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      Samsung Recalls 1 Million Stoves That Started 250 Fires and Killed Pets

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      Thirty models of Samsung stoves were part of the recall over fires started by accidental contact.A recall has been issued for more than one million Samsung stoves after hundreds of reports of them being turned on accidentally, leading to fires that injured dozens and killed at least seven pets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement on Thursday.Customers who own one of the 30 recalled models of Samsung electric ranges that the company has been selling since 2013 will be able to get a free set of knob locks or covers to minimize the risk of ignition by accidental contact with humans or pets, the company said in a statement announcing its voluntary recall on Thursday.More than 1.1 million electric ranges were included in the recall. The ranges were involved in about 250 fires, which led to about 40 injuries. Eight of the injuries needed medical attention, and there were 18 instances of “extensive property damage,” the commission’s statement said.When asked exactly how many pets died, and why it took 11 years since the company started selling the flawed ranges before the recall was issued, a spokeswoman for the commission declined to comment, referring to Samsung and the commission’s website for questions.Christopher Langlois, a spokesman for Samsung, said consumers should be mindful of the risks of accidental contact with range knobs for any stove. They should keep their stove tops clean and clear, keep children and pets away, and make sure that stoves are turned off after cooking, the company said in a statement.Samsung is asking people who have aone of its ranges to contact the company to see if they are eligible for the free, self-install knob locks or covers that reduce the possibility of accidental ignition.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      What to Know About the Park Fire, the 4th Largest in California History

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      The rapidly spreading fire has consumed over 426,000 acres since it started burning in late July. The Park fire, the largest wildfire currently burning in the United States, has torn through over 426,000 acres in Northern California in recent weeks and has destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures.The fire ballooned in size in a matter of days, and it is the largest blaze in California so far this year. Thousands of firefighters and other personnel, some from as far as Utah and Texas, are battling the fire, which was 34 percent contained as of Wednesday.The hot and dry weather has made it difficult for firefighters to suppress the blaze, which is spreading northeast within Lassen National Forest and “ascending slopes with critically dry fuel,” according to Cal Fire. But forecasters say the coming days could bring lower temperatures and higher humidity levels in the fire zone. Current unseasonably warm temperatures are expected to steadily fade and give way to highs in the 70s next week.“It’s not a dramatic change, it’s slow. But each day is getting a little better,” said Eric Kurth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Sacramento. “That’s certainly helpful.”Here’s what to know about the fire.The Park fire has burned more than 426,000 acres.Loren Elliott for The New York TimesWhen and how did the fire start?The fire ignited on July 24 near Chico, a college town in Butte County, north of Sacramento. After igniting, the fire exploded to more than 120,000 acres by the next day and then nearly doubled in size the night after that. Officials said the cause of the fire was arson.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      San Bernadino Fire Destroys Homes and Forces Evacuations in California

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      A blaze in San Bernardino burned suburban homes and threatened others nearby, adding to an already intense California fire season.A fast-moving brush fire burned homes and forced evacuations in the inland California city of San Bernardino on Monday afternoon. Shocking views of the fire tearing across a residential hillside stoked fears that an already dangerous fire season could threaten the more populated parts of the state.The fire in the Southern California city, about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, has grown to 100 acres and burned multiple buildings, said Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Residents of dozens of homes in the Shandin Hills neighborhood are under evacuation orders, and the county has set up an evacuation center at a nearby elementary school.Multiple suburban houses with tile roofs could be seen on live TV engulfed in flames on Monday afternoon.The fire was first reported at 2:40 p.m. in a northern San Bernardino neighborhood, where firefighters found a grass fire spreading quickly. Very dry weather and temperatures approaching 110 degrees conspired to “allow this fire to move at a ridiculously rapid clip,” Mr. Sherwin said.The fire, which has been named the Edgehill fire, is zero percent contained, and 200 firefighters from various agencies are battling the blaze.In San Bernardino, gusty winds coming from the southwest on Monday were helping to push the fire up a hill where many of the homes were perched, said Sam Zuber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in San Diego, which provides forecasts for the San Bernardino region.“That’s probably why it’s been so difficult for them to get containment,” Ms. Zuber said, adding that low humidity and high temperatures were further fueling the fire. “It’s the perfect conditions for it to spread right up to the ridge top.”California has had a particularly bad fire season so far after scorching temperatures this summer parched the heavy vegetation that grew over the two past wet winters. Those dry grasses and brush have turned into abundant fuel.Hundreds of miles to the north, the Park fire began nearly two weeks ago near Chico and has ballooned into the fourth-largest fire in California history, spreading more than 403,000 acres. The fire, which is 34 percent contained, is expected to keep expanding, though its growth has slowed over the past week.That fire alone has burned more acres than all of the fires in California did last year combined, according to Cal Fire. This year, more than 778,000 acres have burned statewide, compared with roughly 325,000 acres in all of 2023, and the peak of the fire season has not yet arrived. More

