Minnesota mobilizes National Guard as wildfires spread

 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a state of peacetime emergency on Sunday, July 12, 2026, and activated the Minnesota National Guard as 20 active wildfires continue to burn across the northern region of the state. The action, requested by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, aims to...

Texas issues flash flood emergency amid ongoing storms

 

Texas officials declared a Flash Flood Emergency for San Saba County on Sunday as torrential rain rapidly swelled the Lampasas River and inundated low-lying areas. The National Weather Service warned that ongoing heavy downpours could trigger dangerous flash flooding across rivers, creeks and vulnerable terrain in Central Texas. The alert...

Colorado wildfires near Steamboat Springs trigger evacuations

 

Two separate wildfires broke out Sunday in Colorado’s high country near Steamboat Springs, forcing mandatory evacuations south and southeast of the city. One fire is burning on U.S. Forest Service land on Rabbit Ears Pass, with smoke visible from Steamboat Springs and size estimated at about 7 acres, according to...

Philadelphia declares disaster emergency after destructive microbursts

 

Philadelphia declared a disaster emergency after a series of powerful microburst storms caused severe damage across the city and neighboring Montgomery County over the weekend. Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the formal Declaration of Disaster Emergency on Sunday, July 12, 2026, one day after the storms struck on Saturday afternoon, July...

Oregon invokes emergency act as wildfire spreads

 

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has invoked the state’s Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the East Evans Creek Fire, which has burned an estimated 2,000 acres northeast of Rogue River in Jackson County. First reported on Friday, July 10, 2026, along East Evans Creek Road, the wildfire has been driven...

Cosmopolis mill owner warned over toxic tank cleanup

 

Federal environmental regulators have ordered the owner of the defunct Cosmo Specialty Fibers pulp mill in Cosmopolis, Washington, to start removing hundreds of thousands of gallons of corrosive industrial chemicals or face a federal takeover of the site. The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Saturday, July 11, 2026, that owner...

California wildfire engulfs 2,700 acres, triggers evacuations

 

CALIFORNIA – A rapidly spreading wildfire known as the Summit Fire has scorched nearly 2,700 acres in southern California’s Antelope Valley after being reported around 1 p.m. Friday in Llano, near the Los Angeles–San Bernardino county line. The blaze, driven by scorching temperatures and exceptionally dry conditions, remained uncontained as...

Cleanup Paused After Parkersburg Warehouse Fire Rekindles Again

 

Parkersburg, W.Va. Cleanup crews paused work at the Peoples Cartage warehouse after state health officials issued a Cease and Desist order citing possible asbestos in the building that burned on July 5; the West Virginia Department of Health said licensed contractors will evaluate debris and determine safe disposal methods, and...

North Carolina wildfire forces Brunswick County evacuations

 

A rapidly spreading wildfire near Old Georgetown Road and Hale Swamp Road in Brunswick County, North Carolina, has triggered mandatory door-to-door evacuations and damaged multiple structures, local officials said Saturday afternoon. The fire, which started on Friday, July 10, 2026, has burned an estimated 300 acres and remained 0% contained...

Waikoloa brush fire contained after temporary evacuations

 

WAIKOLOA, Hawaiʻi. Fire crews contained a wildland brush fire that burned about 200 acres south of Waikoloa Village Friday evening into the night, prompting temporary evacuations and road closures; two apartment buildings were evacuated and a temporary shelter opened before evacuation orders were later rescinded. By Saturday morning officials reported roads...