Earth ChangesS


Fire

Another 'out-of-control' wildfire forces evacuation in Alberta; state of local emergency issued in province's northwest


CTV News
Mon, 16 May 2016 12:59 UTC
Fox Creek wildfire, Alberta
© Fox Creek Fire Department, FacebookAn out of control wildfire is burning 10 kilometres north of Fox Creek, near the North Trilogy plant.
A rapidly growing wildfire has sparked another mandatory evacuation order in Alberta, this time in the province's northwest.

A state of local emergency was issued Sunday evening in the Municipal District of Greenview because of a blaze between Fox Creek and the hamlet of Little Smoky, about 260 km northwest of Edmonton.

Provincial officials say the fire is near an energy industry plant and is burning on either side of Highway 43.

The evacuation order does not apply to the Town of Fox Creek or the Hamlet of Little Smoky. No road closures are in effect at this time.

Evacuees have been asked to report to a reception centre at the Paradise Inn in Valleyview, east of Grande Prairie. Residents are asked to check in even if they don't want to stay at the hotel.

Small pets are welcome at the hotel. Large animals and outside pets will be sheltered at the Valleyview Agricultural Grounds.

The temperature is expected to rise through the week, with rain not expected until Wednesday. The muncipality had previously instituted a fire ban, applying to any outdoor fires and use of off-road vehicles on public land due to the extremely dry conditions.

Comment: Wildfire seasons are more destructive and lasting longer almost everywhere on Earth

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Attention

24 pilot whales die following beaching in Baja California, Mexico


The Bellingham Herald
Sun, 15 May 2016 13:39 UTC
Beached pilot whales
Beached pilot whales
Two dozen pilot whales died after beaching themselves on the Baja California Peninsula despite efforts to move them into deeper waters, Mexico's navy say Sunday.

The statement said naval personnel worked along with soldiers, environmental ministry agents and local fishermen trying to save the whales on the western shore of the Gulf of California.

Only three of the 27 whales that came ashore were saved, the statement said. Some whales returned to the beach after being led into deeper water.

The statement speculated the mammals were disoriented, saying no signs of injuries were noted.


Source: The Associated Press
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Bizarro Earth

Strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo


RT
Mon, 16 May 2016 12:33 UTC
5.6 Tokyo earthquake map
© jma.go.jp
An earthquake preliminarily measured at 5.6 magnitude has hit off the Japanese coast, just north of Tokyo, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reports.

Local news outlets say the quake was felt in the Saitama and Tokyo areas, with buildings swaying.


Metro operations were briefly suspended on all routes in Tokyo, but services restarted four minutes later.

An elevator maintenance firm in Tokyo said several elevators stopped in the metropolitan area due to the quake with commuters asked to "use emergency buttons," according to NHK.

TASS news agency reports that books fell from shelves and furniture shook at its headquarters in Tokyo.

No damage was reported at airports, the Japan Times reports, citing officials.

However, NHK claims there was some panic just after the tremors when windows shook at a hotel where a G7 Science and Technology ministerial entourage is staying ahead of a conference this week.
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Cloud Lightning

2 people and 7 animals killed by lightning strikes in Nepal

Rastriya Samachar Samiti
The Himalayan Times
Mon, 16 May 2016 13:17 UTC
Lightning
Two youth from the same neighbourhood were killed and another woman was injured after being struck by lightning in Tanahun last night.

The thunderbolt struck the house of Khem Rana at Kanhunshivapur VDC - 7 of the district last night, injuring his 18- and 20-year-old daughters, Gulabi and Mausami respectively.

But, Mausami died while undergoing treatment at the Damauli Hospital at 11 pm.

Her younger sister with serious injuries was rushed to Pokhara for additional treatment.

The lighting also struck another house in the same neighbourhood, killing Animaya Thapa (55). Thapa died on the way to a hospital.

The lighting also killed four cows and three lambs belonging to Rishiram Thapa of the same locality, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Surendra Bahadur Gurung, of District Police Office, Tanahun.
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House

2 bodies found in debris of home explosion in Burlington, Wisconsin

Ben Hutchison
WISN Milwaukee
Mon, 16 May 2016 03:06 UTC
Burlington home explosion
© YouTube/TODAY’S TMJ4

Cause of explosion yet unknown

Racine officials recovered two bodies from the scene of a home explosion Saturday. As of 9 p.m. Sunday, crews were still searching for a possible third victim.

First responders were called to the home near Ketterhagen Road and Burlington Bypass around 3 p.m. Saturday, but there had already been a large explosion, officials said.

Firefighters also put out a propane tank burning in the yard near the house.

The Racine County Fire Investigative Task Force helped Sunday to search through the debris for any more victims.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said there wasn't much left of the home.

"This is the first time I've seen a home literally destroyed, completely exploded and the loss of life," Schmaling said. "This is tragic for the community and I'm trying desperately to get answers for them in a reasonable period of time."

The Sheriff's Office said it is continuing its efforts to confirm whether a third person was in the home at the time of the explosion.

An investigation for the cause of the explosion is ongoing. Authorities said the circumstances surrounding the fire are suspicious in nature.
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Attention

5.0 magnitude earthquake rattles southern Israel


The Times of Israel
Mon, 16 May 2016 04:16 UTC
Eilat, Israel
© Nati Shohat/Flash90View of the Southern Israeli city of Eilat on April 1, 2014.

