Abandoned campfire caused Yosemite Dome Fire that killed two pilots

The Dome Fire that has burned over 5,000 acres and caused the deaths of two pilots in Yosemite National Park was caused by an abandoned campfire, according to fire crews at the scene.

Investigators listed the fire’s cause on Inciweb, but did not release details on how they determined the cause. The fire’s latest update on Tuesday morning reported that containment is increasing while the fire’s growth continues to slow due to cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity.

“Crews were successful at tying in more of the fire perimeter to control lines along the north and northeast areas of the fire,” according to the latest update. “Firefighters continue to improve indirect and contingency lines ahead of the fire.”

Some incident personnel on Tuesday morning attended a procession in Modesto, California, for Ryan Cutter and Greg King, the two pilots who died in a helicopter crash while working the fire. The FAA’s initial incident notification said the helicopter, a Eurocopter AS32 Super Puma, crashed under unknown circumstances while on water bucket drops at the fire.

Personnel working the fire have attributed the increasing containment to several pack mules from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest delivering fire equipment and medical supplies to crews.

“These intelligent, strong animals provide invaluable support,” crews said. “Using pack mules allows helicopters to do other work, such as bucket drops; and mules can also be used in smoky conditions where a helicopter would not have good visibility to deliver supplies to a remote site.”

Read the Dome Fire’s Tuesday update here.

Fatal Yosemite Dome Fire helicopter crash details and pilot identities released

The two pilots killed in a helicopter crash while fighting the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park have been identified by the helicopter’s owner, and the Federal Aviation Administration has released preliminary details on the crash.

The Precision aerospace company identified the men as Greg King and Ryan Cutter in a post on their social media account late Monday night. The company did not release further details on King or Cutter but acknowledged the public’s thoughts and prayers.

“These two men deserve every single one of them, as do their families and friends,” a company representative said in the post. “These two men brought honor to the mission. Their dedication and service will never be forgotten.”

The FAA’s initial incident notification said the helicopter, a Eurocopter AS32 Super Puma, crashed under unknown circumstances while on water bucket drops at the fire. The administration listed one flight crew member and one passenger on the helicopter.

The Dome Fire has burned 3,324 acres and is 15% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to fire crews at the scene. The fire continued to spread into the 2017 Empire Fire footprint, whiile a spot fire to the east grows. Officials expect spotting to continue as the fire moves north into heavy dead and down fuels.

“Fire behavior will remain moderate, with spotting behavior being a big challenge in the full suppression efforts of this fire,” officials said in the Monday morning update. “We continue to stage structure firefighters at Yosemite West and Wawona, supporting local communities and continuing prep work and contingencies.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Two dead in helicopter crash at the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park

Two dead in helicopter crash at the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park

Two flight crew members were killed on Sunday when their firefighting helicopter crashed at the Dome Fire burning in Yosemite National Park, according to the company that owned the helicopter.

Aerospace company Precision confirmed the two crew members’ deaths to WildfireToday. A company spokesperson said representatives are working to notify family members of those who were killed and that the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are leading an investigation into the incident. They did not share details on the events leading up to the crash.

“It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team,” Precision said in a statement. “We are devastated by this loss and are struggling to find the words. We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss.”

Here is an update from the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Dome Fire burned 2,667 acres as of Sunday morning, according to crews working the fire. The fire continues to grow into the 2017 Empire Fire footprint, which burned 8,094 acres northeast of Wawona, California. The presence of abundant fuels in the area is driving fire spread.

“Heavy fuel conditions continue to pose challenges for ground-based suppression resources as they continue to utilize natural barriers such as granite outcroppings and bare areas in the northwest flank,” according to the latest incident update. “Fire is moving through red fir fuel type, which is conducive to spotting and susceptible to burning.”

Fire managers expected an incoming weak weather system to spread clouds and lower temperatures throughout the fire area on Sunday.

