The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "wildfires" ...
-
Investigating the Fire
After three people were killed in a fire set by the Colorado State Forest Service, KMGH-TV uncovered governmental mistakes and communication failures that killed people and destroyed homes. Our coverage spurred legislative change that will ultimately help the victims of the Lower North Fork Fire (LNFF) rebuild their lives and protect future fire victims. The LNFF was started in March 2012 by a state forest service prescribed burn that went out of control, killing three people and destroying more than 20 homes. KMGH-TV's six-week investigation uncovered multiple government failures that turned a supposedly controlled burn into an uncontrolled wildfire. Despite heading into a busy ratings period, KMGH-TV dedicated two reporters -- Amanda Kost and Marshall Zelinger -- full-time to investigate the fire. The station produced more than two dozen investigative reports over 40 days. On top of the daily reports, KMGH-TV produced a 30-minute special of original content in six days. Our investigations sparked a legislative inquiry into the fire and prompted Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to sign a law lifting liability limits that protected the state agency responsible for the blaze. Lawmakers, fire victims and community residents all agreed that without KMGH-TV's extensive investigation of government failures and mistakes, the families of people who died and people who lost homes would never be adequately compensated for their losses. Our investigation forced the state to reevaluate how it sets future prescribed burns to make sure the fires are safer for the community.
-
Tons of Questions
After wildfires destroyed 365 homes in San Diego, the city rushed to enter contracts with two companies to haul away mounds of potentially toxic debris. The Union-Tribune investigated and found that the contractors, A.J. Diani Construction C. of Santa Maria and Watsonville-based Granite Construction Co., claimed to haul far more rubble than privately hired companies did from comparable lots, failed to provide accurate documentation of how many tons they removed and billed the city millions more than stated in their contracts.
Tags: contractors; natural disasters; restoration; fraud; overcharging; demolition permit applications
-
Wildfires' Echoes: Developing in the Danger Zone
The authors looked at where new single-family home building permits were issued in the wake of the 2003 wildfires in San Bernadino and Riverside counties. The investigation revealed that several thousand permits were issued in areas considered a high fire threat.
Tags: wildfires; environment; safety; fire; development; home building; city government; building permits; zoning; data analysis; CAR; mapping; GIS
-
Up in Smoke
This investigation showed that firefighting systems are overburdened nation-wide. The reporter examined the Forest Service's accounts and found that money was grossly mismanaged -- she shows how system abuse contributes to both the high price of firefighting and also the ineffectiveness of firefighting systems. The reporter uses a recent fire in Lincoln, MT as an example to illustrate the flaws of the system.
Tags: wildfires; forestry service; park rangers
-
'Red Zone' Residents Feel Heat
Wildfires in Colorado are posing a larger threat to people in recent years. In the 1990s, so many people moved into the dense forests of the state that it now holds almost 1 million people. The amount of people in this dangerous region makes it more difficult for fire fighters to do their job.
Tags: forest fires; environment; wildfires; fire fighting; fire department
-
Fire Tents
A CBS News investigation discovers that "the US Forest Service had consistently ignored calls to revamp its standard-issue fire shelter," which had contributed to the deaths of several fire-fighters in recent years. The story reports on the efforts of a fire shelter designer, whose brother firefighter died inside a shelter, to convince the federal authorities to try out a new superior shelter. A major finding is that one of the deceased firefighters from the 2001 Thirty Mile Fire in Washington state died from inhaling fumes produced in result of the melting of the interior of the fire shelter.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; emergency; safety; Forest Service; StormKing Technologies; wildfires
-
Thirty Mile Fire
Seattle Times investigates the death of four firefighters who "were trapped by wildfire in a pinched valley in north-central Washington State" on July 10, 2001. The series reveals that "despite obvious evidence of danger, front-line bosses misjudged the explosive conditions present that day ... [and] pushed firefighters to battle a blaze even though the fire threatened no homes or businesses." Numerous safety rules were ignored, and officials knew that firefighter fatalities follow a pattern, the Times reports. The main finding is that "a fire-fighting culture in which extinguishing fires - not safety - remains the top priority."
Tags: FOIA requests; Forest Service; wildlife; Endangered Species Act; protected natural areas; Okanogan National Forest Plan; decision-making under pressure; organizational behavior; meteorology
-
Trapped at Thirtymile
The Yakima Herald-Republic investigates the death of four U.S. Forest Service firefighters on July 10 in the Chewuch River Canyon, revealing "serious safety problems within the agency." The newspaper found that "commanders at the scene broke Forest Service rules in fighting the fire and followed a pattern of safety violations going back to the 1994 Storm King fire in Colorado that killed 14."
Tags: fire departments; U.S. Forest Service; deaths; Chewuch River Canyon; Washington; safety problems; neglect; Storm King Fire; wildfire
-
Feeling the Heat
National Journal looks at the governmental policy in fighting wildfires. "The nation's forests have become unnaturally - and dangerously - overgrown as a result of 100 years of overly aggressive fire suppression," reports the magazine. The story follows the battle between "environmental advocates who want to preserve the ecological values of the forests and timber industry supporters who are pushing for more logging on federal funds." The report includes statistics on the number of fires and the burned forests acreage in the 1990s.
Tags: fire; federal funding; logging industry; ecology; the Wilderness Society; politics; federal government; legislature; Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management
-
Wind and Fire
The News Tribune looks at the aftermath of a recent windstorm that blew down millions of Minnesota's oldest trees. The downed trees have created the perfect conditions for wildfires that could become bigger than any in the state's recent history.
Tags: forest fires; Minnesota; fire fighters