How prescribed burns help save forests
One method to help protect forests from wildfires is what are known as prescribed burns, in which certain areas are intentionally set ablaze. Dave Malkoff explains how they work.
Watch CBS News
One method to help protect forests from wildfires is what are known as prescribed burns, in which certain areas are intentionally set ablaze. Dave Malkoff explains how they work.
Each spring, everyone who's anyone in the world of aerial firefighting converges on an open field just outside Redding for one of the biggest drills of the year.
California's oldest state park has reached a milestone in its recovery from a wildfire that destroyed nearly all its historic buildings and facilities, shutting down the park for nearly two years.
Northern California wildfires may have killed hundreds of giant sequoias as they swept through groves of the majestic monarchs in the Sierra Nevada, an official said Wednesday.
Cal Fire is using new technology and better positioning of resources in a bid to keep small blazes from erupting into mega-fires like the ones that torched a record 4 percent of the state last year.
Wildfires across California have burned "well over" 4 million acres so far this year with about two months remaining in the fire season.
The SQF Complex Fire, smoldering since late August in the Sequoia Nat'l Forest in the southern Sierra Nevada, blew up Saturday, sending a huge plume of smoke into the Central Valley and southern Bay Area. Darren Peck analyzes its potential impact on our unhealthy air.
A volunteer fire department in Cresson Texas near Fort Worth said Monday one of its firefighters died battling West Coast wildfire and, later, the Forest Service said one firefighter was killed and another injured battling a Northern California blaze.
A new study from a team of climate scientists and forest experts suggests that an endless fire season is our new reality in the Golden State.
Finland's president isn't sure where President Trump got the idea that raking is part of his country's routine for managing its substantial forests.
The Ferguson fire burning just west of Yosemite National Park is steadily growing Saturday after two more firefighters were injured while battling the flames in blazing summer heat.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order on Thursday that aims to reduce the dangers of wildfires following some of the most destructive blazes in state history.
About 6.3 billion dead trees are still standing in 11 Western states, up from 5.8 billion five years ago
Officials in California say they're preparing to use large air-blasting incinerators to burn up trees killed by drought and a beetle epidemic ravaging Sierra Nevada forests
The effort to fight wildfires in California may be making future wildfires even worse, according to a new report.
The U.S. Forest Service says a firefighter from South Dakota has been killed battling one of more than a dozen wildfires burning across California.
What started out as a shortcut turned into a four day ordeal for a woman who was nine months pregnant and eventually gave birth while lost in the Plumas National Forest.
Summer arrived in California on Sunday with fire season in full swing, as crews knocked down dozens of small blazes throughout the state and slowed the spread of a huge forest fire in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Fire officials say a lightning-sparked wildfire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest remained at 1,480 acres overnight, with containment at 20 percent as of Sunday morning.
Fire officials Saturday said a lightning-sparked blaze in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest has grown to 1,331 acres and is about 5 percent contained.
A U.S. Forest Service spokesman said more rain and high humidity on Saturday aided firefighters battling the King Fire.
A 400-acre wildfire in Yosemite National Park has prompted the evacuation of about 100 campers, officials said.
Two wildfires sparked by lightning nearly three weeks ago were still growing on Saturday while threatening as many as 250 homes in far Northern California.
Two fires that started within a day of each other in Lassen National Forest expanded into private property and scorched 95 square miles as of Sunday morning, up from 39 square miles a day earlier.
Lightning sparked dozens of fires in Northern California, including one in rural Modoc County that spurred some 120 people to evacuate, and the threat of more strikes along with winds from looming thunderstorms could aggravate the firefight.
Reactions from U.S. lawmakers poured in after the Trump administration announced strikes on Venezuela and the capture of the country's president.
Many U.S. adversaries condemned the U.S. strikes on Venezuela, while other governments called for deescalation.
Soon after the U.S. carried out military strikes inside Venezuela, President Trump said the nation's President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out.
Friday night was another soggy evening in San Francisco, and for thousands of neighbors, that meant another power outage.
The long-delayed local commercial Dungeness crab season is expected to begin Monday, but seafood lovers eager for fresh local crab will have to wait a bit longer.
Reactions from U.S. lawmakers poured in after the Trump administration announced strikes on Venezuela and the capture of the country's president.
Many U.S. adversaries condemned the U.S. strikes on Venezuela, while other governments called for deescalation.
Friday night was another soggy evening in San Francisco, and for thousands of neighbors, that meant another power outage.
