Portugal is bracing for a heat wave, with temperatures in some areas forecast to climb as high as 43 C (109 F) this weekend just as a severe drought grips the country.
The Civil Protection Agency, a Portuguese government body that coordinates official responses to emergencies, said Thursday it is placing crews on high alert because of the risk of wildfires. About a third of the country faces an extreme risk of forest fires, authorities say.
The high temperatures are forecast to last at least a week. The national weather service IPMA says what it calls "tropical nights," when temperatures stay above 20 C (68 F) after sunset, are likely.
The government said it will place the country on a formal state of alert against wildfires from Friday. That step grants authorities special powers, such as outlawing stubble burning and fireworks at summer festivals, and allows it to requisition equipment such as bulldozers for clearing fire breaks.
On Monday alone, there were more than 3,000 lightning strikes in Yukon
Wildfires are breaking out across Yukon as lightning pummels the territory and a heat wave wears on, a fire information officer says.
Mike Fancie of Yukon Wildland Fire Management says about 20 fires a day have been sparked beginning on the long weekend, bringing the total this year to 155 wildfires that have burned 45,000 hectares.
Fancie described the proportion of fires caused by lightning as "stupendously high" at 97 per cent, compared with about 70 per cent in a typical year with the remainder being caused by humans.
On Monday alone, there were more than 3,000 lightning strikes, 484 of which were positive strikes that carry with them increased fire danger, he said.
An easing of winds overnight helped the Fire Service contain several blazes in different parts of Greece.
According to the Fire Service, 52 wildfires broke out on Monday, stoked by strong winds and high temperatures.
A wildfire burning uncontrollably on Monday evening across three fronts near the town of Amfissa, in the municipality of Delphi, central Greece, was partly brought under control on Tuesday, the Fire Service said.
Firefighters and volunteers battled with the flames through the night, taking advantage of the improved weather conditions.
Big wildfire forces evacuations near Turkish Marmaris resort
Firefighters battled a wildfire in southwestern Turkey from land and air on Thursday as high temperatures and winds fanned the blaze and dashed hopes it was contained, while authorities said they had detained a person in connection with the fire.
Scenes of burning woodland near the Aegean coastal resort of Marmaris sparked fears of a repeat of last year's fires that devastated tens of thousands of hectares (acres) across the region.
Reuters footage showed smoke billowing from hills and police water cannon vehicles helping firefighters as the blaze spread through the woodlands in the sparsely populated area.
As monsoonal moisture moved through Southern California Wednesday more than 50,000 lightning strikes were detected, starting wildfires and killing a woman and her two dogs who were walking in Pico Rivera.
Chris Vagasky, @COweatherman, tweeted that a total of 54,329 strikes were recorded across California on Wednesday UTC time.
Multiple fires suspected of being started by lightning occurred in Southern California, with most of them being suppressed while very small. The cause of the Thunder Fire east of Interstate 5 near the Grapevine north of Frazier Park is under investigation, but the suspected cause is lightning, said Captain Andrew Freeborn of the Kern County Fire Department. At 6:45 a.m. Thursday the Department reported it had burned approximately 2,300 acres and was being staffed by 250 personnel.
A historically massive tundra fire is burning within approximately 3.5 miles from the lower Yukon River community of St. Mary's, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the fire agency responding to the blaze. The fire has moved 1.5 miles closer to the community since Saturday. It has also spread eastward and is approximately 7.5 miles from Pilot Station. To the west, it is burning 18 miles from Mountain Village. A second fire is burning 24 miles north of Mountain Village. Meanwhile, a different fire is moving closer to upper Kuskokwim River communities.
"The next 72 hours are critical," the BLM wrote in a statement on Sunday morning.
Approximately 145 people from St. Mary's, Pitkas Point, Mountain Village, and Pilot Station have flown to Bethel where they are being housed at the National Guard Armory and Gladys Jung Elementary School. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation is organizing the flights and housing. On Saturday, eight Red Cross volunteers arrived in Bethel to assist.
A monster blaze churning in northern New Mexico for more than a month has blackened enough acreage to earn a place in the state's record books.
Aside from being the largest wildfire currently burning in the U.S., the fire moving over the Sangre de Cristo mountain range is now the largest in the arid state's recorded history. It covers more than 465 square miles, or an area nearly one-quarter the size of Delaware.
More than 260 homes have burned and more evacuations were prompted over the weekend as the blaze moved through dry โ and in some cases dead โ stands of pine and fir trees. Huge columns of smoke could be seen from miles away, and fire officials and weather forecasts continue to refer to it as an unprecedented situation.
Aya Elamroussi, Paul Vercammen CNN Fri, 06 May 2022 10:21 UTC
Firefighters on Thursday trying to hold the Calf Canyon/Hermit Peak Fire near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Taming the second-largest wildfire in New Mexico history has been a nightmare for crews who have been battling the blaze for more than a month, a firefighter said Thursday.
At one point, the ferocious Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire was spreading at 50 miles per hour, said Travis Regensberg, a general contractor brought in by New Mexico to help protect homes and buildings.
"It's been a nightmare," Regensberg told CNN on Thursday. "It's been really tough for us. I've been on this 17 days straight -- three, four hours of sleep a night to protect the communities here."
The firefighters have been protecting buildings by creating perimeter rings around them and using bulldozers to cut fire lines, he said. Additionally, they try to minimize harm to septic and well systems so that people have "a place to come back to," Regensberg said.
Comment: Woman, 2 dogs die after being struck by lightning near Los Angeles