WILDFIRES

Smokey Bear has been around since 1942 and focuses on preventing wildfires across our country.

As the state’s wildfire season continues, rural fire departments and their volunteers are strained to keep up with hundreds of fires.

The death toll has climbed to more than 100, and the photos below chronicle just how devastating the damage has been, particularly in the town of Lahaina.

Rural communities have seen a tremendous propulation growth. The extreme heat, and dry conditions have them worried that new residents are not fully aware of just how close they are to a dangerous wildfire.

At least 8,500 acres of Texas land have burned since Aug. 1. The governor’s disaster declaration allows included counties to access state resources to fight wildfires.

Hawaiians living in San Antonio say watching parts of Maui destroyed by wildfires is painful. They're constantly keeping up with social media to get updates on their loved ones affected by the wildfires.

A 200-acre wildfire in Caldwell County is now 100% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

The number of acres burned this year is dramatically lower compared to 2022. But a rash of new fires have put state and local officials on edge.

Wildfires have devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, killing at least six people, damaging or destroying over 270 structures and reducing most of a historic town to ash.

A Texas grass fire that spread into trees near an apartment complex and condominiums has forced hundreds of residents from their homes but caused no major injuries.

Bexar County fire officials announced a new collaboration with multiple agencies to help fight and respond to grass or wildfires.

Smoke from the wildfires in Canada has completely smothered New York City, forcing residents to stay indoors due to the hazardous air quality.

Evacuations are underway while an active wildfire burns in the River Mountain Ranch area in Hays County, according to Wimberley Fire Rescue.

The Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Pedernales Falls State Park are closed on Wednesday due to two wildfires in the Hill Country.

Texas A&M Forest Service has responded to nine fires across the state this week, saying they “have the potential to exhaust state and local resources.”

As of Thursday, Boerne officials have banned the use of firepits and barbecue pits at Boerne City Lake.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff issued a disaster declaration that includes a ban on outdoor burning amid dangerous fire conditions in the San Antonio area.

High fire dangers continue with dry weather, low humidity and gusty winds across South Texas. Now, a group of citizens in Poteet are standing by to help their volunteer fire department.

Emergency Services District 1 Chief Clint Cooke said crews are still working a lot of hot spots that are showing up with the dry air and wind shifts.

After the flames burned through 1,092 acres, officials said on Tuesday that the fire was 95 percent contained. County roads were opened back up, as was the High Mountain Ranch subdivision, where two out of three homes that burned up in the fire were located.

Nobody wants storms or fires. But for Texas politicians, responding to disasters can be a welcome change of subject from political fights in an election year.

Climate change has made the Texas heat hotter and longer-lasting, enhancing drought conditions that set the stage for intense fires. More than 40% of the state is in an extreme drought.

Officials say firefighting crews are making progress containing a massive Texas wildfire that was blamed for last week’s death of a deputy.

Forecasters say rain is finally in the forecast for parts of Texas hit by wildfires.

Wildfires have burned more than 58,000 acres across the state. At least one person has died and dozens of homes have burned down.

Controlled burns, used to prevent catastrophic wildfires, are typically safe and rarely get out of control. Experts warn that burns gone awry can scare residents and compromise the critical fire management tool.

According to the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management, the fire started near the 100 block of Park Road 1A road near the entrance to Bastrop State Park.

Saturday’s cold front will bring gusty winds and low humidity and combined with current drought conditions, the risk of wildfires is very high.

Gusty winds up to 50mph, combined with low humidity, will also create a wildfire threat

CONVERSE – In Converse, a team of fire experts put in hard work Saturday morning to tackle potentially dangerous brush behind the subdivision Parc at Escondido. Converse Local 4377 worked with the City of Converse Fire Department, community leaders, Tiger Sanitation, and the Texas A&M Forest Service to clear the area. Behind the subdivision trees, fallen branches, brush, trash and construction material all pose a risk if a fire were to start. Although major progress was made for the firebreak, Cano said more work and volunteers are needed to complete the task that runs behind a total of 20 homes. To sign up to volunteer, send the Converse Professional Firefighters Association Local 4377 a message on Facebook.

