California wildfires

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As Blaze Rages, Precious Art Remains in 'Fireproof Fortress'

LA's J. Paul Getty Museum has its blaze-protecting fortifications in place

(Newser) - A wildfire is raging on the property of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, but don't fret about its masterpieces being turned to ash. The building is a "fireproof fortress" specifically designed to withstand natural disasters like earthquakes and wildfires, per the Guardian . The art is...

More Blackouts Coming as California Fires Rage

PG&E customers slam 'failure of epic proportions'

(Newser) - Millions of Californians prepared to be in the dark—some for five days, or longer—as the nation's largest utility said it was switching off power again Tuesday to prevent powerful winds from damaging its equipment and sparking more fires. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. said its latest blackout...

California Wildfire Forces LeBron to Evacuate

The Getty Fire is raging in Southern California, has shut down part of 405 freeway

(Newser) - Wildfires are raging in California amid winds that were gusting up to 102mph in some parts of the state, and the Getty Fire, which started early Monday near Southern California's Getty Center museum, had reached more than 500 acres by mid-morning. It caused part of the 405 freeway...

Record Winds Spread Flames in California's Wine Country

Nearly 200,000 people have evacuated

(Newser) - California's governor declared a statewide emergency with nearly 200,000 people ordered to flee their homes because of wildfires fueled by historic winds, while millions were without electricity after the largest utility cut power in some areas as a precaution to prevent other fires, the AP reports. Gov. Gavin...

Another 50K Get the Boot
Another 50K Are Evacuated
Oct 26, 2019 4:20 PM CDT

Another 50K Are Evacuated

Northern California wildfire forces more to flee amid power shut-offs

(Newser) - Authorities ordered at least 50,000 residents to evacuate towns near a massive Northern California wildfire Saturday, and the state's largest utility announced power shut-offs for an estimated 2.35 million people due to forecasts of severe winds and extreme fire danger, the AP reports. Two previous electricity shut-offs...

PG&E Warns of 'Extreme Measure' Amid High Winds

Utility may be shutting off power to 2 million people in Northern California on Saturday night

(Newser) - More than 2 million people in Northern California may be without power Saturday night in a planned blackout meant to fend off wildfires. The Los Angeles Times reports that this anticipated move by Pacific Gas and Electric, which would affect 36 counties, is due to high winds forecast for the...

Fires Rage Across California as Lights Go Out

No deaths or injuries have been reported

(Newser) - Fast-growing fires throughout California forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes Thursday as dry winds and high heat fed flames and fears in the state still jittery from devastating wildfires in the past two years. The dramatic fires and evacuations—near Los Angeles and in the wine...

California Is Going Dark Again
California Is Going Dark Again
Oct 23, 2019 5:30 PM CDT

California Is Going Dark Again

Hundreds of thousands expected to be affected by power outages amid fire fears

(Newser) - The state's largest utility said it will go ahead with widespread blackouts affecting nearly half a million people starting Wednesday as dangerous fire weather returns to California. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said it would begin precautionary power shutoffs in the afternoon affecting nearly 180,000 homes and businesses...

Calif. Blaze Only 13% Contained
Calif. Blaze Only 13% Contained
Oct 12, 2019 1:00 PM CDT

Calif. Blaze Only 13% Contained

At least the Santa Ana winds have died down

(Newser) - Santa Ana winds that drove fires through two Southern California areas have died down but flames that destroyed dozens of homes continue to rage, the AP reports. A blaze in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles was only 13% contained Saturday after destroying 13 buildings. One man who...

California Power Shutoff Is Causing Car Accidents
California
Power Shutoff
Is Causing
Car Accidents
the rundown
Oct 10, 2019 11:26 AM CDT

California Power Shutoff Is Causing Car Accidents

More than 1 million coping with no power as a safety precaution

(Newser) - What a mess. More than 1 million people in California were without power Thursday, and the number might grow to 2 million before all is said and done. It's all part of a controversial move by PG&E to cut power in more than 30 counties as a safety...

California Braces for Historic Power Outage

More than 800K customers will have power cut off in attempt to prevent wildfires

(Newser) - Two years to the day after some of the deadliest wildfires tore through Northern California wine country, a utility announced Tuesday it will shut off power to more than 800,000 customers in the largest preventive outage in state history—to try to prevent wildfires caused by faulty power lines....

Utility to Pay $11B Over California Fires

Individuals are the only group without a deal

(Newser) - Pacific Gas & Electric has settled for $11 billion with insurance companies over claims involving California wildfires in 2017 and 2018. The deal could help the giant utility get out of bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reports. PG&E, facing $30 billion in liability after fatal fires sparked by its...

Wildfires That Charred California Will Cost PG&E $1B

Settlement is to cover 'taxpayer losses' from wildfires stretching back to 2015

(Newser) - More than a dozen local governments and other public entities in Northern California will soon share a $1 billion payment from the public utility that's blamed for three years' worth of wildfires there. KCRA and NPR report the settlement from Pacific Gas and Electric was announced Tuesday, with the...

Amusement Park Evacuated as Fast-Moving Fire Erupts

'It was pretty scary. We saw trucks packing people'

(Newser) - A fast-moving brush fire erupted near a huge amusement and water park in Southern California on Sunday, sending hundreds of visitors to the exit to escape clouds of smoke and ash before fire officials asked them to stay put while they worked to contain the blaze. Six Flags Magic Mountain...

Investigators Confirm PG&E Caused Deadliest Calif. Fire

Transmission lines sparked Camp fire

(Newser) - Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. power lines sparked a northern California blaze that killed 85 people last year, making it the deadliest US wildfire in a century and the deadliest in state history, state fire officials said Wednesday. Cal Fire said transmission lines owned and operated by the San Francisco-based...

FEMA Struck by a 'Major Privacy Incident'

Agency disclosed sensitive data of more than 2M disaster survivors, per DHS IG report

(Newser) - Survivors may still be picking up the pieces after the natural disasters that have swept across the country over the past couple of years, and now they have a new issue to contend with: the possibility of identity theft thanks to what the Federal Emergency Management Agency is calling a...

Family Believes Dog Missing 101 Days Ate Skunk to Survive

Kingston jumped from the family truck as they fled the town of Paradise

(Newser) - A dog named Kingston is back with his family 101 days after he jumped out of their truck as they fled a devastating Northern California wildfire. The 12-year-old Akita was reunited Monday with the Ballejos family, who fled the town of Paradise late last year, Sacramento television station KXTV reported....

In Wake of Calif. Wildfires, PG&E Makes a Big Move

Largest utility in America files for bankruptcy

(Newser) - America's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., filed for bankruptcy Tuesday as it faces billions of dollars in potential damages from wildfires in California. The utility filed documents in a US court seeking Chapter 11 reorganization despite state investigators determining last week that its equipment wasn't to...

Wildfire Report Is Good News for PG&E

State investigators say California utility not to blame for 2017 Tubbs Fire

(Newser) - In a long-awaited report, state investigators said Thursday that a 2017 wildfire that killed 22 people in Northern California wine country was caused by a private electrical system, not equipment of embattled Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The state's firefighting agency concluded that the fire started next to a...

Erin Brockovich Hammered PG&E. Now She Wants to Save It

It's all about getting money for California's wildfire victims

(Newser) - Consumer activist Erin Brockovich, who famously took on Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in the 1990s, urged California lawmakers Tuesday not to let the utility go bankrupt—because it could mean less money for wildfire victims. "I'm mad, I think we should all be mad," Brockovich said...

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