The clouds can be seen as wide, spectacular columns of dark gray smoke in the sky. They stretch vertically for a couple of miles and resemble the thick plumes of smoke generated by strong volcanic eruptions.

One extreme form of pyrocumulus cloud was recently captured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Suomi NPP satellite. The cloud was observed ...

California wildfires burn record-breaking 2 million acres (and counting)

September 09, 2020 -

Two of the largest wildfires in state history are burning in the San Francisco Bay Area while the largest active wildfire, Creek Fire, is burning a portion of the Sierra National Park in central California. Creek Fire is zero percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire.

Red Flag Warnings remain in place in various state counties as officials press the alarm on the ongoing fire crisis. These include most of Northern ...

Record-breaking California wildfires have burned more than 4 million acres

October 14, 2020 -

This figure is more than double the 1.8 million acres burned during California's fire season in 2018. However, this fire season is far from over, said CAL FIRE in a tweet. Fire potential remains high, and residents are still advised to be cautious outdoors.

CAL FIRE also said that since it started recording the amount of land burned in a single season, the state had never surpassed two million acres until this fire season.

In all, California has battled more than ...

At least 20 different wildfires are burning up California right now

August 20, 2020 -

Some two dozen wildfires, mostly in Northern California, are eating up tens of thousands of acres as increasingly more area residents are being forced to evacuate from their homes.

California is now under a state of emergency following several weeks of unprecedented heat, which triggered many of these wildfires and led to widespread power outages.

"Throughout the state of California right now, we are stretched thin for crews," says Will Powers, a state fire spokesman, ...

California wildfires push home insurance to the brink: Will homes remain insurable?

January 15, 2025 -

As wildfires continue to ravage California, leaving charred landscapes and displaced families in their wake, the state’s insurance industry faces a crisis that could reshape the future of homeownership in the Golden State. With insurers increasingly dropping customers and hiking rates, homeowners are left wondering: Will their homes still be insurable, and at what cost?

Mike Zuckerman, CEO of CSAA Insurance Group, one of California’s largest home insurers, ...

Massive California wildfires last year were caused by arson, not climate change

May 05, 2021 -

After an eight-month-long investigation by the Solano County Sheriff's Office, it was determined that the infamous Markley Fire was intentionally caused by 29-year-old Victor Serriteno, who was trying to cover up the murder of 32-year-old Priscilla Castro.

According to reports, Serriteno started the fire in order to burn Castro's body and destroy all evidence of her murder. Her burned body was found on Sept. 2, 2020, near Lake Berryessa, which is where two others – 82-year-old ...

State Farm seeks 22% rate hike after California wildfires in shameful cash grab

February 07, 2025 -

In the wake of devastating wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles County earlier this year, State Farm, California's largest home insurer, is pushing for an emergency rate hike averaging 22% for homeowners, sparking outrage among consumer advocates and policyholders.

The company, which insures 20% of the wildfire-affected areas, claims the fires have left it in "dire" financial straits, citing over 8,700 claims and $1 billion in payouts so far. But critics ...

EXODUS: How wildfires, crime and woke policies are driving residents out of California

January 16, 2025 -

California, once the golden state of opportunity, is now a cautionary tale of mismanagement, natural disasters and political failures. As wildfires rage across the state, residents are grappling with a toxic combination of unaffordable housing, skyrocketing crime and a collapsing infrastructure.

The result? A mass exodus of businesses and residents, leaving behind a middle class struggling to survive in a state that seems increasingly unlivable....

Trump demands Newsom’s resignation as California wildfires rage: “This is all his fault!”

January 10, 2025 -

As wildfires ravage Southern California, President-elect Donald Trump has called for the resignation of Gov. Gavin Newsom, accusing the Democratic leader of gross incompetence and misplaced priorities. The fires, fueled by hurricane-force winds, have killed at least five people, destroyed over 1,000 structures, and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

Trump’s scathing criticism comes as Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass face mounting ...

California environmental professor argues ‘White supremacy’ is the cause of wildfires and hurricanes

September 30, 2020 -

(Article republished from TruePundit.com)

Ted Grudin, who earned his Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of California-Berkeley, wrote an op-ed in the Earth Island Journal last week titled, “How White Supremacy Caused the Climate Crisis.”

In the op-ed, Grudin asserted that “embedded in the theory of racial supremacy is the theory of human supremacy over nature, which has brought environmental calamity upon us.”

As Grudin sees it, white ...

Mysterious beams: Directed energy weapons (DEWs) linked to wildfires in California and Oregon

September 27, 2020 -

California wildfires have destroyed a record-breaking 2.2 million acres in 2020

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), 2.2 million acres have burned so far – but the wildfire season is only just beginning.

Two of the three largest fires in California's history are still burning in the San Francisco Bay Area:

The Creek Fire, which erupted Sep. 4, Friday, is now the third-largest that is currently active, ...

California wildfires were caused by irresponsible development more than weather, according to expert

November 17, 2017 -

Writing in The Conversation, University of Colorado Denver Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies Gregory L. Simon says that the weather explanation is simplistic and possibly even dishonest because it ignores the “social-ecological fuse” that he says is behind these dangerous and expensive disasters. He has researched the role of urban development in fires in the western part of the country for many years, and he says the most common explanation is actually ...

Biden announces additional $500M military aid for Ukraine as California wildfires displace 70,000 residents

January 11, 2025 -

Outgoing President Joe Biden has announced an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, as southern California grapples with devastating wildfires that have forced over 70,000 residents to evacuate and destroyed over a thousand homes.

The new aid package, which includes weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles, brings the total U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to over $1.75 billion since the start of the conflict in February 2022. Defense ...

California wildfires spark conspiracy theories: Were fires set to trigger economic and ecological collapse?

January 10, 2025 -

As California battles yet another wave of catastrophic wildfires, conspiracy theories are swirling about the origins and intent behind the disaster. With damage estimates skyrocketing to $150 billion and climbing, the fires are being compared to wartime devastation, raising questions about who stands to benefit from California’s downfall. Critics point to a series of suspicious circumstances—lack of water pressure in fire hydrants, the diversion of firefighting ...

Bark beetles transformed millions of acres of trees in California into fuel for wildfires

October 10, 2020 -

Experts report that the beetles have infested millions of acres of trees, killing entire forests in the process. They stated that 90 percent of the dead trees that served as fuel for September’s Creek Fire in the Sierra Nevada mountains – the state’s single largest fire to date – can be attributed to beetle infestations.

“So many of the trees have died creating significant fuel for the fire to burn,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry ...