Numerous gaps remain in LA County’s response to the Eaton and Palisades Fires, new report finds

An “After-Action Review” of Los Angeles County’s response to the disastrous Eaton and Palisades Fires found that numerous gaps remain in the recovery and repopulation process.

The County’s Board of Supervisors commissioned the review, and consultant agency McChrystal Group conducted it through system reviews, official interviews, and public surveys. The consultants recommended multiple systems or resources the County should implement across six focus areas, including communications, recovery, repopulation, shelter, public health, and volunteer and donations management.

Numerous survivors of the Eaton and Palisades Fires confronted a fractured and confusing recovery process in the aftermath of the disaster, according to the report. The many jurisdictional distinctions across LA County led to unclear and inconsistent information about recovery needs.

That issue was compounded by the outpouring of support from multiple different organizations and nonprofits, which made it difficult for residents to “sort through the noise.” Even at county-operated Disaster Recovery Centers, which consultants said helped consolidate services for residents, survivors had to repeatedly verify identity, residence, ownership, or eligibility depending on whether they were applying for FEMA assistance, replacement records, insurance claims, or other support programs.

“The evacuation and repopulation process was chaotic and deeply stressful … residents had to make decisions with incomplete or conflicting information … there was little on-site guidance about safety, documentation, or next steps,” according to a respondent to the public survey featured in the report by consultants. “Los Angeles County could improve this process by providing more consistent and centralized communication, clearer timelines and criteria for … reentry, and on-the-ground support teams.”

This feedback led consultants’ recommendations to largely focus on the streamlining of disaster operations before the next tragedy happens. The recommendations, sorted by cost and time to implement, included:

Near-Term (Low to Moderate Cost)

  • Standardize recovery governance and operating procedures.
  • Formalize agreements with nonprofit and community-based partners.
  • Improve public information systems, resident intake processes, accessibility and multilingual communications.
  • Strengthen grant identification and reimbursement management capabilities.

Mid-Term (Moderate Cost)

  • Establish dedicated recovery coordination and grants management positions.
  • Expand disaster case management and community navigation services.
  • Implement integrated recovery data and case-tracking systems.

Long-Term (Higher Cost)

  • Create a permanent countywide recovery and resilience capability that integrates recovery planning, climate adaptation, community resilience, and cross-sector coordination under a common governance framework.
  • Establish dedicated funding reserves or recurring appropriations to sustain critical recovery functions between disasters.

“Prioritizing permanent capabilities that can be scaled during major incidents would improve operational readiness, accelerate recovery outcomes, enhance service considerations, and reduce the costs associated with repeatedly standing up temporary recovery structures after each climate-related disaster,” the consultants said in the report.

Click here to read the full report.

Underground wildfires in Indonesia trigger world’s highest emissions, spike in respiratory infections

Severe drought across Indonesia’s peatlands caused an outbreak of wildfires encroaching on the site of the country’s new capital city on the island of Borneo, the emissions of which surged to global highs and triggered a widespread spike in respiratory infections.

Over 36% of the world’s tropical peatlands are contained within Indonesia’s borders, and the country’s ongoing drought has made the normally wet landscapes dry enough to ignite, according to NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS. Droughts have repeatedly produced long-lasting fires that blanket large areas in smoke over the past three decades. The ongoing “super El Niño” has made conditions this year even worse.

“Wildfires occur in Indonesia every year, but some of the most destructive seasons in recent decades came during El Niño, particularly in 1997 and 2015,” NASA’s Earth Observatory said in a recent press release. “The strong El Niño is making the dry season drier over the fire-prone parts of the country and exacerbating burning — just as we anticipated it would.”

Credit: Manggala Agni Operational Area of Rengat

Emissions from Indonesia’s wildfires reached 19.7 million metric tons between Sept. 1 and 7, surpassing Russia as the top fire emissions-producing country in the world, according to the European Union’s Fire Emissions Watch portal. Indonesia’s fire emissions made up more than a third of the global total during that time.

The ongoing emissions have also caused widespread impacts on public health. Indonesia’s Health Ministry recorded more than 50,000 associated respiratory infections, including over 12,000 among children under the age of five, between July and August. Schools across the country have also shut down due to the lingering smoke.

“People tend to focus on these fires during an El Niño and then forget about them,” Mark Cochrane, an ecologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science who has conducted field research on peat fires in Indonesia for nearly a decade, said in a NASA press release. “We need sustained focus, even during the years when they aren’t as bad, to solve this.”

