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1 week ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
Mid-Missouri communities are ripe for an LA-style wildfire disaster, and experts have rung the alarm bells for years. Communities near the Lake of the Ozarks, in particular, have a higher chance of wildfires igniting than nearly every other community in the nation, and the likelihood is only expected to increase in the years to come. Ground zero for severe urban wildfire concerns in Missouri is Lebanon.
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1 week ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
What started as a wildland fire quickly catalyzed into a widespread urban wildfire in Los Angeles on Jan. 7. In the wake of the tragedy, researchers are understanding more about just what fueled the conflagration. A new report from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety outlines the timeline of both the Palisades and Eaton fires.
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2 weeks ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
New research published by the European Union found Russia’s ongoing invasion has worsened environmental challenges in Ukraine, including ongoing wildfire trends. The risk of large forest fires has “significantly increased” in the nation. The country’s worst wildfire years happened over the last 5 years, by far the worst of which was in 2024, the EU study said. “The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has severely hampered efforts to prevent and control large fires,” researchers said.
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2 weeks ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
Teams competing in Alaska’s famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race know to be prepared for blizzards, sub-zero temperatures, and gale-force winds. Competitors in the 2025 race, however, were forced to add wildfires to their already treacherous list of extreme conditions in the race.
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3 weeks ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management recently released new local pay scales for the nation’s wildland firefighters after lawmakers passed the Wildland Firefighter Payment Protection Act last month. Lawmakers passed the act as part of the 2025 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act when they narrowly avoided a government shutdown on March 14.
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4 weeks ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
Fire crews are continuing to fight South Korea’s worst wildfire outbreak in history which has left 28 people dead, triggered the evacuation of nearly 40,000 people, and has burned nearly 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres). Korea Forest Service Chief Lim Sang-seop on Thursday gave an update on the fires that have been burning throughout the nation since last Friday. He said the service had deployed thousands of firefighters, along with aerial and ground firefighting units.
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1 month ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
Most of Scotland’s rural communities are under multiple wildfire warnings through Friday as authorities brace for the region’s “most critical period for wildfires.”An “extreme” wildfire warning will go into effect on Friday for the nation’s low-lying areas, according to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Until then, all of Scotland’s rural environments will be under a “very high” wildfire warning through Friday.
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1 month ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | David Bruce
On January 8 this year a film crew was on the ground in the LA firestorm capturing footage that is, in the aftermath of the tragedy, helping to explain the fire behavior and sheer destruction of the event. Their work is now ready for viewing as an hour documentary on PBS. The program has interviews with fire officials who were there on the day, scientists, residents, and a volunteer fire brigade, who discuss the challenges of urban firestorms and the need to better protect communities.
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1 month ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | David Bruce
Remains found late last year in the San Bernardino Mountains in California have been positively identified as Carlos Baltazar, a US Forest Service firefighter who went missing during the El Dorado Fire in 2020, county officials have confirmed. An investigation began in October last year when a hunter discovered a human remains in a remote part of the mountains near Highway 18.
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1 month ago | 
wildfiretoday.com | Hunter Bassler
A spike in wildfire activity throughout the United States has kicked off an early fire season, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. An estimated 9,520 wildfires have burned 269,986 acres across the nation as of March 14, the NIFC said. The year’s ongoing fire total is above the 10-year average of 6,629 wildfires, but below the 10-year average burned acreage of 431,052.