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      Maui Wildfire Plaintiffs Reach $4 Billion Settlement as Anniversary Nears

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      Hawaiian Electric is expected to pay the largest share — nearly $2 billion — but avoided a heftier price tag that could have forced the utility into bankruptcy.Nearly a year after a ferocious wildfire on Maui killed 102 people and leveled the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii’s largest utility has agreed to pay the largest share of a legal settlement totaling just over $4 billion and compensating more than 10,000 homeowners, businesses and other plaintiffs.The proposed agreement was filed late Friday in a Maui-based state court, six days before the anniversary of the disaster. Fire victims and insurers have spent months in court-ordered mediation with the state, Maui County, large private landowners and utilities within the fire zone to resolve more than 600 lawsuits brought in state and federal courts by survivors of the catastrophe.The settlement, which remains subject to court approval, will cover less than half of the overall cost of the disaster — estimated at nearly $12 billion — which cut a path of destruction through one of the world’s most spectacularly beautiful destinations. More than 3,000 homes and other structures were damaged or destroyed, and thousands of residents were killed, injured or displaced.Gov. Josh Green had pushed for a single global agreement among all the parties to litigation to swiftly compensate fire victims, rather than extending negotiations for years without payment. State officials had also hoped to ward off a potentially devastating financial hit to Maui County and the bankruptcy of Hawaiian Electric, which provides electricity for more than nine in 10 of the state’s residents on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii Island.“Settling a matter like this within a year is unprecedented,” Mr. Green said on Friday. “And it will be good that our people don’t have to wait to rebuild their lives as long as others have in many places that have suffered similar tragedies.”Under the proposed terms, which do not include any admission of liability, the utility is expected to pay a little less than half of the $4.037 billion settlement, $1.99 billion, a considerable amount but less than the potential $4.9 billion liability that the investment research firm Capstone estimated last year would most likely bankrupt the company.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Scenes From the California Park Fire

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      Last Wednesday, a man pushed a burning car into a gully near Chico, a college town north of Sacramento, according to the authorities. Within days, the flames have consumed more than 370,000 acres and the Park fire has become the largest active blaze in the country.Thousands of people are under evacuation orders and at least 111 structures have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire.Residents of this part of California have dealt with one fire after another in recent years. In 2018, the Camp fire destroyed the town of Paradise and became the deadliest fire in state history. In 2021, the Dixie fire burned nearly a million acres. That history loomed large for Paul Mozzino, who was working an afternoon shift at a grocery store in Chico last week when he heard the alerts about a nearby fire. He thought, “Oh God, not again.”Here are photos from the last few days as the Park fire — already one of the largest in the state’s history — burned through this swath of Northern California.Loren Elliott for The New York TimesThe Park fire burned into the night in Butte County, northeast of Chico, on Sunday.Loren Elliott for The New York TimesA California Conservation Corps firefighter took part in a backfire operation on Monday.Noah Berger/Associated PressSmoke rose above the road as the Park fire jumped Highway 36 in Tehama County on Friday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesThe hills near Chico on Thursday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA helicopter dropped water on the Park fire along Highway 32 in Butte County on Saturday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesThe plum of smoke from the Park fire on Friday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA home destroyed by the Park fire in the Forest Ranch area in Butte County on Friday.John G Mabanglo/EPA, via ShutterstockThe burned remains of cars destroyed by the fire on Friday.Noah Berger/Associated PressThe Park fire burned below Highway 32 near Lomo on Friday.By Daniel Dreifuss For The New York TimesFirefighters set controlled burns along Highway 32 near Chico on Saturday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA Cal Fire firefighter sprayed down hot spots along Highway 32 as the Park fire continued to grow on Saturday.Nic Coury/Associated PressA firefighter monitored a burn operation on Highway 32 near Forest Ranch on Sunday.Noah Berger/Associated PressHorses were evacuated as the Park fire tore though the Cohasset community in Butte County on Thursday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA firefighter kept a close eye on a controlled burn along Highway 32 on Saturday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesFire trucks lined Highway 32 on Friday.Almendra Lawrence More

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      Lithium Battery Fire Traps Drivers in Sweltering Heat on California Highway

