2020 Wildfires - Special coverage at The Spokesman-Review

Sports > Outdoors

Fires produce elk food as nutritious as alfalfa, Bitterroot Valley study shows

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 29, 2018

Mountain fires can spark the growth of new vegetation that, for several years, can provide as much nutrition to elk as irrigated agricultural fields.

News > Nation

Wyoming wildfire destroys more than 40 homes; highway closed

Wed., Sept. 26, 2018

A wildfire in Wyoming has destroyed more than 40 homes, and firefighters have closed a highway while they set their own fires to try to stop the main fire’s spread.

News > Washington

Wildfire burns at Hanford nuclear reservation

Sun., Sept. 9, 2018

A wildfire burned an estimated 3,000 acres on the Hanford nuclear reservation early Saturday morning, and a larger fire was burning uncontained on Saddle Mountain.

News > Nation

Wildfire that closed key California highway doubles in size

Sat., Sept. 8, 2018

A roaring wildfire that has shut down a stretch of a major interstate in a rural area near the California-Oregon border has nearly doubled in size overnight.

News > Nation

Wildfire closes key California highway through the weekend

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 7, 2018

A stretch of a major highway near the California-Oregon border will remain closed through the weekend as crews try to tame a roaring wildfire burning on both sides of the north-south route, authorities announced Friday.

News > Nation

California takes financial wallop from unrelenting wildfires

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 6, 2018

Truckers abandoned big-rigs and motorists screamed in fear as they came dangerously close to an explosive wildfire that shut down about 45 miles of a major California interstate near the Oregon border that authorities were desperately trying to reopen.

News > Nation

California wildfire shuts I-5, prompts new evacuations

Wed., Sept. 5, 2018

A fast-growing wildfire in Northern California prompted officials Wednesday to close both directions of Interstate 5 connecting California and Oregon and issue evacuations.

News > Idaho

Idaho reviews prison fire crews after inmate accused of rape

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 5, 2018

Idaho is reviewing its program for temporarily releasing prison inmates to help fight wildfires after an inmate was charged with raping a woman working at a remote Utah firefighting base camp.

News > Idaho

Idaho prisoner helping fight fire in Utah accused of rape

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 4, 2018

An Idaho prisoner sent to help fight a wildfire in Utah raped a woman who also was working to support firefighters, prosecutors said Tuesday.

News > Washington

Once the flames are out, Yakima County fire investigator Chris Pedersen gets busy figuring out why the fire started

Mon., Sept. 3, 2018

Yakima County Fire Marshal Chris Pedersen is the local equivalent to Sherlock Holmes, with two key differences: She investigates fires, not crimes; and she doesn’t have a Watson – at least, not an official Watson. Pedersen is the only certified fire investigator in her office, which means she alone is tasked with overseeing the investigation into any fire that starts in an unincorporated area of Yakima County.