The long-delayed local commercial Dungeness crab season is expected to begin Monday, but seafood lovers eager for fresh local crab will have to wait a bit longer.
A Marin County neighborhood was inundated with flood water Friday, as the region prepares for rising water due to the king tides and an upcoming storm.
Friday night was another soggy evening in San Francisco, and for thousands of neighbors, that meant another power outage.
Officials in San Francisco on Friday said overall crime in the city went down by 25% in 2025, with the number of homicides reaching a level not seen in more than 70 years.
A woman who was found dead in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel on New Year's Day has been identified as Victoria Jones, daughter of actor Tommy Lee Jones, officials said.
San Francisco welcomed the New Year with a block party, and the rain didn't keep too many people away.
The rain seems to have swayed some people to switch up their plans for New Year's Eve, but lots of other people remained positive, hoping the rain won't signal a soggy start to the New Year.
Police in Oakland have launched homicide investigations after two people died in separate shootings that took place on New Year's Day.
Battalion Chief Ryan Meineke, with the Oakland Fire Department, said all the stations are fully staffed and expecting higher than normal call volume. The one thing working in their advantage this year is the weather.
Two people have died, and a third person was arrested following a shooting inside a Concord home on New Year's Eve.
Police in Antioch said a 10-week-old puppy stolen from a family the day after Christmas has been safely recovered and two people have been arrested in the case.
Richmond police on Tuesday said a person of interest in a homicide shot himself in the parking lot of the San Pablo Police Department after trying to speak with officers.
Authorities in Monterey County have arrested a man following a drive-by shooting that took place in a neighborhood near Salinas on Christmas night.
A woman has been arrested on multiple charges after she allegedly attacked a family during a road rage incident in Palo Alto over the weekend, police said.
Authorities on California's Central Coast confirmed that a body recovered from the ocean by deputies was a swimmer who went missing after a possible shark attack last week.
San Francisco 49ers fans are looking forward to the high-stakes game between the Seahawks and the 49ers.
A shooting at an after-hours business in San Jose early Friday morning left one person dead and three other people injured, police said.
Several residents of a senior housing tower in Santa Rosa were displaced following a fire that broke out New Year's Eve, firefighter said.
A Guerneville man said a tree fell on their home and narrowly missed his 3-year-old daughter's crib. He said they are still waiting for insurance officials to inspect their house and have been living in a motel.
The barn was originally built in 1899, commissioned by Kanaye Nagasawa, a pioneering Japanese immigrant, winemaker, and leader of a utopian community who became known as the "Baron of Fountaingrove."
A man riding a scooter in Santa Rosa was hit and killed while crossing an intersection Friday morning, authorities said.
Heavier rainfall and stronger winds prompted small businesses in low-lying flood-prone areas like Goodman Building Supply in Mill Valley to place sandbags in front of their entrance.
The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers face off in a high-stakes game on Saturday night.
Belinda Rhodes has been cheering on the Niners for as long as she can remember.
Stephen Curry scored 26 points in his annual homecoming game in Charlotte, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Hornets 132-125 on Wednesday in front of 19,685, the largest crowd ever at the Spectrum Center.
Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald headline the list of modern era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Macklin Celebrini became the third player to score 60 points this season with a goal and two assists in the San Jose Sharks' 5-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Officials in San Francisco on Friday said overall crime in the city went down by 25% in 2025, with the number of homicides reaching a level not seen in more than 70 years.
Police in Oakland have launched homicide investigations after two people died in separate shootings that took place on New Year's Day.
The FBI's field office in Charlotte, North Carolina, said the potential attack was inspired by ISIS.
Authorities in Monterey County have arrested a man following a drive-by shooting that took place in a neighborhood near Salinas on Christmas night.
Authorities on the Northern California coast said a reward has been offered for a Native American woman who has been missing for nearly 35 years.
Grok, the chatbot developed by Elon Musk's company xAI, said it is fixing "lapses in safeguards" after social media users said it was generating sexualized photos of minors.
The company's investment in safety prevention comes amid growing concerns over the potential harm of artificial intelligence.
Instacart had drawn criticism for testing an AI-based system that enabled retailers to charge different prices for the same grocery items.
Sports betting companies face mounting competition from rapidly growing prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket.
Instacart's "unlawful tactics" hurt shoppers and raised the cost of groceries, according to the FTC.
So far this season, the CDC estimates there have been at least 7.5 million flu illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations, and 3,100 deaths.
