Wildfires and other fire incidents

[wjfox]

Wildfires latest: Landmines 'explode' near Dubrovnik after wildfires

Updated 6 minutes ago

Landmines exploded near Croatia’s southern city of Dubrovnik as a wildfire raged in the area, local media reported.

Fire-fighters and water-bombing planes battled the blaze, which was located roughly 7.5 miles from the famous medieval city, authorities said.

The fire reportedly triggered landmines that still litter the outskirts of Dubrovnik, relics of Croatia’s war of independence in the early 1990s.

There were no evacuations of the nearby population, according to the firefighters association.

The incident came as deadly fires have ravaged swaths of the Mediterranean region in recent days, including neighbouring Greece and across the Adriatic in Italy.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/ ... y-updates/

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[wjfox]

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Brush fire kills 2 and destroys 9 homes in suburban Tacoma, Washington
Source: AP

Updated 9:23 PM CDT, August 4, 2023

LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — A fast-moving brush fire killed two people and destroyed nine mobile homes Friday in a suburb of Tacoma, Washington, according to fire officials.

Firefighters responded to the fire in Lakewood on Friday afternoon, West Pierce Fire & Rescue said. The blaze started as a brush fire that extended to the Jamestown Estates Mobile Home Park, officials said.

Nine mobile homes are total losses, and five others sustained heavy damage.

Firefighters found two victims during the process of accounting for all the residents Friday evening, officials said. No additional information about the people who died was immediately released. Firefighters were still working to gain access to all of the homes involved, officials said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/fire-homes-d ... 33f38c2dba

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At least 6 killed in wildfires that devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, official says

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — A wildfire tore through the heart of Maui on Wednesday with alarming speed and ferocity, destroying dozens of homes and businesses in a historic tourist town, killing at least six people and injuring at least two dozen others, and forcing panicked residents to jump into the ocean to flee the flames.

Fire was widespread in Lahaina Town, including on Front Street, a popular shopping and dining area, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said by phone early Wednesday.

Photos posted by the county overnight showed a line of flames blazing across an intersection and leaping above buildings in the town center that dates to the 1700s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Aerial video from after sunrise revealed entire blocks of buildings reduced to ash and thick smoke in the air.

Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. It wasn’t immediately known how many buildings had burned, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview late Tuesday.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildf ... 98263720db

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At least 36 people have died in fires burning through Hawaii, county reports

Source: AP

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — At least 36 people have died in the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, Maui County wrote in a statement posted to the county website Wednesday evening.

Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood. Flames roared throughout the night, forcing adults and children to dive into the ocean for safety.

Officials said earlier that 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.

On Wednesday, crews were continuing to battle blazes in several places on the island. Authorities urged visitors to stay away.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildf ... d7f10faa94