Forest Fires - Pacific Standard

Forest Fires

A firefighter puts out hotspots on a smoldering hillside in Montecito, California, as strong winds blow smoke and embers inland on December 16th, 2017.

As wildfires burn longer and fiercer, doctors are trying to work out how today's smoke will affect tomorrow's health.

By Sophie Yeo

The Thomas Fire approaches a home on December 12th, 2017, in Montecito, California.

Weather models continue to show absolutely no rainfall until December 30th at the earliest.

By Eric Holthaus

The ruins of houses destroyed by the Tubbs Fire are seen near Fountaingrove Parkway on October 14th, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California.

Experts are concerned about how rainfall could spread toxic chemicals and destabilize hillsides thus threatening to damage the region's water supply.

By Alastair Bland

A firefighter tackles a wildfire close to the village of Pucarica in Abrantes on August 10th, 2017. Nearly 3,000 firefighters battled 80 wildfires raging across Portugal civil protection officials said, as the return of scorching heat put an end to the respite after a spate of blazes. Some 650 firefighters backed by nine water-dropping aircraft and over 200 vehicles were at the scene of the biggest blaze in a forest near the central town of Abrantes.

A firefighter tackles a wildfire close to the village of Pucarica in Abrantes on August 10th, 2017.

By Pacific Standard Staff

In this photograph taken on September 24th, 2015, Indonesian military troops extinguish a fire at a vast burning peat land forest in the Jabiren Raya district of Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island during President Joko Widodo's inspection of firefighting operations to control agricultural and forest fires.

A recent study puts forth a new factor for judging the flammability of forests: groundwater.

By Sandhya Sekar

Researchers detect "critical slowing down" as fires explode in the lab.

By Nathan Collins

Researchers from Oregon State argue that when it comes to carbon emissions, not all forest fires are created equal.

By Elisabeth Best

The Thomas Fire burning landscape.

While it's widely acknowledged that forests can be useful for holding carbon, they release phenomenal amounts of greenhouse gases when they burn.

By Peter Friederici