Mom-and-pop shops will be exempt from this change, but big manufacturers in California will need to start adding folic acid to tortillas beginning January 1.
Health officials in the East Bay announced Monday that a person who visited several stores in the Walnut Creek area ahead of Christmas has tested positive for measles.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
A California digital health company and a Florida medical practice have been indicted in an alleged $100 million scheme to illegally distribute Adderall over the internet to patients across the country who didn't need it, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Soon after the U.S. carried out military strikes inside Venezuela, President Trump said the nation's President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out.
As U.S.-Iran tension soars, Trump warns violence against protesters could bring an American intervention: "We are locked and loaded and ready to go."
Some of California's new laws aim to tackle artificial intelligence, wildfire recovery assistance, immigration and consumer issues.
Enhanced tax credits that have helped Americans offset the cost of Affordable Care Act health insurance for the last four years expired overnight.
Recent memory serves as a sobering reminder of how critical it is for law enforcement and civilians to be vigilant as crowds gather to celebrate New Year's Eve.
Oasis nightclub announced plans to close six months ago. New Year's Eve was slated for the final performance. A last-minute, multi-million dollar donation turned the final curtain call into an encore performance.
A 16-year FBI employee has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired last month because he had a Pride flag displayed near his desk.
A group of transgender members of the U.S. Air Force and Space Force forced to leave active duty under the Trump administration's policies say their benefits were revoked in a rare move.
California state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco announced Wednesday that he is running for Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat next year.
Advocacy group The Trevor Projected released data from the first year of a study following more than 1,600 LGBTQ+ youth across the country.
A woman who was found dead in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel on New Year's Day has been identified as Victoria Jones, daughter of actor Tommy Lee Jones, officials said.
The rain seems to have swayed some people to switch up their plans for New Year's Eve, but lots of other people remained positive, hoping the rain won't signal a soggy start to the New Year.
Here are the significant books, films and characters joining the list of works in the public domain on Jan. 1, 2026.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perhaps best known for his role as state Sen. R. Clayton "Clay" Davis on HBO's "The Wire."
The band announced Perry Bamonte's death on their official website on Friday.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oakland Unified School District has seen an alarming spike in the number of unhoused students in the school system who deal with a host of challenges far beyond what most children face.
Meteorologist and CBS News Bay Area's resident pilot Lt. Jessica Burch got a treat during Fleet Week, taking to the skies with one of the Blue Angels.
A Bay Area man discovered his devastating loss left him with a new opportunity to rethink how he lives -- follow his journey in virtual reality, 360-degree video.
A groundbreaking medical study involving the UCSF Medical Center has shown some colorectal cancer patients can safely skip radiation treatment and enjoy a potentially higher quality of life.
Every day, San Francisco bar pilot Captain Zach Kellerman goes through what might just be the world's most dangerous commute.
Sooji Nam reports.
Bay Area fishermen are waiting for the weather to calm down before starting the Dungeness crab season.
Here's a look at the weather forecast Friday evening.
For 31 years, Matt Diamond has dreaded the cost of insulin.
Some people say they've never seen the kings tides as high as they were on Friday at Moss Landing.
In 2025, KPIX is moving to a new community service award: the CBS News Bay Area Icon Award. Submit nominations for an outstanding community hero at kpix.com/icon.
It's the most wonderful time of the year for a South Bay woman who has played Mrs. Claus for more than 40 years for the children of North San Jose's Alviso District.
For residents of the Oakland Hills, the prospect of another wildfire always remains a concern. This week's Jefferson Awards winner has made it his mission to make the hills and other high-risk areas safer.
In East Palo Alto -- where state education numbers show more than nine in ten public school students are low income and more than half are English learners -- many are finding hope and connection at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula.
This week's Jefferson Award winner is Army veteran who continues to live a life of service into his 80s, by feeding hundreds of San Francisco families a week.
A Bay Area man who overcame tremendous obstacles to excel in school has made it his mission to gear up other students for success in the classroom and in life.
For Students Rising Above scholar Josh Collins it took moving across the country to realize the value of his Bay Area family.
Samir Hooker had to grow up fast after his stepfather was shot dead 12 years ago. Now he is watching over his mom and sister while attending UC Berkeley.
It's hard enough to graduate from one of the most prestigious schools in the country when you're the first in your family to go to college. Imagine doing that while you're also trying to protect your parents from being deported?
Some students who are the first in their families to go to college face the challenge of balancing a rigorous academic load while still working to help support their family back home.