Wildfires and other fire incidents

Post Reply
weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by weatheriscool »

Brazil forest fire season underway and raising concern
Source: AP

By DIANE JEANTET and DÉBORA ÁLVARES

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The season of Brazilian forest fires has begun, and early data plus severe drought is sparking concern that nationwide destruction in 2021 will stay at the high levels recorded in the past two years, despite efforts to tamp down the blazes.

The government space agency that uses satellites to monitor fires reported more area burned in the month of July than in any July since 2016, according to data released Thursday. The same was true for June.

Most Brazilian blazes are manmade, often started illegally by land-grabbers clearing forest for cattle or crops. Fires tend to begin increasing in June and peak in September, according to historical data. They can easily get out of control during the dry season, burning large swaths of forest to the ground.

Brazil is home to the world’s largest rainforest and tropical wetlands — the Amazon and Pantanal — which saw dramatic fires in 2019 and 2020, respectively, that caused the greatest annual forest loss since 2015. That drew global criticism of the response from the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly called for development of the region.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/science-fire ... 7c76d87984
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6474
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by caltrek »

Monster Wildfire Turns California Mountain Town to Rubble
by Matthew Renda
August 5, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/monster- ... to-rubble/

Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — The Dixie Fire continued to burn the remnants of what was Greenville, California, a historic mining town situated in the northern Sierra Nevada as it raged out of control Thursday afternoon threatening a scattershot of small mountain towns in the region.

Firefighters in proximity to the small mountain town of Crescent Mills made frantic calls to animal control to retrieve animals in the path of the inferno but then opted to release them instead to give them a chance to flee the advancing fire.

The scene paints a picture of the sixth-largest fire in state history that only continues to grow at a rapid pace.

The three-week-old blaze ripped through the town of Greenville, a quaint village of about 1,200 tucked in the rolling territory between Lake Almanor to the north and Quincy to the south in Plumas County. The fire began Wednesday evening, but whatever remained of the town Thursday was engulfed as high winds intensified the flames.

"My defiantly quirky, beautiful adopted hometown turned into a ghost town last night," said Meg Upton, a reporter for the Plumas News.
Image
The Way Station bar burns as the Dixie Fire tears through the Greenville community of Plumas County, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2021.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6474
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by caltrek »

Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe and Raise Political Tensions
by Cain Burdeau
August 5, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/wildfire ... -tensions/

Introduction:
CASTELBUONO, Sicily (Courthouse News) — Following catastrophic flooding last month, southern Europe is now in the grip of devastating wildfires that are burning vast areas of Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Albania and Northern Macedonia.

Firefighters are battling numerous fires that have broken out across a Mediterranean basin that's been recording broiling temperatures for much of the past month, leaving an arid region even drier and more vulnerable to fires than usual.

Dangerous fires began erupting about two weeks after parts of Europe were inundated with catastrophic floodwaters caused by torrential rainfalls. Those floods killed more than 220 people, mostly in Germany and Belgium.

“We are fighting some of the worst wildfires we’ve seen in decades. But this summer’s floods, heat waves and forest fires can become our new normality,” said Virginijus Sinkevicius, the European Union's environment commissioner. “We must ask ourselves: is this the world we want to live in? We need immediate actions for nature before it’s too late.”

A string of disasters around the globe – including deadly flooding in China and horrific wildfires in the United States, Canada and Siberia – are dramatically raising the stakes for world leaders ahead of a crucial November climate change summit in Glasgow hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Image
Flames burn a forest on the island of Evia, about 90 miles north of Athens, Greece, on Thursday, August 5, 2021.
(AP Photo/Thodoris Nikolaou)
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by weatheriscool »

Wildfire explodes to third-largest in California history
Source: AP

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and NOAH BERGER
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire raging in Northern California exploded in size overnight, becoming the third-largest wildfire in state history amid high temperatures and strong winds. Better weather conditions were expected to aid the firefight on Friday.

The Dixie Fire grew by 110 square miles (285 square kilometers) between Thursday night and Friday morning, making the blaze the largest wildfire currently raging in the nation.

“This is going to be a long firefight,” said Capt. Mitch Matlow, spokesperson of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire was 35% contained Friday morning but was largely expanding within the perimeter firefighters previously established. It now spans an area of 676 square miles (1,751 square kilometers.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/fires-enviro ... 9377d0f1e0
User avatar
Yuli Ban
Posts: 4631
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:44 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by Yuli Ban »

Second western Canada town destroyed by ‘exceedingly aggressive’ wildfire
A second community in western Canada has been destroyed by wildfire as authorities in the region scramble to contain the destructive toll of climate change.