(2020 Getty Images.) (2020 Getty Images)A man holds up a sign near a burning building during protests sparked by the death of George Floyd while in police custody on May 29 in Minneapolis. (2020 Getty Images)A girl holds her fist in the air while visiting the memorial for George Floyd on June 9 in Minneapolis. (2020 Getty Images)An injured man rests in a chair after a large explosion on Aug. 4 in Beirut, Lebanon. (2020 Getty Images)

“And that number will grow.”So far, in this year’s historic fire season, more than 8,200 California wildfires have killed 31 people and scorched “well over 4 million acres in California” or 6,250 square miles, Cal Fire said Sunday in a statement. The astonishing figure is more than double the 2018 record of 1.67 million burned acres (2,609 square miles) in California. Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Virtually all the damage has occurred since mid-August, when five of the six largest fires in state history erupted. Flannigan, the fire scientist, estimates the area of land burned from wildfires in California has increased fivefold since the 1970s.

Attached in the care package along with Baby Yoda was a note that read as follows:“Thank you, firefighters. Carver said he was setting up a donation booth for firemen when he spotted Baby Yoda — the last on the shelf — and knew he needed to come too. Carver said the support he and the page have received has been incredible, pointing both to the Star Wars fanbase and to the human spirit. Below are a few highlights from Baby Yoda’s journey thus far:You can keep up with Baby Yoda on his journey by keeping up with the Facebook page. RELATED: Celebrate ‘Star Wars’ Day with new ‘Mandalorian’ docuseries on Disney+

San Antonio – Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System firefighters have volunteered to help with the wildfires in California. He said 17 firefighters are from the Bexar County area. Logan Godfrey, William Bourland and Brandon Reck with Bexar County Fire District 7 just returned from their deployment. Now, the crews in California include members with the Schertz Fire Department, Canyon Lake Fire, Bexar County ESD 8,12,7,10, Bexar County Fire 7, and San Antonio Fire. Authorities in California said 26 firefighters have died so far fighting multiple fires that have overcome the state.

The fire grew by nearly 20,000 acres to 142 square miles (368 square kilometers). The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified. More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometers) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation. The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles (89 square kilometers) and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged. ___Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report.

A team of Texas firefighters and support personnel are working to help combat the devastating California wildfires under Governor Greg Abbott’s order. The governor issued the order Friday, deploying approximately 190 firefighters, 50 fire trucks, and 10 command vehicles from 56 Texas fire departments. The teams were deployed to California Friday. As of Friday, the Lightning Complex fire has burned 372,971 acres in Santa Clara County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, Merced County, and San Benito County, ABC 7 reports. The deployment of the Texas response team was made possible through the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS).

The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. Butte County sheriff’s deputies and detectives found seven bodies on Thursday, a day after three other victims were discovered. They kind of held the family together.”More bodies could be found as crews manage to make their way into devastated areas. A fire raging along the Oregon border destroyed 150 homes near the community of Happy Camp and one person was confirmed dead, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said. It was the second time in two days that firefighters in California had to take the rare last-ditch effort to save their lives.

A number of Northern California wildfires sent a thick, orange-glowing haze over the San Francisco area Wednesday, leaving the Bay in an eerie darkness. A fire burning in Butte County, located northeast of San Francisco, has forced thousands to evacuate from their homes, according to The Associated Press. (2020 Getty Images)An orange glow fills the sky above the Embarcadero in San Francisco. (2020 Getty Images)Smoke from various wildfires blankets the San Francisco skyline in darkness and an orange glow, seen from Treasure Island in San Francisco. (2020 Getty Images)An exterior view of the ballpark in San Francisco, California.

SAN FRANCISCO A firefighter from Texas killed battling a wildfire in the Northern California forest was working the fire lines when her truck rolled off a remote backcountry road as she tried to escape the flames, fire officials said. With her family's permission, yesterday we released the name of our firefighter lost to us in California. The two largest fires, east and north of San Francisco Bay, were each at least 70% surrounded, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday. The progress has allowed thousands of people to return home but nearly 40,000 remained under evacuation orders, Cal Fire said. The fires have destroyed more than 5,800 structures destroyed, many of them homes and killed eight people.

The bushfires in Australia are still ravaging parts of the country and are wreacking havoc on small communities and rural towns. The damage has been devastating and news of the bushfires has spread overseas with many activists and celebrities sharing photos of the devastation on social media. There are many different places where you can donate money to help with relief, and many celebrities have shared donation links and even donated themselves. I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires. Another Australian actor, Russell Crowe, who is in Australia right now, posted that he donated $105,000 to firefighters.