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Bushfires

March

A house still smouldering after fires swept through parts of Oklahoma at the weekend.

At least 39 dead in US as tornadoes, wildfires and dust wreak havoc

President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media network that his administration was ready to assist affected communities.

January

Firefighters tackle the Hughes Fire along a roadside in Castaic in California.

Thousands evacuate as new major wildfire erupts near LA

Fire crews are making progress on blunting the threat from an enormous new blaze north of Los Angeles that forced more than 50,000 under evacuation orders.

LA fires

LA firefighters hold the line despite extreme conditions

Some 8500 firefighters from at least seven states and two foreign countries prevented the blazes from growing for the second day running.

Cars destroyed by the Eaton Fire remain parked in a lot at the Altadena Auto Centre.

Lawsuits, looting as fire-scarred LA braces for more extreme winds

The blazes have scorched nearly 160 square kilometres and levelled entire neighbourhoods, from Pacific Palisades on the coast to Altadena in the east.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades.

How the LA fires became part of the culture wars

The hunt for blame has quickly turned into a Democrat v Republican, left versus right row, taking in everything from smelt fish to “woke” diversity policies.

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Bianca Spender.

More than tax reform, we need budget guardians

Readers’ letters on fiscal discipline, improving productivity, the Los Angeles fires, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and democracy under threat.

The sun rises behind a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades.

More reported missing as strong winds fuel LA blazes

The Eaton fire, which has killed at least 11 people, ranks among the 10 deadliest in California history. Officials say the death toll is likely to rise.

Donald Trump has held back federal emergency funding before.

Newsom warns Trump against withholding disaster relief for LA fires

The governor of California says the president-elect could hold back emergency funding as he plays politics on the most costly wildfire in US history.

Australian citizen Rory Syke, who died in the Los Angeles fires, pictured with his mother Shelley Sykes.

Australian man dies after fire engulfs Malibu home

British-born Australian citizen Rory Sykes, 32, died after flames engulfed his self-contained cottage on a family property in Mount Malibu, his mother Shelley Sykes said.

Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon.

‘Unimaginable terror’: LA wildfires threaten Bel Air

Evacuation orders cover important cultural institutions, including the Getty Centre and the University of California, Los Angeles. The death toll now stands at 16.

LA fires water drop

Elon Musk blames female firefighters, DEI for LA disaster

The billionaire’s use of X to stoke partisan outrage about the disaster underscores how the platform has transformed into a megaphone for his political views.

As dawn breaks firefighters continue to battle wind and fire as homes go up in flames in Malibu along Pacific Coast.

How a ‘warrior’ brain surgeon saved his street from fires and looters

It was a scenario the 62-year-old had been preparing for: he had trained, sourced the fire hoses, and briefed his son and neighbour about the course of action.

A statue stands amid damage from the Palisades fire last week.

The hottest year on record sparks fears of a ‘dangerous new era’

Temperatures broke another record in 2024 and experts warn this could bring faster wildfires, bigger storms and more extreme weather.

A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire behind a home with Christmas lights in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

In Trump’s fantasy world, fish set fire to Los Angeles

It’s always worth examining whether fire and water management could have been improved. But this isn’t what the misinformation spread by climate deniers aims to achieve.

A firefighter monitors the blaze in Mandeville Canyon.

Australian man dies after flames engulf Malibu home

British-born Australian citizen Rory Sykes, 32, died after flames engulfed his self-contained cottage on a family property in Mount Malibu.

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Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles.

Albanese seizes on Los Angeles fires to argue case for climate action

As some of the world’s wealthiest enclaves are destroyed, the PM says Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy plan will delay action to address climate change.

LA fires GIF of Donald Trump, Gavin Newsom, damaged properties and fires raging.

‘Like an atomic bomb’: LA fire costs surge to $240b

The fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the one in the east already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.

The devastation from the Palisades Fire is seen from the air in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles.

‘There was nothing you could do’: The week fire swallowed Los Angeles

Like so much of California, Los Angeles knows fire. But this was a disaster ripped from a Hollywood film, a real-life nightmare playing out in America’s dream factory.

Actor James Woods posted a series of photos on social media as his home was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire.

Oscar nominations delayed as stars lose homes to fires

The Academy Award nominations are also being delayed two days to January 19, with the voting window extended.

A resident hoses down hot spots in a fire-ravaged property.

‘We lost everything’: How wildfires leave psychological scars

Researchers found that about 4 per cent of the people affected by a bushfire in Victoria, Australia, were still suffering distress a decade later.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/bushfires-5vj