Extinction of unique US animals and plants at risk in wildfire on California’s ‘Galapagos of North America’

Extinction has always been a risk on Santa Rosa Island. Researchers have hailed the California island as having the most prolific aleontological record of extinct species such as pygmy mammoth, flightless sea duck, vampire bat and giant deer mouse.

The environment is now home to animals and plants found nowhere else on Earth, earning its nickname “Galapagos of North America.” A human-caused wildfire now threatens those unique animals and plants with extinction, according to on-site fire officials.

Over a third of the island has burned since a wildfire started on May 15, which burned 18,379 acres and was at 87% containment as of Sunday morning, according to Channel Islands National Park officials. Santa Rosa is one of the five Channel Islands.

Credit: NASA

There is relatively less fire on the Channel Islands than on the mainland because ignition sources are much less common there and the foggy maritime climate generally limits fire spread. 

“Several island taxa have relaxed fire-adapted traits such as serotiny and seed germination characteristics,” officials said on the park’s website. “Records from both Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa show that fire frequencies increased over the last 5,000 years and reached their peaks during the historic period, approximately the last 200 years.”

A major concern of officials was the status of the island’s Torrey Pines, the rarest pine tree in North America. The trees once dominated the island’s “Cloud Forest” of plants that harvested water from the heavy fog that rolled across the island and condensed on leaves and twigs. Although small pockets of the trees did burn with higher intensity, recent drone imagery showed that groves of Torrey Pines still exist and remain largely intact.

“The National Park Service has special firefighters, known as fire effects crews, that will go to this area, taking measurements such as specific fire severity calculations and observations,” officials said in a recent update. “This is not just a single snapshot but will be part of long-term monitoring of effects to better understand fire in this ecosystem.” 

Credit: Inciweb

Officials were already working to restore the island’s native ecosystem before the fire started. Grazing that started during European colonization of the area in the mid-1800s eliminated over 75% of the entire island’s native vegetation, park officials said.

While many native plants have since been reestablished throughout the island, the Cloud Forest hasn’t recovered. Grazing animals stripped the soil down to bedrock and severely increased soil erosion, causing trees to topple. Crews responding to the fire are reportedly aware of this ongoing issue and are working with biologists, archeologists and cultural specialists to minimize ground disturbance and soil compaction.

“This work will reduce soil erosion potential by spreading and slowing water flow and increasing soil cover, discouraging undesired access, and reducing visual impacts of fire suppression activities,” crews said.

The wildfire’s effect on the vulnerable environment’s recovery won’t be fully understood until researchers analyze the landscape after the fire is 100% contained.

Los Angeles’ Palisades Fire suspect should be released on the basis of new evidence, defendants argue

The attorneys for the man accused of setting one of California’s most destructive wildfires are arguing he should be released due to a newly released deposition from a firefighter who was at the scene.

Law enforcement arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht in Melbourne, Florida, on Oct. 8, suspecting he maliciously started the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on New Year’s Day. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said prosecutors believed Rinderknecht set the fire that would go on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,000 homes in the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Rinderknecht’s defense attorneys have since argued he is being used as a scapegoat to detract from the LA Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the earlier blaze, according to reporting from the Associated Press. His attorneys’ calls intensified after an LA firefighter, in a newly released deposition, reported hot spots were still active at the fire’s original scene, contradicting testimony from a battalion chief who said all hot spots were out.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police arrest suspected arsonist responsible for Los Angeles’ Palisades Fire

“This evidence calls into question not only the fundamental fairness for my client’s continued detention, but the very foundation of the charges themselves,” Rinderknecht’s attorney, Steve Haney, said in a statement to the AP. “This is not a case about an individual causing a fire. This is a case about government agencies failing to do their jobs.”

Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to the charges last October. His next court date for the case is scheduled for April.

Long-term health scars left by LA’s historic wildfires

The fires have been long extinguished, but the health effects of Los Angeles’ destructive 2025 wildfires are still living on one year later.

The Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth, Hughes and Sepulveda fires killed 440 people, destroyed nearly 16,000 homes, and burned more than 55,000 acres of land from Jan. 7 through February. The Palisades Fire alone caused an estimated $51.7 billion worth of home damage, according to a July analysis from Redfin.

LA residents are dealing with not just the emotional toll of the tragedy on its anniversary, but the physical toll as well, according to health experts from the University of California, Los Angeles. Residents’ lungs, in particular, face ongoing health challenges.

“Many individuals who followed up with me six months later also mentioned their symptoms flared with the fires,” UCLA Health pulmonologist and associate clinical professor May-Lin Wilgus said in a recent article posted by the university. “These patients often had continued exposures — such as returning to smoke-damaged homes or encountering high levels of heavy-metal contamination — so it does seem to be a trigger.”

A study published in December by LA’s Smidt Heart Institute and other researchers found that more severe forms of illness presented early in some susceptible LA residents, including excess emergency encounters for not only pulmonary illness and acute myocardial infarction. But, less severe effects have persisted or started to present with delayed timing, including increased systemic illness through blood chemistry laboratory abnormalities.

“Systemic health effects are not often reported in post wildfire outcomes studies, perhaps because they are not easily detected or because they are associated more with WUI than wildland-only fire exposures,” the research said. “Indeed, the smoke produced by WUI compared with wildland-only fires is known to contain not only a more complex aggregate of volatile and semi-volatile chemical constituents but also toxic metals, which may alter the epigenetic profiles of immune cells with broad tissue distribution in exposed individuals.”

Dr. Wilgus advised communities to start preparing for the next major wildfire now to lessen future adverse health effects, including using high-quality air filters, creating evacuation plans, and storing an emergency go-bag with food, water and medications.

“We have a very wide network of pulmonology clinics throughout the region, where we are treating patients who may have been affected,” Dr. Wilgus said. “Throughout Los Angeles, we need to be more aware and prepared, as well as support ongoing research to help reduce these impacts.”

LA Fires: What have we learnt from the research?

Idaho Taskforce 4 experiencing southern California traffic en route to the Palisades fire on Saturday, Jan. 11. Photo Kelly Martin

In the year that has passed since the deadly Los Angeles fires many have sought to make sense of what happened and why, and questioned could it happen again, somewhere in the world. This is a week that will recall painful memories for those close to the LA fires.

As a mid-summer heatwave moves across southern Australia this week, fire fighters are facing multiple fire outbreaks. Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO Andrew Gissing looks at what the research into the LA fires is telling other fire-prone communities, in Australia and elsewhere.

The two fires that broke out on 7 January 2025, killed more than 30 people and destroyed over 17,000 homes and buildings in Los Angeles County. The Palisades Fire scorched LA’s coastal Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The Eaton Fire razed the town of Altadena northeast of LA. This photo gallery by the Associated Press shows the progress in rebuilding these communities.

By Andrew Gissing

The devastating Los Angeles fires in the very heart of a built-up urban interface sparked global interest, including in Australia as communities, media and governments asked how the fires happened and could such a catastrophe happen here.

One year on from the fires researchers have focused on understanding the causes and impacts of the fires as well as evaluating vulnerabilities and resilience features that contributed to the patterns of destruction and the efficacy of emergency management.

Causes and impacts

Despite occurring during the winter months that typically see less wildfires, extremely dry conditions, combined with strong winds (reaching almost 160 km/h) created hazardous fire conditions. Dozens of fires ignited in early January 2025, two of which grew to become the Palisades and Eaton Fires which spread through adjacent suburbs.

The fires burned 37 000 acres and destroyed more than16 000 structures, driven by intense house-to-house fire spread, known as conflagration. According to Swiss Re, the fires were the costliest wildfire event ever globally with insurance losses estimated at $40 billion. Some sixteen times greater than Australia’s Black Summer Bushfires.

US building codes relating to the wildfire urban interface became operational in 2008, however, much of the building stock destroyed was built before then which meant wildfire resilience measures were not uniformly adopted.

