Heat-driven blazes are shortening evacuation windows in Marin County and across the West; narrow roads and single-exit neighborhoods are forcing planners to rethink how people get out.

Bay Area redwoods are showing thinning crowns and brown foliage as summertime fog and water supplies shrink. Scientists and conservation groups warn coordinated protection and restoration are needed.

A dead gray whale was found near the Golden Gate Bridge and towed to Angel Island for a necropsy. Scientists will test tissue samples to determine cause.