How wildfires get their names

Unlike hurricanes and tropical storms, whose storm names are determined by a central authority, naming wildfires are left up to the fire unit, incident commander, or dispatch center in the jurisdiction where the fire began.

New Mexico governor asks Biden to declare disaster for wildfire

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is asking President Joe Biden to declare a disaster as firefighters scramble to clear brush, build fire lines and spray water to keep the largest blaze burning in the U.S. from destroying more homes.

National forests closed as California wildfires surge

The U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday that beginning on Aug. 22 it will close nine national forests from near Lake Tahoe at the Nevada border on the east all the way west to Six Rivers National Forest, which stretches north to the Oregon border and contains more than 1 million acres of land alone.