Rapid urban growth has also increased wildfire exposure across the United States, with a study concluding that exposure grew 40% between 1990 and 2010.

Deaths were reported at 31, however, research found 440 indirect deaths linked to the fires from factors such as poor air quality, stress, disruption to health systems and mental health impacts. A further study found a 46% increase in visits for heart attacks to a Los Angeles hospital in the first 90 days following the fires when compared to the same period over the previous seven years.

Built environment vulnerabilities and resilience

Investigations led by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IIBHS) determined key factors that contributed to the loss of structures were lack of structure separation, connective fuels and building materials used, concluding that:

  • Each additional 10 ft (3 m) of separation between structures increased the likelihood of no damage by 7-13%, up to 30ft no matter the structure type, After 30 ft, the impact of additional separation flattened off.
  • Vegetation and other flammable materials and household items adjacent to buildings such as decks, garbage bins, hot tubs and pergolas acted as connective fuels, creating significant vulnerability to structures.
  • Vegetation growing alongside non-combustible fences compromised its resilience. Where there was 25% fuel coverage in the 1.2 m directly surrounding a structure there was an 87% to 100% chance of damage or destruction.
  • Most structures inspected included at least one resilient building feature. However, few had adopted a comprehensive resilient system allowing flames, radiant heat and embers to exploit building vulnerabilities.
  • Often resilient characteristics, such as non-combustible exterior wall cladding were paired with vulnerable ones such as windows, doors, vents or eaves increasing the overall vulnerability of the structure.
  • Structures with four resilient components were 54% more likely to experience no damage regardless of separation distance, this reduced to 36% likelihood of no damage with only one or two resilient components.

A recent Berkeley Fire Research Lab study analysing data from five of the most destructive Californian fires before 2022 identified similar results suggesting that home retrofitting and defensible space can double the number of homes and other structures that survive a wildfire. Notably, the study found that removing all combustible material within 1.2 m of homes could reduce structure losses by 17%, compared with 5% for retrofitting alone.

The study also found that separation distance between structures is the most influential factor driving structure loss, especially in densely built areas.

Resilience implications

Research overwhelmingly found a systematic approach to wildfire resilience is key, underscoring that no single resilience measure is sufficient on its own.

At the household level, a combination of resilience measures including building codes, retrofitting, adequate structure separation and the removal of connective fuels has been proven to have the greatest impact on reducing risk. The IIBHS conclude that when resilience measures are adopted on a neighbourhood-wide scale the number of structure ignitions can be reduced, slowing fire spread and reducing impacts.

Much debate following the fires has centred around new Californian regulations to limit flammable materials within 1.2 m (5 ft) of homes, known as Zone 0, to create an ember-resistant area to prevent structure ignition. According to CAL FIRE the purpose of Zone 0 is to:

Reduce the likelihood of structure ignition by reducing the potential for direct ignition of the structure from flame contact, by embers that accumulate at the base of a wall, and/or indirect ignitions when embers ignite vegetation, vegetative debris or other combustible materials located close to the structure that result in either a radiant heat and/or direct flame contact.

Originally directed by the Legislature in 2020, the impending legislation stalled until the 2025 fires, when the Californian Governor directed the completion of the Zone 0 regulation by the end of 2025. Public debate over the issue has since pushed expected completion to 2026. Despite this, some Californian cities have already implemented Zone 0 policies, with some offering grant programs to support implementation.

The new regulation will build upon existing defendable space policies dating back to 1965, which mandated a fuel reduced area extending to 10 m surrounding a property, and which were supplemented in 2008 with a requirement for fuel reduction to around 30 m or to the edge of the property. These regulations include maintenance of grass, space between vegetation, removal of fallen leaves and clearance space around sheds and wood plies. The key difference is that in Zone 0 there should be no fuel, while in the outer areas, fuel is to be minimised and managed.