Prescribed burning gets hazard pay coverage under final rule passage

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service celebrated what it called a “well-deserved win” for the nation’s firefighters after prescribed wildland fire duties were officially made eligible for hazardous duty pay.

The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday issued a final rule making the duties eligible for hazard pay for General Schedule employees and for Environmental Differential Pay for Federal Wage System employees. The final rule specifically authorizes a 25% differential for both classes of employees participating in the fireline during prescribed fires.

The rule will officially go into effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Officials originally submitted the proposed rule in April.

“This is the latest improvement to firefighter compensation, following the incident response premium pay and permanent pay reforms established last year,” the Service said in a social media post.

Hazard pay has historically not been eligible for GS employees when the “hazard” in question has already been taken into account in the position’s description, like firefighters fighting wildfires, according to the Office. That largely changed for firefighters in 2021 when a special exemption was added, allowing wildland firefighters working on a wildfire’s fireline to receive hazard pay. The rule change follows the same logic, allowing a GS or FWS employee working a prescribed fire’s fireline to receive hazard pay despite the classification of the employee’s position.

Previous research has shown that wildland firefighters conducting prescribed burns are often exposed to carbon monoxide, trace metals, and particulate matter at levels that exceeded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s recommended exposure limit, which may cause both short-term and long-term negative health impacts. Some of the personal protective equipment that wildland firefighters use has been found to increase the risk of cancer, due to the equipment shedding carcinogenic compounds and harmful chemicals when exposed to high temperatures common on firelines.

Fish and Wildlife officer dies while evacuating family from Oklahoma’s Railroad South Fire

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife law enforcement officer died while helping evacuate residents threatened by the Railroad South Fire in Oklahoma, the Department of the Interior announced on Sunday.

The officer was identified at 38-year-old David Taylor of Scio, Oregon, according to a press release sent out by the department. Taylor was going door to door to help residents evacuate, and officials lost contact with him while he was assisting a family leave their home. Evidence recovered from the scene indicates he died during the evacuation effort.

“Everything we know about David’s actions demonstrates extraordinary courage and selflessness,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said. “When people were in danger, David was there helping them get to safety. He remained committed to protecting others under the most dangerous circumstances. We mourn alongside his family, friends and colleagues, and we will never forget his service.”

Taylor worked for the Service at Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico before joining Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, officials said in the press release. He also had 20 years of naval service, serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy and continuing his military service in the Navy Reserve while he was a federal wildlife officer.

The release says more information will be released as it is confirmed.

The Railroad South Fire ignited between Indiahoma and Cache in Oklahoma at around 2 p.m. on Saturday, according to Comanche Nation Emergency Management. The fire burned 515 acres, destroyed five homes and two deaths including Taylor. The Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management has lifted all evacuation orders for residents affected by the fire and authorities are investigating the cause.

Donations supporting victims and survivors of the fire can be directed to the following contacts, officials said:

  • Lenetta McClung Davenport at (580) 699-4893
  • Adra Tehauno-Martinez with the Comanche National Housing Authority at (580) 357-4956
  • Comanche Nation Emergency Management Hotline at (580) 919-1098

Details of fatal firefighter helicopter crash during Colorado’s Gold Mountain Fire revealed

The first investigation report into a helicopter crash that left a pilot dead during Colorado’s Gold Mountain Fire on July 12 was released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday.

The pilot, 56-year-old Nicholas Dale of Sooke, British Columbia, was the only person on board the Kaman K-1200 when it crashed while conducting water-bucket fire suppression flights during the fire, according to the NTSB preliminary report. The helicopter was equipped with a 660-gallon Bambi MAX Bucket with PowerFill Max (water bucket) suspended from the helicopter by a 150-ft-long line.

Dale completed five water bucket drops over the fire before the crash, which officials in the report called “unremarkable” because of the helicopter’s average maneuvers and the water bucket weighing about 3,000 lbs each time.

The helicopter’s final water bucket dip was extremely unusual, according to the report. The helicopter pitched up rapidly, causing the helicopter to roll right and the external load to increase in weight from 4,000 to 7,700 lbs. The helicopter was in an “extreme” right roll with its nose falling toward the water before the crash.

Officials recovered the crashed helicopter, water bucket, and video recording from the reservoir 10 days after the crash. Video did not immediately indicate a mechanical failure.

“The portions of the video that were reviewed, which included the final sequence of events, did not reveal any abnormal sounds or vibrations indicative of a rotorcraft system or engine malfunction during the flight,” officials said.

Click here to read the full preliminary report, including examinations of numerous parts of the helicopter.

