Today, Thursday January 12th is the fourteenth Spare the Air day of the Winter Season. By now, you've gotten the gist of what that means: the air is cold and lung-clogging, phlegm-inducing particulates are closer to the ground where they will surely give you cancer or maybe just make you sneeze or something. Anyway we don't need any more particulates (or phlegm for that matter), so let's just all remember not to burning anything today. more ›

Novato has been terrorized by 50 separate, small, suspected arson fires in the last three days, most of which have been in garbage cans or on small, four-square-foot patches of grass or brush. They've been concentrated in two distinct parts of the city, and the rapidity and proliferation of the incidents calls to mind the recent cat-and-mouse chase around Los Angeles for that suspected carsonist — albeit on a Marin-County scale with far less damage and far less actual drama. more ›

Sure, temporary holiday arborists can send their dry and withering Christmas trees to the wood chipper starting this week. But why put DPW and Recology through all that trouble for just a tiny bit of biofuel material, when you could instead send it all up in a furious ball of atmosphere-choking pine particulates? Which is exactly what one group of Burning Man types and other assorted pyromaniacs plans to do this Sunday at Ocean Beach. more ›

48-year-old Valorie Rogers-Rumph and her two dogs, a rottweiler and a pit bull, were found dead in a San Leandro home Monday morning after neighbors reported fire coming out of the home. The cause appears to have been smoke inhalation, and Rogers-Rumph did not have a working smoke detect more ›

Earlier this year, Jerry Brown was threatening to impose a $150 fee on all rural residents of the state in order to offset the costs of Cal Fire programs, which costs the state upwards of $23 million each year. People are complaining, however, especially the rich folk up in Marin, because they have to pay the fee even though Cal Fire doesn't do any work in their county, and they already pay local taxes for fire protection. more ›

A two-alarm fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. this morning near Bartlett and 24th Street in the Mission, leaving two victims in critical condition. SFFD has yet to determine the cause of the fire, but the recent high winds made things more complicated for fire crews this morning, causing the top-floor blaze to spread to an adjacent building. Despite the heavy winds, the Fire Department managed to douse the flames within an hour. more ›

Not that we ever find delight in the wake of a major fire that displaced 31 residents, but Three Twins Ice Cream whose Fillmore Street shop was in the same building as last night's massive fire in the Lower Haight are clearing out all their half melted inventory. Three twins owner Neal Gottlieb, trying to make the best of a sticky situation, tweets: more ›

Sirens and choppers around the Lower Haight this evening as we are getting reports of a 3-alarm fire on the 400 block of Waller Street. Neighbors have spotted 8 fire trucks on the scene between Fillmore and Steiner and adjacent residents have been evacuated. Also, police are apparently not directing traffic around the area, so there's a backup on Fillmore from Haight to Waller. Best to avoid the area and the 22-Fillmore line if you can. more ›

The summer months mixed with 4th of July revelry, at least in one case, sparked two blazes over the holiday weekend. First, a three-alarm fire nearly destroyed five duplex units over on the 4000 block of Mission in the Mission on Monday. An estimated 25 residents were displaced after the blaze. One person was treated at a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation, reports CBS 5, as well as two dogs. "Paramedics put oxygen masks on...two Cocker Spaniels before animal control transported them for treatment." The cause of the fire is under investigation. more ›

Late last night around 12:40 a.m. a 2-alarm fire was reported on Powell Street between Vallejo and Green in North Beach. SFFD responders had the fire under control by 12:55 a.m. according to a Bay City News report, but 25 residents of 1545 Powell Street were displaced by the damage, including three elderly residents who were taken to St. Francis Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. This morning, police and fire officials determined the blaze to be suspicious, but additional details on what caused it to break out were not immediately available. The Red Cross has been assisting with temporary housing for the displaced. [BCN/Appeal] more ›

Another two-alarm fire broke out early this morning, just up the hill from the Castro at 1370 Clayton Street. According to Bay City News, the latest fire was reported around 3 a.m. today and under control by 3:43. No one was injured, but the Red Cross is assisting the six residents who are probably not enjoying their Monday so far. more ›

Sounds like a hectic morning for the Fire Department as three separate fires broke out in the Castro - all around 16th and Market and all within an hour of each other between about 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. The first, a trash can fire behind a "locked and gated area" at 2248 Market St was reported at 4:25 a.m. and handily dealt with by the SFFD before a second fire broke out about a block away on 16th Street around 5 a.m. more ›

Fire crews along the Santa Clara-Merced County line put out a vehicle fire along highway 152 around 3:30am this morning, according to an AP report on CBS Local. Fire crews discovered two bodies in the van which Santa Clara county sheriff's department says shows no evidence of being involved in a crash - making this a suspicious case. No word yet on whether "suspicious" means "mob hit" or "feel asleep smoking in the back" - either way, the end result isn't pretty. [CBS Local] more ›

But some good news: The LA Times has a helpful breakdown worth a moment of your time, on how you can help people (and pets!) in need right now. We've re-printed it for your convenience: more ›