It is proposed Zone 0 will apply to all new construction in California’s State Responsibility Area. For existing structures home and business owners will have three years to clear the vegetation and other combustibles within 1.2 m around the structure. CAL FIRE has estimated that 17% of all structures (some 2 million houses) across California will be affected by the regulations.

Regulations are proposed to include combustibles such as wood-based mulch, woody plants, dry grass, synthetic lawns, stored timber, storage sheds, wooden gates and fences attached to a structure, small trees and other landscape materials within the first 1.2 m of the structure and any attached decks. Trees would be allowed within the zone if they are pruned and maintained appropriately.

A recent UCLA expert panel debate noted that while combustible materials near structures pose clear fire risks, vegetation management is more complex. Reducing tree canopy may contribute to extreme heat exposure, and communities have resisted vegetation removal due to aesthetics and cost, framed in the media as ‘anti-garden policy’. Some residents argue well-watered plants in Zone 0 offer protection, but recent IIBHS research confirms even hydrated vegetation will ignite under extreme fire conditions.

Observations for Australia

Australian experience has seen significant bushfire losses within urban areas. For example, in 1967 fires burned to within 2 km of Hobart CBD claiming 62 lives and in 2003 fires burned into Canberra suburbs destroying close to 500 homes.

Similar to California, many Australian properties were not designed to withstand bushfires, and the number of homes in at-risk areas continues to increase. The risk of conflagrations in Australia compared to California, however, must be better understood. The two environments are different and significant risk factors such as structure separation may differ.

Natural Hazards Research Australia funded research led by UTAS investigating the wildfire urban interface found that creating defensible space around a home can reduce house losses. Finding that guidelines for the creation of defensible space should identify the closest area surrounding a home as a stand-alone zone (similar to Zone 0), to ensure focus on this critical area.

A systems approach to household resilience requires clear, evidence-based measures that prioritise efficacy and efficiency. While guidelines exist to address existing buildings, their implementation remains largely voluntary, highlighting the need for incentives to encourage adoption. Fire agencies play a crucial role to communicate these measures, but systemic change is essential to ensure widespread resilience.

To help remove barriers to improving the resilience of Australia’s building stock the Productivity Commission recently recommended the development of a nationally consistent climate resilience rating system for housing and for a national strategy to improve the resilience of Australia’s housing stock over coming decades.

In its submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry on net zero transformation, the Centre noted that a resilience rating system could be mandatory for all new properties at the time a property was sold or leased. For example, California now requires sellers in areas of high wildfire risk to report completed retrofit works. Such rating systems should consider both physical attributes of a structure and features surrounding a structure such as garden design.

Transparency of household resilience alone, however, will unlikely be insufficient to overcome barriers to improving the resilience of existing housing stock. Incentive measures such as subsidies, low-interest loans, insurance discounts and build back better provisions in insurance policies should all be considered.

Natural Hazards Research Australia is continuing to support Australian fire services to explore implications of the Los Angeles fires through new research focused on understanding the risk of conflagration in Australia.

In short, Australia needs:

  • Incentive measures such as subsidies, low-interest loans, insurance discounts to promote retrofitting to enhance property resilience.
  • National Resilience Strategy for housing stock inclusive of the management of bushfire fuel on private land
  • Resilience rating system, mandatory for all new properties and when properties are sold or leased

Burn scars in western US snow regions to further strain water supplies, research shows

Whitetail Fire South Dakota

Snowpacks in western United States are projected to decline in size and melt earlier when high emissions climate scenarios are combined with more wildfires, putting an increasing strain on vital water resources.

Research in Science Advances notes that wildfires are increasingly burning in snow-dominated watersheds and are altering the dynamics of snow melt. Snowpacks, a vital water resource that recharges aquifers and sustains streamflow during drier months, are projected to decline in the western United States by between 40 to 75% by 2100 under high emissions climate scenarios.

Snowmelt timing and magnitude are major controls on reservoir storage for municipal water supply, agricultural use, hydroelectric power generation, and flood control. Warmer temperatures and expanding population pressures are only increasing these demands. In the western US, snowmelt-derived runoff from mountainous regions contributes up to 70% of total annual flow.