Epicenter of tremor some 100 kilometers southwest of Eilat; no reports of injuries or damage

An earthquake rumbled in the Red Sea early Monday morning, shaking buildings in the Sinai peninsula and as far north as Israel's southern tip.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Israel from the temblor, which struck at about 4:45 a.m Monday morning.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor measured 5.0 on the Richter scale with an epicenter in the Red Sea, 25 kilometers northeast of Dhahab, Egypt, and 100 kilometers southwest of Eilat in Israel.

Last month, a very small earthquake hit parts of southern Israel as local residents of the city of Arad and the Dead Sea area reported experiencing minor tremors.

So small was the temblor, the Geophysical Institute of Israel said, that it could not even be measured on the Richter scale, the Ynet news website reported.
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Wolf

Attacks by carnivores are on the rise in North America and Europe: Are humans to blame?

Lizabeth Paulat
Care2
Sat, 14 May 2016 20:38 UTC
The number of attacks on humans by large carnivores has increased significantly during the last few decades for almost all large carnivores.
The number of attacks on humans by large carnivores has increased significantly during the last few decades for almost all large carnivores.
Attacks by large carnivores on humans have been on the rise throughout the western world. Bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes have increasingly been involved in deadly maulings and injuries, with the number of attacks nearly doubling since 1994. However, a new study out in Nature shows that it's actually humans who are often putting themselves in harm's way.

The study, which took human risk factors into account, found that, "an increasing number of people are involved in outdoor activities and, when doing so, some people engage in risk-enhancing behaviour that can increase the probability of a risky encounter and a potential attack."

With humans encroaching into wildlife areas, and wildlife adapting to urban areas, the likelihood of having to share our spaces with large carnivores has increased. With this reality, the simple act of not knowing how to coexist with these animals is causing increased fear, an increased risk of attack and, sadly, retribution killings.
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Wolf

Pack of stray dogs kill 10-yr-old child in Baheri, India; death toll reaches 9 in 18 months

Priyangi Agarwal
The Times of India
Sat, 14 May 2016 17:07 UTC
Stray dogs
© Sumit MalhotraStray dogs
In yet another incident of attack by stray dogs, a pack killed a 10-year-old boy on Saturday evening when he was going to attend a religious event at a local temple in Unai Chapta village in Baheri. This is the ninth child to be killed by dogs in Baheri in the past one-and-a-half years. Besides, more than 50 kids have sustained injuries after being attacked by strays over this period.

As per the family of the victim, Pushpendra Kumar, 10, son of Ramesh Kumar, was on his way to a temple when he was attacked by a pack of dogs. Though the distance between the victim's house and the temple is barely one kilometre, the pack of dogs pounced on him when he was halfway to his destination.

Two villagers riding a motorcycle saw the attack and chased the strays away. However, the boy had died of his injuries by then. Pushpendra, said his family, was the youngest of four siblings.
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Stop

Gulf of Mexico: Nearly 90,000 gallons of crude oil leak from Shell Oil's offshore drilling pipeline

Amanda Froelich
True Activist
Sun, 15 May 2016 17:07 UTC
oil spill
© erglawfirm.com
Thanks to Shell oil company, a 2 mile by 13 mile sheen of oil is now visible in the sea about 97 miles off the Louisiana coast. This is a result of 88,200 gallons of crude oil leaking from the company's pipeline that flows underwater, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Reuters relays that the flow line was connected to four wells and Shell's Brutus platform, which floats in seas that are about a half-mile deep in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf. While it is believed that the sheen came from a release of oil from sub-sea infrastructure, authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident.

Activists aren't letting the oil company off easy, however. Shell may have shut down all wells that flow to the Brutus platform and dispatched five boats to clean up oil that can be skimmed off the surface of the Gulf, but the recent leak has infuriated environmentalists. According to ABC News, they're using the disaster as a prime example of why offshore drilling should be banned.
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Fire

Huge blaze threatens bird sanctuary in Battambang, Cambodia

Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon
The Phnom Penh Post
Fri, 13 May 2016 14:39 UTC
A man hoses down smouldering patches of scorched earth in Battambang province after a fire ripped through a flooded forest.
© Alessandro Marazzi SassoonA man hoses down smouldering patches of scorched earth in Battambang province after a fire ripped through a flooded forest.
Twenty six men armed with plastic jugs and three hoses drawing water from the Sangke River are all that stand between what's left of the Prek Toal bird sanctuary, and a fire that has already destroyed more than 5,000 hectares of flooded forest.

Prek Toal forms the "core area" of the Tonle Sap biosphere, an area some experts have called the single most important breeding ground for water fowl in Southeast Asia.

"In 16 years of patrolling, I have never seen a fire like this," said one Environment Ministry ranger who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the press. The men, who have been divided into three teams, are trying to contain a fast-moving fire on difficult terrain.

Suspected negligence started the fire in early April and it has since spread across the wetlands thanks to exceptionally dry conditions related to the El Niño-induced drought, climate change and yet-to-be-understood changes of the Tonle Sap flood cycle.

For the past 10 days, the conflagration has come within hundreds of metres of Prek Toal village, and on Wednesday, a column of smoke loomed over the floating settlement.
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