Latest Wildfire Stories

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the approach of spring and increased risk of forest and brush fires across the state, federal grants are now available to help Pennsylvania's rural communities better guard against the threat of fires in forested, undeveloped and unprotected areas. "Warming temperatures, sunny days and strong winds usher in wildfire dangers that emphasize the value of having well-trained and well-equipped local firefighting forces in...

April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A megadrought that started in 2005 is still affecting a portion of the Amazon Rainforest twice the size of California, a new study led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) finds. The results of this study, combined with the observed recurrences of droughts every few years and associated damage to forests in both the southern and western Amazon over the past decade, reveal that the rainforest might be showing the initial signs of...

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Despite cooler conditions across southeastern Australia on Wednesday, the threat of wildfires remained a concern throughout the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, according to various news reports. Record heat and dry conditions sparked bushfires throughout several regions in recent days, destroying buildings throughout all three Australian states, according to BBC News. The Associated Press (AP) notes that there...

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CoreLogic(®) (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its annual Natural Hazard Risk Summary and Analysis detailing the most significant natural disasters that struck the United States in 2012. The report provides an analysis of the impact of hurricane, flood, wildfire and tornado events over the course of the year, as well as a summary of potential risk from natural hazards in...

NASA [ Watch The Video ] Careful observers of the new "Black Marble" images of Earth at night released this week by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have noticed bright areas in the western part of Australia that are largely uninhabited. Why is this area so lit up, many have asked? Away from the cities, much of the night light observed by the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite in these images comes from wildfires. In the bright areas of western Australia,...

Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online 2012 has been a bad year for wildfires in the US. According to data collected by NASA, some 6.17 million acres (2.5 hectares) have been consumed by wildfire this year alone. While this is just short of the record set last year of 7.90 million acres, (3.2 hectares) it’s larger than the amount of burned land in 12 of the last 15 years that scientists have been keeping tabs on wildfires. If some NASA climate models hold true,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientists using NASA satellite data and climate models have projected drier conditions likely will cause increased fire activity across the United States in coming decades. Other findings about U.S. wildfires, including their amount of carbon emissions and how the length and strength of fire seasons are expected to change under future climate conditions, were also presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical...

"Blaze Tracker" features give users warning, alerts and fire information for locations of their choice WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the heels of a major drought and busy wildfire season, the American Red Cross today released its official Wildfire App. The app puts lifesaving information right in the hands of people who live in or who visit wildfire prone areas. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO) This free app--available in...

April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A research team, led by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geography professor has evidence suggesting that recent droughts could be the new normal. This is not good news for our nation's forests and agricultural lands. The droughts of recent years have been record breaking, which anyone looking at their yard or garden could tell you. As a result, our nation has seen a record-breaking wildfire season, with over 8 million acres...

The 2012 wildfire season could soon be one of the worst on record. Family forest owners need all the conservation tools they can get, and yet resources for private forest owners have diminished steadily over the last decade. That's one reason why the American Forest Foundation launched MyLandPlan.org. Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 11, 2012 The 2012 wildfire season could soon be one of the worst on record. With more than 8 million acres burned by wildfire as I write this, forest...