Search teams will fan out across the charred landscape of Paradise, California looking for human remains on Tuesday as authorities prepare for a rise in the deathcount from the state’s deadliest wildfire.

The current outbreak of wildfire activity in California is now the most destructive on record and joint deadliest, with the Camp Fire now having destroyed more than 6,700 structures, while the Woolsey Fire has expanded further and as a result multi-billion dollar losses are to be expected for insurance, reinsurance and ILS market interests.

As they worked this week to save lives, firefighters and police officers in Paradise had their own personal fear in the back of their minds: Will my home survive the onslaught of the Camp Fire? For many, the unfortunate answer is no.

The forecast for crews battling the California wildfires was anything but promising Monday. Near hurricane-force gusts may be in the cards for some already scorched areas.

Massive wildfires are tearing through parts of California, destroying hundreds buildings and forcing thousands of people from their homes. An emergency evacuation order was issued for several neighborhoods west of Los Angeles as firefighters frantically fought back the Woolsey Fire.

A dark plume was clearly visible around southwest Santa Rosa on Saturday afternoon after a fire broke out at a large industrial building and destroyed at least two businesses, fire officials said.

Tuesday’s midterm Election Day is filled with fascinating races coast to coast — from the Florida gubernatorial contest to the Texas Senate race, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. Not as many people are paying attention to the expected turnover among state insurance commissioners.

Crashes are up by as much as 6 percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that haven’t legalized marijuana for recreational use, new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows. The findings come as campaigns to decriminalize marijuana gain traction with voters and legislators in the U.S., and Canada begins allowing recreational use of marijuana this month.

Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home. Fresno Fire says a man who was house-sitting for his parents set the home on fire after he used a blowtorch to kill black widows. Yes, you read that right.

A massive fire at a large residential construction site early Tuesday in West Oakland — the East Bay’s sixth major conflagration at a housing development in a little more than two years — has renewed concerns that a serial arsonist is targeting projects across the region.

A hot and intense fire on Thursday destroyed a large shop at a construction business north of Anderson near the Verde Vale neighborhood.

EBay has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the US retail giant of using illegal tactics to recruit sellers.
It says Amazon representatives abused eBay’s internal email system to contact sellers - a violation of the marketplace’s policies.

Anthony Levandowski, the engineer at the center of this year’s corporate espionage trial between Waymo and Uber, has a history of bending the rules when it comes to self-driving cars, the New Yorker reports.

Five people suffered serious injuries in the San Fernando Valley crash that closed lanes for about 10 hours. Twenty-five people were hospitalized following a bus crash that closed the busy 405 Freeway in the west San Fernando Valley.

La Croix is in hot water after a new class-action lawsuit claims the luxe drink brand has been falsely advertised as “100 percent natural.”
The suit alleges that La Croix water contains numerous artificial ingredients like linalool, which is found in cockroach insecticide.