Wildfires and other fire incidents

[funkervogt]

Imagine the recent Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's bases, but the drones instead drop incendiary grenades in wilderness areas that are in severe drought. Just one team of operatives could wreak havoc across a vast area. I'm thinking of a group of people disguised as Chinese or Russian tourists who drive around the American West or Canada in an RV that is actually full of drones.

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[wjfox]

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[firestar464]

More on that by ABC 13:

https://abc13.com/post/officials-issue- ... /16750188/

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[caltrek]

Study Shows Controlled Burns Can Reduce Wildfire Intensity and Smoke Pollution
June 26, 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) As wildfires increasingly threaten lives, landscapes, and air quality across the U.S., a Stanford-led study published in AGU Advances June 26 finds that prescribed burns can help reduce risks. The research reveals that prescribed burns can reduce the severity of subsequent wildfires by an average of 16% and net smoke pollution by an average of 14%.

“Prescribed fire is often promoted as a promising tool in theory to dampen wildfire impacts, but we show clear empirical evidence that prescribed burning works in practice,” said lead author Makoto Kelp, a postdoctoral fellow in Earth system science at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. “It’s not a cure-all, but it’s a strategy that can reduce harm from extreme wildfires when used effectively.”

Experts consider prescribed burns an effective strategy to reduce the threat of wildfires, and nearly $2 billion of federal funding had been set aside to conduct these and similar treatments to reduce hazardous fuel. Still, the use of prescribed burning in western states has expanded only slightly in recent years. Little research exists to quantify its effectiveness, and public opinion remains mixed amid concerns that prescribed burns can lead to smoky air and escaped fires.

Data-driven fire strategy

At Stanford, Kelp is working with climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh and environmental economist Marshall Burke through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, land management records, and smoke emissions inventories, the research team compared areas treated with prescribed fire between late 2018 and spring 2020 to adjacent untreated areas that both later burned in the extreme 2020 fire season. The analysis found that areas treated with prescribed fire burned less severely and produced significantly less smoke.

That finding is particularly important given the growing recognition of wildfire smoke as a major public health threat. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfires has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular problems and is increasingly driving poor air quality across the U.S.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1088563

For a presentation of study results as published in UGU Advances: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com ... 25AV001682

caltrek’s comment: Before I retired, I was somewhat active in our local Fire Safe Council. The results of the study discussed in these articles would not come as a surprise to the professionals involved in that organization.

[weatheriscool]

California's largest blaze explodes in size as dry, hot weather raises wildfire risk statewide

Source: Associated Press

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Updated 2:24 PM EDT, July 3, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A wildfire in a wilderness area of central California exploded in size as dry, hot weather Thursday raised the fire risk for large portions of the state ahead of the July Fourth holiday.

The Madre Fire became California’s largest blaze so far this year, ripping through grasslands after breaking out Wednesday in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. It swiftly grew to more than 55 square miles (142 square kilometers). There was just 5% containment.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for tiny communities near State Route 166 as flames moved through hilly terrain toward the Carrizo Plain National Monument, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Santa Maria. The region about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles contains vast grasslands that draw visitors in the spring to see its wildflowers.

The fire was pushed by summer gusts that typically increase as the sun starts going down, said meteorologist Ryan Kittell with the National Weather Service.

…

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/california-w ... 013f9ae550

[firestar464]

US lawmakers write to Canada to complain their wildfire smoke is spoiling summer

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjkgg0kk3lo.amp

[weatheriscool]

Manitoba again declares provincewide state of emergency due to wildfires

Source: CBC

Manitoba has declared another provincewide state of emergency as wildfires continue to threaten communities.

The state of emergency came into effect at 12:01 p.m. Thursday after a number of communities declared mandatory evacuation orders in response to wildfires, Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference.

The province also declared a state of emergency on May 28 that was lifted on June 23.

The state of emergency will allow the province to access more facilities and shelter a growing number of evacuees fleeing from their homes, Kinew said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba ... -1.7581550

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[firestar464]

More on that by the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/greece-wildf ... 087d51a833

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https://www.reuters.com/business/enviro ... 025-07-28/

[caltrek]

Sustainable Development is Key to Limiting Costs of Future Wildfires
July 31, 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Climate-related wildfires are once again making headlines as they rage across the northern hemisphere this summer. New IIASA research shows that addressing social and economic vulnerability across countries will be a key factor in mitigating the scale of resulting financial damage and emphasize sustainable development as key to reducing climate-related impacts.

Wildfires are a growing global threat, causing widespread destruction to lives, property, and economies. Their impacts are felt across nearly every region of the world, from wealthy nations to low-income countries, with the most severe consequences often falling on those least equipped to recover. As fire seasons lengthen and intensify with our changing climate, the damages from wildfires are expected to increase, straining national budgets, disrupting livelihoods, and deepening existing social and economic inequalities.

Led by Yi Ling Hwong, a researcher in the Integrated Climate Impacts Research Group of the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program, the authors of the new study published in Environmental Research: Climate looked at wildfire data from 165 countries around the world to uncover why some countries suffer far greater financial damage from wildfires than others.

“We wanted to identify the key drivers of economic damages caused by wildfires worldwide and to project how these damages might change in the future under different climate and development scenarios. This is important because, while increasing wildfire frequency and severity are well recognized as impacts of climate change, much less is understood about what determines the resulting financial losses, especially at the global scale,” Hwong explains.

Using future projections under different climate change and developmental pathways, the team found that by 2070, economic damages from wildfires could be three times higher under a high emission scenario than under a pathway focused on sustainable development. The benefits of a more sustainable trajectory are particularly pronounced in the Global South, where avoided wildfire losses could exceed 2% of GDP – more than ten times the benefit seen in high income countries. The study’s findings highlight that while climate factors such as heat and drought continue to increase wildfire risks, the level of social and economic vulnerability critically shapes the extent of wildfire-related economic losses.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1093229

[wjfox]

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