The Gold Mountain Fire, which started burning on June 27, is 87% contained and has burned over 39,000 acres in the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests as of Thursday. An estimated 86 personnel are patrolling portions of the fire to check containment lines and watch for any other heat or fire activity.

Wildland firefighters warned not to take supplements for smoke or PFAS exposure

A drug marketed to wildland firefighters exposed to smoke or PFAS shows no evidence of being effective, leading the International Association of Firefighters and the Food and Drug Administration to warn against its use.

The drug, called glutathione, is marketed to fire fighters to remove toxins, but the IAFF says there are no scientific studies showing it can reduce forever chemical levels or relieve occupational exposures.

“Because glutathione is not an FDA-approved drug, consumers should be cautious about product safety and claims that glutathione can treat or prevent diseases,” the IAFF said in a safety advisory.

The association referenced a nationwide recall of the drug made on Aug. 5 by Victory Medical Center Pharmacy in Austin, Texas, after pharmacists found elevated bacterial endotoxin levels in the drug.

“There is reasonable probability that injectable products with elevated endotoxin levels could cause significant medical events including fevers, hypotension, inflammatory reactions, anaphylactic shock and death,” the pharmacy said in a risk statement shared by the FDA. “To date, Victory Medical Center Pharmacy has received reports of adverse events including fever, chills, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, changes in blood pressure, body aches, and instances of injection site reactions.”

The IAFF also shared an FDA alert from 2019, warning compounders not to use the drug in injectable drugs due to patients who used the drugs experiencing adverse effects, also due to high levels of endotoxins. Patients reportedly experienced symptoms of varying degrees, including nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, chills, body aches and sneezing, with one patient being hospitalized after experiencing low blood pressure and difficulty breathing.

“Accompanying the initial adverse event reports were endotoxin test results from a third-party laboratory, which FDA found concerning,” the FDA alert said. “All samples tested by an FDA laboratory were found to contain excessive bacterial endotoxin with some results as high as five times the appropriate limit, which the agency calculated based on the L-glutathione dose received by the patients.”

Over 90,000 evacuate as uncontained Hawk Fire burns outside Reno, Nevada

The Hawk Fire burning northwest of Reno, Nevada, triggered the evacuations of over 90,000 people on Sunday, according to fire crews working the incident.

The wildfire, which ignited on Saturday morning and has since been determined to be human-caused, has burned over 15,000 acres as of Sunday evening. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a State of Emergency soon after the fire started on Saturday as the fire spread rapidly.

“This is an active and rapidly evolving situation, and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant and follow the direction of local officials,” Lombardo said in a press release regarding the emergency declaration. “The state is fully engaged, and we are working alongside local authorities and first responders to deploy every available resource to protect lives, safeguard communities, and keep Nevadans out of harm’s way.” 

Numerous communities are in GO NOW evacuation zones across the region, with local officials urging community members to check the Perimeter Map website for the latest evacuation updates. Officials have also closed numerous roads in the area, including highways and local streets. Winds up to 20 mph increased fire activity and drove fire movement Sunday afternoon into the evening, crews said.

Credit: Perimeter Map

Firefighters remained fully engaged on Sunday, working to extinguish hotspots and keep the fire south of U.S. 395, according to crews at the scene. Communities north of 396 are sandwiched between pending evacuations from the Hawk Fire to the south and the Bug & Stallion Fires to the north, which have burned over 93,000 acres and are 97% contained as of Sunday night.

The Washoe County School District canceled all school classes, except for Gerlach K-12 school, on Monday due to the ongoing fire. The district had just restarted classes for the new school year on Aug. 10.

“We understand that so many people in our WCSD family—students, families, and staff —are impacted,” the district said in a press release. “Over the next few days, we will continue to update our entire district family with information as it becomes available. We are grateful to our firefighters and first responders as they continue to battle this fire, and we thank our district personnel who are assisting with this effort.”

Credit: Inciweb

Largest wildfire in Belgium’s history triggers explosions, burns over half of nation’s oldest nature preserve

A wildfire has burned over half of a historic nature preserve in Belgium near the country’s border with Germany, triggering explosions and evacuations in multiple nearby villages.

The wildfire, which started on Aug. 13 and was 0% contained as of Tuesday afternoon, has burned over 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of the around 5,000-hectare High Fens nature preserve, the oldest preserve in Belgium. The fire has also reportedly caused multiple explosions due to unexploded WWII-era munitions in the forest, according to German fire crews at the scene.

