On May 30 2023, The Recount tweeted about a purported decision by insurer State Farm, which would evidently no longer be accepting new applications from California homeowners: State Farm is no longer accepting new applications for homeowner insurance
Publication: Wildfires
Snopes→ Western Flames Spread, California Sees Its Largest 2022 Fire
The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with expected thunderstorms a big concern just south of the Oregon state line.
Snopes→ Western Flames Spread, California Sees Its Largest 2022 Fire
The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with expected thunderstorms a big concern just south of the Oregon state line.
Snopes→ Crews Protect Homes As California Fire Burns Near Yosemite
Some 2,000 firefighters battled the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions.
Snopes→ Alaska Experiencing Wildfires It’s Never Seen Before
Already more than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut, and the usual worst of the fire season lies ahead.
Snopes→ California Forest Fire Temporarily Strands July 4th Revelers
A Fourth of July wildfire that authorities say may have been sparked by fireworks or a barbecue temporarily trapped holiday revelers as it chewed through a mountainous California region.
Snopes→ Priceless Seeds, Sprouts Key to US West’s Post-Fire Future
A New Mexico facility where researchers work to restore forests devastated by fires faced an almost cruelly ironic threat: The largest wildfire burning in the U.S. was fast approaching.
Snopes→ Officials: Nearly 1K Structures Destroyed in Colorado Fire
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle also said that investigators are still trying to find the cause of the wind-whipped blaze that blackened entire neighborhoods in the area located between Denver and Boulder.
Snopes→ Lake Tahoe Evacuation Orders Lifted, but Fire Threat Remains
The lifting of a mandatory evacuation order for South Lake Tahoe's 22,000 residents is a confident milestone in the fight against the Caldor Fire, but it remains only 48% contained and still threatens areas south of the resort town.
Climate Feedback→ Article by The Daily Caller oversimplifies drivers of wildfires and downplays role of climate change
SUMMARY The article in The Daily Caller claims that land management practices enacted during the Clinton administration “paved the way for future debilitating wildfires.” The article received over 45,000 interactions on Facebook as of 28 Sept 20
Climate Feedback→ Article by Michael Shellenberger mixes accurate and inaccurate claims in support of a misleading and overly simplistic argumentation about climate change
SUMMARY The article by Michael Shellenberger was published in various media outlets, including Forbes, Zero Hedge, Breitbart, PJ Media, The Daily Wire, The Australian, and Quillette. The article has been shared more than 200,000 times on social medi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did The Movie ‘Venom’ Get More Money Than Fire Relief for the Brazilian Amazon?
Following the August 2019 news that the G7 economic forum agreed to pledge $20 million to contain fires tearing through the Amazon rainforest, digital artist Todd Vaziri‘s note of perspective on Twitter struck a chord online. Vaziri — who has
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Map Show the Locations of the Amazon Wildfires?
In the later days of August 2019, a map showing the many locations of wildfires raging through Brazil’s Amazon rainforest territory (and through other countries) made the rounds. The map contains legitimate information, but experts did advise re
Snopes→ PG&E to Pay $1 Billion to Governments for Wildfire Damage
The company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year citing billions of dollars in expected losses.
Snopes→ Insurance Claims from Deadly California Wildfires Top $11.4B
More than $8 billion of those losses are from the fire that leveled the town of Paradise, killing 86 people and destroying roughly 15,000 homes.
Snopes→ Did Goodwill Offer Free Supplies to Wildfire Victims Throughout California?
Various local Goodwills in California were offering assistance to residents forced to flee the Camp Fire in November 2018, but it was not a universal, statewide policy.
Snopes→ Did California Governor Jerry Brown Veto a Wildfire Management Bill, Increasing the Risk of Wildfires?
A conservative political web site drew a link between the Democrat's rejection of a legislative proposal in 2016, and the prevalence and risk of wildfires in the following two years.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did United States President Donald Trump Threaten to Withhold Disaster Funding from California?
Sizable wildfires burning up and down California have killed at least 25 people and destroyed at least one entire Northern California town, Paradise. The exact toll and cost as of November 11, 2018 is still unknown, because at least two enormously dest
Snopes→ Deadly Fire Shuts Down Key Route to Yosemite National Park
A wildfire that killed a California firefighter grew quickly and forced the closure of a key route into Yosemite National Park.
Climate Feedback→ A discussion with experts on California wildfire links to climate change
In the past year, California saw a number of extraordinary wildfires, including October’s Tubbs fire north of San Francisco and the Thomas fire near Los Angeles in December. It generally takes a confluence of factors to produce destructive fires, and
Climate Feedback→ Breitbart article on California fires misleads by omitting explanation of climate’s influence
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in Breitbart criticizes a statement by California Governor Jerry Brown, who said that the recent dangerous fires are “the new normal” for the area. The article correctly lists a number of factors t
Snopes→ Does the 2017 Tax Plan Eliminate Deduction for Losses from Wildfires, Other Natural Disasters?
Blowback against the proposed elimination of deductions for personal losses caused by natural disasters surged as wildfires ravaged southern California.
Snopes→ Flames Engulf San Diego Area in Newest Wildfires
The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California.
Snopes→ Should You Lay ‘Buckets of Water’ Out For Wildlife Escaping Wildfires?
While people naturally want to help animals, experts advise that "it's just better not to have an intervention."
Snopes→ California Wind, and Fire Danger, Hits Unprecedented High
As many as five fires have closed highways, schools and museums, shut down production of TV series and cast a hazardous haze over the region.
Snopes→ Did ‘Mexican Drug Cartels’ Start the California Wildfires?
Disreputable web sites provide no evidence to support a half-baked theory about the cause of the October 2017 fires.
Snopes→ Did Sprinklers Save a House From a Massive Wildfire?
A photograph showing a home with a green lawn surrounded by charred land is real, but the back story accompanying it is incomplete.
Snopes→ The Latest: Reports: Portugal Fires Death Toll Rises to 31
Portuguese media are reporting that the death toll in the country's spate of deadly wildfires has risen to 31, with several others missing.
Climate Feedback→ Global Warming and fire suppression practices boost wildfires in the US West, as correctly reported in The Atlantic
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This story in The Atlantic describes the conditions that have contributed to this year’s widespread wildfires in the western United States, including the influence of a changing climate. Scientists who reviewed t