Wild River Fire Doubles and Australia Joins Indonesia Firefight

A fire near the Maine border grew quickly this week, and Indonesia's long fire season is drawing help from abroad. There is also a rule change in the Bay Area, a retrial in Los Angeles, and a new way to see the air in one small community.

Wild River Fire reaches about 1,000 acres

The Wild River Fire in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest has more than doubled in size since Tuesday, to approximately 1,000 acres, the Portland Press Herald reports. The U.S. Forest Service estimates it is 11% contained.

The fire is burning about seven miles southeast of Gorham, just across the Maine border, and has spread mainly north and west through inaccessible terrain. A Forest Service spokesperson said drought has been a key factor in its growth, and that additional resources are on the way. The cause is still under investigation. If you notice smoke nearby, it's a good day to keep windows closed.

Australia sends aircraft to Indonesia's wildfires

Australia will join Indonesia's waterbombing operations, with a C-130 Hercules and a Cessna Citation expected to help from November 6 to 12, according to Reuters, via U.S. News & World Report. Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, mainly on Sumatra, Borneo and Papua.

Health Ministry data showed fire and haze had caused over 400,000 cases of acute respiratory infections in seven provinces as of November 2. Reuters also reports that a waterbombing helicopter crashed on Borneo on Wednesday, killing one crew member and injuring five others.

Bay Area delays its gas water heater ban

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District pushed its ban on new gas-powered home water heaters to January 2028, The Mercury News reports. The rule was set to begin January 1, 2027. The board also expanded exemptions for low-income families.

The vote passed with all but one director in favor, as the board sought to balance health concerns against cost. According to district staff, replacing a gas water heater costs about $3,500 on average, while an electric one costs about $7,000.

Palisades fire retrial begins

Federal prosecutors opened a second trial on Wednesday against Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of using a lighter to deliberately set the blaze that became the Palisades fire, the Los Angeles Times reports, via the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty, and his first jury deadlocked in June.

Prosecutors are highlighting laboratory tests they say show a lighter could ignite the hillside vegetation. His attorney argued that investigators settled on their theory months before those tests were requested.

A church tower in Millvale now shows the air quality

The nonprofit New Sun Rising has placed an air quality beacon atop a former church in Millvale, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. It runs around the clock and changes among six colors, from green to maroon, based on the current reading and the EPA's Air Quality Index.

The beacon had been green, meaning good air, since it was first switched on in late October. The goal is to draw attention to air quality and educate the community about it.

Sources

Wildfire in White Mountain National Forest more than doubles to roughly 1,000 acres — Portland Press Herald
Australia to Join Indonesia's Wildfire Waterbombing Operations, Disaster Agency Says — U.S. News & World Report
Pause put on Bay Area gas-powered water heater ban — The Mercury News
Palisades arson case: Second trial begins against man accused of sparking wildfire — Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Beacon brings colorful awareness of air quality in Millvale — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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.