SACRAMENTO – Cal Fire firefighters are preparing for the potential of extreme fire weather across many parts of California in the coming days. The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting gusty winds and low humidity this weekend in much of northern California. On Monday, parts of southern California could experience many of the same conditions. The NWS is forecasting that ...

MADERA – The Central Sierra is ground zero for tree mortality in California, and agencies from across the state are learning from local challenges. Madera County continues to lead conversations and share information with both decision makers and the public. The California Local Agency Formation Commission (CALAFCo) hosted its annual conference at Tenaya Lodge last week where approximately 250 decision ...

SACRAMENTO –  The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has announced the availability of up to $155 million for Fire Prevention and Forest Health projects. Cal Fire is soliciting applications for projects that will “help prevent catastrophic wildfires and restore forest health while also sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” Cal Fire’s Fire Prevention Grants Program ...

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA – The first rains of the fall are forecast to arrive in our area early this week, and PG&E is warning that there is an increased risk of power outages during the first rains following a long dry season. “During the first rainstorm of a season, dust and other particles that have accumulated on our equipment can transform ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The WEA portion of the test commences at 11:18 a.m., and the EAS portion follows at 11:20 a.m. The test will assess the ...

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today shared the progress it has made in partnership with customers, community leaders and first responders to reduce wildfire risks and improve safety following the 2017 statewide wildfires and in response to the ever-growing wildfire threat in California. Launched in late March 2018, the company’s Community Wildfire Safety Program has developed ...

YOSEMITE – There are multiple fires burning in Yosemite National Park’s wilderness. Wildfires when caused by lightning are a natural phenomenon on the landscape, say park officials. “Fire managers work to restore healthy forests and reduce the threat of extensive, severe fire by allowing some lightning-ignited wildfires to burn. While hiking trails and sitting at vistas you may see smoke ...

YOSEMITE – Though the firefight has ended on the nearly 97,000-acre Ferguson Fire and only a few smokes remain throughout the interior, the work of repair and restoration continues. On a recent trip to Yosemite West, I was escorted by Anne Grandy, retired from the Bass Lake Ranger District and now serving as a PIO on the South Central Sierra ...

YOSEMITE – As we move into the fall season, we are reminded that though temperature may be cooling down, fire season is not over. There are currently four fires still burning in Yosemite National Park’s wilderness. While hiking trails and sitting at vistas throughout the park, visitors may see smoke in some of these areas and are reminded that wildfires, ...

YOSEMITE – Visitors to Yosemite National Park should be prepared for one-lane traffic control at numerous locations throughout the park through the end of October. From Sept. 10 to Oct. 28, the park will be replacing the existing traffic counters in Yosemite, beginning this week along Tioga Road. At each location, the park will be installing loop vehicle detectors in ...