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      Traffic was at a standstill for hours on a portion of I-15 near Baker, Calif., after a truck carrying lithium batteries overturned and caught fire.Drivers were stuck in traffic in 109-degree heat on a California highway on Saturday for hours as the authorities struggled to extinguish a fire involving a truck carrying lithium ion batteries that had overturned on Friday.Emergency services received calls around 6:30 a.m. local time about a truck that had crashed near Baker, Calif., in the northbound lanes of I-15, a major highway that leads travelers to Las Vegas.The northbound lanes were closed beginning at 8:30 a.m., and the southbound lanes at 9 a.m. The southbound lanes reopened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol.The northbound lanes remained closed as of 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to the California Department of Transportation.The California Highway Patrol said it had cleared the backlog of stuck vehicles on the closed highway by rerouting them to I-40. But that, in turn, had caused “extremely heavy” traffic on that highway, which the agency described as “the only alternative” because of the location of the closure on I-15.“Multiple attempts were made to move the container from the freeway shoulder to open land using heavy equipment,” the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District said on social media on Saturday. “However, the container’s weight, exceeding 75,000 pounds, has made these efforts unsuccessful so far.”The fire district said it was monitoring the air quality “due to the hazardous materials and chemicals involved.”Emergency responders were checking for hydrogen cyanide, chlorine and sulfur dioxide, the district said, adding, “These chemicals pose significant health risks at elevated levels, with hydrogen cyanide and chlorine being particularly dangerous even at low concentrations.”Lithium ion batteries, which are used in many electronic devices, including e-bikes and electric cars, contain highly flammable materials. If ignited, the batteries burn hot and are very difficult to put out.The fire district noted on social media that lithium ion battery fires “can escalate to thermal runaway, needing massive amounts of water to extinguish.”Videos posted on social media from drivers on the highway traveling in the opposite direction showed long lines of vehicles at a complete stop.The California Highway Patrol did not provide an estimate of how long drivers had been stuck on I-15, noting that travel patterns vary, nor was it clear how many drivers had been stranded.But some on social media said they had been stopped in traffic for six hours and expressed concern about running out of gas or electric cars running out of charge.“The closure of the northbound side was moved further south,” the California Highway Patrol said in an email, adding that this move “allowed motorists to utilize alternate routes.”Saturday was an exceptionally hot day in Baker, with temperatures reaching the triple digits.The fire district, which could not be immediately reached for comment, advised people to travel with plenty of water and to “ensure you have enough supplies, fuel and charge in your vehicle.” More

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      After Fire at Sanctuary, First Baptist Dallas Church Mourns What’s Lost

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      As officials work to determine the cause, many lament the damage at First Baptist Dallas, a church that grew along with the downtown around it.The red brick outer walls of First Baptist Dallas Church were singed black on Saturday morning, and though they were still intact, along with the steeple at the front of the historic building, there was no sanctuary within. The roof, windows and interior were gone. And the smell of smoke lingered.Larry Smith and his wife, Rita, two members of the church, drove 20 miles from Arlington, Texas, to see firsthand the destruction of the fire from the previous night. Other members also gathered outside.Ms. Smith wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue as she talked about the sanctuary, with its dark wood pews and ornate carvings. There was a library in the church, she said, along with a printing shop and the offices of former pastors. “A lot of history in that building,” she said. Mr. Smith began to talk about what was lost when he trailed off, looking at the smoldering remains.Church members and other residents of the Dallas area mourned on Saturday the severe damage to the sanctuary, a landmark in the heart of Dallas where many of the megachurch’s members have been baptized, married and memorialized.On Friday night, the blaze, which caused the church’s roof to collapse, grew to a four-alarm fire that sent smoke billowing over the city. More than 60 firefighting units responded to the scene.No injuries or fatalities have been reported, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue. The fire occurred in the old part of the church’s sprawling complex, where the main Sunday services are no longer held, but which has been in use since its construction in 1890.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      What to Know About the Wildfires in California

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      The state has had more than 3,500 wildfires this year, and the peak of the annual fire season has yet to arrive.Californians are once again thinking about the familiar perils of deadly wildfires as high temperatures and winds have made for an active early fire season.In recent weeks, more than 3,500 wildfires have erupted across California, the nation’s most populous state, from its northern boundary with Oregon to the Mexican border. Tens of thousands of people have had to flee their homes, including most residents in the city of Oroville last week.After two relatively calm fire years, Californians fear that the blazes will be more intense this summer and fall, threatening towns and polluting the air with smoke up and down the West Coast. Here’s what to know.What’s the latest on the most intense fires?On Friday, the Lake fire started in the grassy hills of the Los Padres National Forest, about 50 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. In mere days, it has burned almost 29,000 acres and has become the state’s largest wildfire so far this year, according to Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency.The fire initially drew attention because it threatened the property formerly known as Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Firefighters made early progress controlling the fire line and keeping it away from the ranch and other properties in the hills, but strong winds have continued to push the blaze southeast.Most of the fire has been in rural, rugged terrain, officials say, and it was 16 percent contained as of Wednesday. But it has still forced about 440 people to evacuate, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, while more than 1,100 are under evacuation warnings.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More