Fires

Maui County says the number of confirmed deaths from the wildfires on the island has risen to 96. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says he expects the number of victims to rise. In a video update released Sunday, Green says there were 2,700 structures destroyed in Lahaina with an estimated loss of $5.6 billion in the wildfires. Green says FEMA is overseeing the federal response in Hawaii with 416 personnel including FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. He says President Joe Biden has “authorized the full force of the federal government in support of us.”

Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds have burned multiple structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities. Firefighters have struggled to reach some areas cut off by downed trees and power lines. Some homes have been evacuated on Maui and the Big Island and Hawaii's acting governor has issued an emergency proclamation. The National Weather Service says Hurricane Dora passing to the south of the island chain is partly to blame for strong gusts that toppled power lines and grounded fire-fighting helicopters. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes Tuesday concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region.

Firefighters aided by rain have made progress fighting a massive blaze that swept through the California desert into Nevada and is threatening the region’s famous spiky Joshua trees. Fire officials say a brief, heavy downpour Tuesday afternoon helped limit the spread of the York Fire. As of Wednesday morning, it was 34% contained after roaring through California's massive Mojave National Preserve and crossing into Nevada. It's California's largest fire this year. However, some Joshua trees have burned. Experts say the trees — which grow only in the Mojave Desert — are unlikely to regrow if they are scorched. Firefighters are working to contain the fire without disrupting the fragile ecosystem.

Four months after a terrifying fire at an immigration detention center on the United States border, eight badly burned survivors remain stuck in limbo at a Mexico City hotel. With no money to move and unable to work, they feel trapped.

As the ubiquity of e-bikes has grown, so has the frequency of fires and deaths blamed on the batteries that power them. Federal officials are considering a crackdown on defective lithium-ion batteries that power hoverboards, scooters and motorized bicycles.

Afghan women protesting a beauty salon ban say the Taliban used stun guns, fire hoses and gun shots into the air to break up their demonstration. The closure of beauty salons earlier this month is the latest curb on the rights of women and girls, following edicts barring them from education, public spaces and most forms of employment. Wednesday's protest in the capital, Kabul, was a rare sign of public opposition to the Taliban's policies. The Taliban say they are outlawing salons because they offer services forbidden by Islam and cause economic hardships for grooms’ families during wedding festivities. Nobody from the Taliban-run government was immediately available for comment about the protest.

The worst wildfire season in Canadian history is displacing Indigenous communities from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.