Officials say the village of Monte Lake likely suffered extensive damage, but conditions remain too dangerous for a full assessment. The village, a popular summer holiday destination, has a seasonal population of nearly 3,000.

On Thursday evening, the White Rock Lake wildfire jumped a highway and sped towards Monte Lake. Residents had been ordered to evacuate and no fatalities were reported.

“I understand from the BC wildfire that this fire moved 18km in a matter of eight hours,” Ken Gillis, chairman of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, told the Canadian Press on Friday. “I’ve talked to a number of firefighters who said this year’s fires are behaving in a manner that they have never seen before. They’re just exceedingly aggressive and it’s almost impossible to get ahead of them.”
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
User avatar
Yuli Ban
Posts: 4631
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 4:44 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by Yuli Ban »

Last month was worst July for wildfires on record, say scientists
Last month was the world’s worst July for wildfires since at least 2003 when satellite records began, scientists have said, as swaths of North America, Siberia, Africa and southern Europe continue to burn.

Driven by extreme heat and prolonged drought, the ignition of forests and grasslands released 343 megatonnes of carbon, about a fifth higher than the previous global peak for July, which was set in 2014.

“This stands out by a clear margin,” said Mark Parrington, a senior scientist in the EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, which estimates the carbon releases. “The July global total this year is the highest since our records began in 2003.”
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by weatheriscool »

Weekend of fear looms for Californians in face of wildfires
Source: Associated Press

By DAISY NGUYEN and NOAH BERGER
today
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — People living in the scenic forestlands of Northern California found themselves facing a weekend of fear as wildfires threatened to reduce thousands of homes to ashes.

The Dixie Fire that incinerated much of the gold rush-era town of Greenville threatened more than 10,000 buildings in the northern Sierra Nevada. It had engulfed an area larger than the size of New York City.

It was the largest current wildland blaze in the nation and the third-largest in recorded California history, according to the state Department of Fire and Forestry Protection.

Wind-driven flames destroyed dozens of homes and most of Greenville’s downtown on Wednesday and Thursday, and also heavily damaged Canyondam, a hamlet with a population of about three dozen people. The fire reached Chester but crews managed to protect homes and businesses there, officials said.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-sci ... 33ce88e1df
User avatar
wjfox
Site Admin
Posts: 8663
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:09 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by wjfox »

weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by weatheriscool »

Greece fires spread uncontrolled, killing a fireman
Source: BBC
Two people have been killed, including a firefighter, as uncontrolled wildfires spread across Greece.

Huge clouds of smoke are billowing over the northern outskirts of the capital, Athens, where people are being urged to leave their homes.

More than 150 fires have been reported. Six areas have been put on high alert.

Greece, like many parts of Europe, has been grappling with extreme weather. The prime minister says a heatwave has turned the country into a powder keg.

Hundreds of firefighters are trying to control the fires with nearly 20 water-bombing aircraft. Extra firefighters and planes are being sent in from countries including France and the US.



One of the worst blazes has struck the island of Evia, close to Athens
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58124129
weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Wildfire news and discussion

Post by weatheriscool »

Fire-friendly weather to return to Northern California
Source: AP

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and JONATHAN J. COOPER

Thick smoke that held down winds and temperatures began to clear Sunday from the scenic forestlands of Northern California as firefighters battling the largest single wildfire in state history braced for a return of fire-friendly weather.

The winds weren’t expected to reach the ferocious speeds that helped the Dixie Fire explode in size last week. But they were nonetheless concerning for firefighters working in unprecedented conditions to protect thousands of threatened homes.

“The live trees that are out there now have a lower fuel moisture than you would find when you go to a hardware store or a lumber yard and get that piece of lumber that’s kiln dried,” Mark Brunton, operations section chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said in an online briefing Sunday morning. “It’s that dry, so it doesn’t take much for any sort of embers, sparks or small flaming front to get that going.”

Fueled by strong winds and bone-dry vegetation, the fire incinerated much of Greenville on Wednesday and Thursday, destroying 370 homes and structures and threatening nearly 14,000 buildings in the northern Sierra Nevada.




Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-sci ... 28f45c2bfa
Post Reply