California Red Flag Warning, PG&E Shutoffs and Colorado's Prop 137 — October 15, 2026

Today's news centers on fire weather in California, where hot, dry winds are expected from Thursday through Saturday. Elsewhere, Colorado voters weigh a forest-health ballot measure, a wildfire insurer bets on house-by-house modeling, and a hobbyist builds a simple indoor air monitor.

Hot, gusty winds raise California's fire risk

Large parts of California are expected to see fire weather starting Thursday, with hot and windy conditions lasting through Saturday, the Associated Press reports via WTOP. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of central and Northern California from Thursday through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly. Pacific Gas and Electric had notified 88,000 customers in 29 counties as of Wednesday afternoon that it may need to turn power off to reduce fire risk.

In Southern California, Santa Ana winds of 20 to 40 mph, with gusts of 50 to 70 mph, are forecast for the San Gabriel and Santa Susana mountains, strongest from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she directed the fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. Officials are urging residents to stay informed and have a plan, and it's a sensible week to keep phones charged in case the power goes out.

Colorado readers debate forest thinning and Prop 137

Letters to The Denver Post take up how Colorado should manage its forests ahead of a vote on Proposition 137. One Lakewood reader questioned plans at Meyer Ranch open space in Jefferson County, which will lose 50% to 70% of its trees to wildfire mitigation thinning, and urged voters to research how the measure's mitigation work would be carried out.

Another reader urged a yes vote, writing that Proposition 137 would help prevent severe wildfires and conserve open space and clean water, after a summer the writer called one of the worst on record for drought, heat and wildfire in Colorado and the West.

A wildfire insurer raises $70 million to model homes one by one

San Francisco home insurer Stand has raised $70 million at a $1 billion valuation, Fortune reports. The company argues insurers have priced wildfire risk by looking backward and sorting homes by zip code, and instead builds a digital simulation of each house to show owners what to fix, such as a specific tree near the home.

Stand says its simulations predicted wildfire outcomes about 85% of the time in a backtest, compared with 50% to 55% for conventional models. It insures property in California for wildfire and in Florida for hurricanes.

A do-it-yourself indoor CO2 monitor

For people who like to tinker, XDA Developers highlights a homemade indoor air monitor shared on Reddit. Built on an ESP32 board with an e-paper display, it measures carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity, then goes back to sleep to save power. It can work with Home Assistant or entirely offline.

Sources

• Hot weather and gusty winds raise California wildfire threat as power shutoffs are planned — WTOP
• What's best for Colorado's sick forests? (Letters) — The Denver Post
• Exclusive: Stand raises $70 million at $1 billion valuation to price wildfire risk by treating homes like airplanes in flight — Fortune
• You, too, can make this ESP32 air quality detector that works with Home Assistant — XDA Developers

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.