Burned area in western forest snowpack areas has increased by 9% annually between 1984 and 2017, with areas above 2500 m with historically reliable snowpack seeing the largest relative increase in burned area.

Previous research has claimed that the specific day when all snow has completely melted away is occurring earlier and earlier each year in postfire environments. A primary driver of increased snowmelt is due to the black carbon and other charred woody debris shed by burned trees and vegetation onto the snow surface, decreasing the amount of solar radiation snow can reflect and increasing the amount of energy snow absorbs.

Researchers from the Colorado Schools of Mines and the University of Colorado, however, said that previous research has focused on only one to three fires in specific areas, rather than adopting a larger-scale approach. Those researchers have since published their own larger-scale study, using two statistical models and satellite imagery to provide a western US–wide analysis on snowpack in burned areas. They found in virtually every region that has snowpack, snow melts earlier in the first year after a fire than in non-burned areas.

“The Pacific Northwest and northern Sierra Nevada are most vulnerable to snow disappearing up to two weeks earlier after a fire,” the study said. “Additionally, California and Oregon have the largest additional change in the effect of fire on [the snow disappearance date] under +2°C of warming, while the Intermountain West (Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming) experiences small additional earlier melt. In warmer environments, snow disappearance due to postfire energy balance changes can even occur in midwinter, disrupting the anticipated timing of snowmelt runoff.”

Click here to read the full research paper.

A chief for the new US Wildland Fire Service

Brian Fennessy, Chief of Orange County Fire Authority

Brian Fennessy has told his colleagues at the Orange County Fire Authority that he is retiring as head of the agency in January to become the first Director of the newly created United States Wildland Fire Service.

In a memo to all OCFA firefighters and professional staff reported by the Homeland Security Today US website, Fennessy said he had “tentatively accepted” the new role to commence on 12 January 2026. The announcement is being broadly reported in the media but does appear to be announced yet in official government channels.

As he transitions to the new national role Fennessy attributed his selection to “our collective success at OCFA”.

“The creation of the USWFS represents a historic opportunity to strengthen interagency coordination, modernize capabilities, and elevate the profession of wildland firefighting,” he wrote to his colleagues.

Fennessy became chief of the OCFA in April 2018. He began his career in 1978 with the US Department of Agriculture’s United States Forest Service and the US Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management working as a hotshot crewmember, hotshot/helishot/helitack captain and ultimately crew superintendent.

In 1990, Fennessy joined the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) and ultimately became Chief of that Department in 2015.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) officially opened up applications for its US Wildland Fire Service Director position in late September.

The position was advertised as being based in either Washington, D.C., or Boise, Idaho, with a salary of $191,900 to $225,700.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘US Wildland Fire Service’ unveiled by USDA, DOI

California wildfires would be worsened under Cal Fire’s plan, court rules

A Cal Fire plan aimed at addressing Southern California’s wildfire crisis would actually make it worse, according to the San Diego Superior Court.

The court found the agency’s plan to reduce wildfire risk in the region by clearing vegetation would heighten wildfire risk, according to journalist Noah Haggerty with the Los Angeles Times. The judgment was delivered after a 5-year-long legal action filed by the California Chaparral Institute and the Endangered Habitats League against Cal Fire’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The agency’s Vegetation Management Program, in part, focuses on cutting fuel breaks in Southern California’s native chaparral ecosystems, according to the report. The court agreed with the plaintiffs that the plan would let non-native and fast-growing plants take chaparral grasses’ place.

Cal Fire argued that it addressed this issue in its environmental impact review, but the plaintiffs said the agency didn’t take into account that the invasive grasses that take chaparral’s place are much more flammable and subsequently increase fire risk.

The court ordered Cal Fire to address the potential for plant type conversion to worsen wildfire risk and, until it does, it won’t be able to rely on its blanket environmental review to comply with the state’s environmental quality act.

Click here to read the full article.