“The authorities are asking residents and visitors to strictly respect the barriers and access restrictions,” the East Belgium Tourist Agency said in a press release. “This is essential to ensure that emergency and response teams can work without obstruction.”

Air quality has quickly deteriorated throughout the region, with the burning of the preserve’s peat bogs, heathland and pine forests producing unhealthy levels of smoke in the Belgian cities of Bütgenbach, Jalhay, Malmedy and Waimes, along with the nearby areas in Germany, according to IQAir.

“It is therefore recommended to keep windows and doors closed,” the tourism agency said. “Due to changing wind directions, it is currently not possible to estimate in the long term which areas will be particularly affected.”

The European Union deployed two planes and six helicopters following the activation of the civil protection mechanism. EU space monitoring agency Copernicus is working to provide a rough estimate of the fire’s size, along with fire extent and damage assessment emergency mapping.

Credit East Belgium Tourist Agency NPO

Roadless Rule ‘entirely’ removed under new USDA proposal

The United States Department of Agriculture on Tuesday formally began the process of rescinding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, opening the nation’s protected forests to new development, road construction, and intensive logging.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attributed the move to wildfire risk reduction, saying the rule has acted as a barrier to it. Public comment on the rule’s end is now open through Sept. 21. People can click here to submit their comments once the proposed rule is posted on Wednesday, officials said.

“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” Rollins said in a press release. “Today, we filed a proposal to restore authority to local forest managers who know the land best, removing the barriers that have kept them from doing the work the land demands. It’s time to turn the page on the failed roadless rule and return our forests to health and productivity.”

A recent scientific study into roads’ effects on wildfires in forests offers a different view. Members of the Wilderness Society published research in Nature’s Fire Ecology Journal in January that found the highest wildfire-ignition density was in lands within 164 feet of roads at just under 8 fires per 2,471 acres. Wildfire-ignition density was at its lowest in designated wilderness areas without roads, at 1.75 fires per 2,471 acres.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: End to landmark roadless rule will make wildfires more likely, study finds

President Donald Trump has targeted the 2001 rule since his first term, according to Deputy Secretary Stephen A. Vaden. The Forest Service originally announcing a draft proposal to rescind it in June 2025.

“It is a credit to President Trump that we can begin to put into place a rule that will allow us to properly manage our national forests, because the first step to managing forests is to have access to them,” Vaden said.

Numerous environment-focused organizations previously condemned the plan to end the rule, including Environment America, the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club and the Defenders of Wildlife. The major proponents of the Roadless Rule’s repeal are timber associations, which said the rule is based on false and unscientific premises.

Extreme wildfire danger triggers warning to millions in the UK, largest electronic alert in nation’s history

Millions of residents across England and Wales received a warning to avoid any fire-based activities as fires across the United Kingdom destroy homes amid extreme fire weather, government officials said on Friday.

Officials sent out a mobile phone alert advising people not to light anything that could spark a fire, including barbecues, campfires and fireworks, according to a government press release. The warning was the largest in the mobile alert system’s history since its creation in 2023.

“This is the most extensive use of the UK’s Emergency Alert system in response to an active incident, and reflects the seriousness with which the government is acting to safeguard people and property,” First Secretary Louise Haigh said in the release. “By following the safety guidance, everyone can play their part in protecting local communities and supporting our frontline services who are working around the clock to keep people safe.”

The nation’s fire and rescue services have recently responded to numerous fires across the UK, including a wildfire that broke out in West Midlands near a Stourbridge golf course just a day before the alert was sent out. The fire destroyed multiple homes and sent multiple people to the hospital. Authorities have not shared exact numbers as of Friday, as crews continue fighting the wildfire.

“West Midlands Fire Service, West Midlands Police and Dudley borough Council are still working extremely hard to extinguish the fire in Stourbridge, keep the area secure and look after the displaced residents, respectively,” fire crews said. “We would love to be able to welcome all residents back immediately, but our priority now is ensuring the affected area is safe.”

More than two-thirds of England and all of Wales remain in drought and are facing continual extreme heat, straining resources, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council. The organization said ongoing heatwaves, driven by climate change, are driving wildfire risk to outpace investment.

“We must ensure that investment is not only sustained but enhanced if we are to keep pace with the risks facing our communities,” the Council said. “Whilst we rightly focus on the here and now, we are calling for a long-term wildfire strategy that reflects the changing nature of emergencies facing the UK. This would include continued investment in firefighters, specialist wildfire teams, training, equipment and national capabilities, including a dedicated aerial firefighting capability.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UK wildfire preparedness “decades” behind others