Wildfires
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Fire

Crews fight wildfires blazing through Sweden

A helicopter drops water on the wildfire
Fire crews are fighting wildfires across Sweden, which has been left dry by an early-summer heatwave.

National weather institute SMHI on Tuesday warned of "an extremely great risk of" forest fires spreading in southern Sweden in the afternoon, with the threat increasing in large parts of the north-east on Wednesday.

"It's been very dry for a while now," said Nils Holmqvist, meteorologist for public broadcaster SVT.

Sweden has experienced sizzling temperatures this summer, with the mercury soaring to 30.2C in Gothenburg on the west coast on June 3rd - the season's hottest day so far. But, while welcomed by many, the sunny days have also left the ground dry, making it vulnerable to wildfires.

Forest fires swept across central Sweden on Tuesday, including the Vrinnevi forest in Norrköping, Järpmyrberget in Ockelbo and along the railroad between Grängesberg and Ludvika in Dalarna. A fire near Lidhult in the southern Småland region which took days to put out last week flared up again at around noon.


A forest fire at Bengtsfors last week.
© Räddningstjänsten BengtsforsA forest fire at Bengtsfors last week.
The fire near Lidhult last week
© Räddningstjänsten LjungbyThe fire near Lidhult last week

Fire

Ash and dust from Canadian wildfires have been found in Switzerland

canada wildfire dust switzerland
Massive forest fires in western Canada have "injected an enormous quantity of dust into the atmosphere," which has now been found in Switzerland, according to the nation's meteorological authorities.
Ash and dust particles from the massive forest fires ravaging western Canada for the past month have been found in Switzerland, according to Swiss meteorologists.

"The fires have injected an enormous quantity of dust into the atmosphere, (which) is now being detected over Switzerland," the Swiss meteorological authorities said in a report discreetly issued on Tuesday and picked up by Swiss media Friday.

MeteoSwiss said it had determined that particles observed at the Payerne measurement station in the western canton of Vaud on May 24 and 25 had been emitted from western Canada around May 19-20.

Fire

California wildfire threatens homes, mandatory evacuations ordered

California wildfire
© APThe 200-acre blaze that erupted Saturday afternoon northwest of downtown Los Angeles is threatening about 3,000 homes, according to Los Angeles County fire officials
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in Southern California, as three brush fires quickly spread on Saturday, one of which is moving dangerously close to homes in the Calabasas area, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Witnesses reported that one fire began near 23062 Mulholland Highway at around 4:30 pm local time. It was originally said to affect two acres, but is now moving towards residential areas.

Local Agoura High School on West Driver Avenue is currently being evacuated.

Three water-dropping helicopters have been dispatched to battle the fire.


Fire

Reignited holdover 'zombie' wildfires have awakened in Alaska

Holdover wildfires in Alaska
© REUTERS/Mat-Su Borough/Stefan Hinman
As if we didn't have enough to worry about with the start of wildfire season, we now have to face the reality of zombie blazes: fires that never really die.

Last year's Alaskan wildfire season was the second-largest ever — and it seems it never entirely ended. A wildfire in southwest Alaska that swept more than 8,000 acres in the Medfra area over the course of this week is a continuation of a 2015 fire that never went out, despite having ceased to visibly burn. The Soda Creek Fire raged through 16,500 acres in the same area last summer, according to Alaska Dispatch News. It smoldered underground, survived the winter, and finally reignited on Sunday, spreading to an acre within an hour.

It's harder than it may seem to completely douse an established wildfire. Fire can burrow deep into the roots of old-growth trees, where it burns slowly, insulated by a thick, moisture-absorbing blanket of decomposing moss, leaves, and twigs on the forest floor. And once the ground freezes, the embers are sealed in, sometimes under feet of snow. Come spring, the ground warms up, the surrounding brush and trees dry out, and the fire can spring back to life.


Comment: Another contributory factor may be 'outgassing' of methane and other natural gases.


These reignited fires — called holdover fires — are becoming more common. Sixteen Alaskan wildfires have been attributed to holdovers this year alone. In the past, officials haven't even kept records of the number of holdovers, but they're rare enough that we know 16 is abnormally high. One of this year's wildfires was started by a holdover fire from two years ago.

In short: Fires are slumbering in the ground, and we have no idea when — and where — they'll wake up.

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


Fire

More than 15,000 hectares of forest burnt in Russia over past 24 hours

Wildfire
© Zorikto Dagbayev/TASS
Wildfires have consumed some 24,500 hectares in the last 24 hours across Russia, destroying more than 15,000 hectares of forest, the aerial forest protection service Avialesookhrana said on Tuesday.

Firefighters have managed to extinguish 131 wildfires on the total area of 13,300 hectares. The effort involved almost 5,500 people as well as 838 pieces of equipment and 26 aircraft.

As of Tuesday, some 128 wildfires engulfed the area of more than 77,000 hectares in Russia. The wildfires are raging in the Amur Region in the Far East, the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory in East Siberia. The fire hazardous situation has been registered in 81 Russian regions.

The wildfire area in the Trans-Baikal Territory has grown to 22,400 hectares over the past 24 hours, the region's forestry service said. Some 742 people are battling the fires in the region, including paratroopers. A state of emergency has been declared in the local forests.

Fire

Fort McMurray wildfire expands into Saskatchewan; massive blaze now 483,084 hectares in size

Fort McMurray fire has entered Saskatchewan - map
© Canadian Wildland Fire Information SystemAccording to the latest fire perimeter map from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, the Fort McMurray fire has entered Saskatchewan at two points.

About 771 hectares have burned in the province so far


The massive forest fire surrounding Fort McMurray, Alta., is now confirmed to have crossed the border into Saskatchewan.

According to Alberta fire information officer Travis Fairweather on Thursday morning, the fire is now estimated to be 483,084 hectares in size and is confirmed to have expanded east of the border.

So far, about 771 hectares have burned in Saskatchewan, he said.

The nearest village, La Loche, Sask., is more than 30 kilometres from the border, but smoke and ash has been a growing concern in the community of 2,600.

The Saskatchewan government will provide an update later this morning.

Fire

Canada wildfire threatens Fort McMurray again as 12,000 evacuated from nearby oil sand camps

Fort McMurray wildfire
© Instagram: officialladysaintFort McMurray's sky turns orange as fire forces oil workers to evacuate camps.
At least 12,000 people have been asked to evacuate oil sand camps close to the Canadian town of Fort McMurray after a fresh wildfire began to shift to the north.

According to the BBC, more than 8,000 people were urged to leave the area on Monday night, in addition to 4,000 people who had already been issued with evacuation orders.

Suncor Energy Inc was among several operators which confirmed on Tuesday that it had been forced to shut down operations as a precautionary measure.

A spokesman said there had been no damage to the company's assets and that fire defences were in place around the facilities.

Suncor and Syncrude Canada also confirmed they had evacuated workers from the area.

"Suncor has enhanced fire mitigation and protection around all of its facilities," one Suncor official told AFP.

"When it is safe to do so, we will continue implementing our restart plans," they added.


Fire

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

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


Fire

Huge blaze threatens bird sanctuary in Battambang, Cambodia

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.

Fire

Huge forest fires blaze in Russia's Siberia and far east

Forest fire in Siberia
© Skeeze / Pixabay
Large-scale wildfires that erupted this week in Siberia are worsening, Russia's local forest services have warned.

Firefighters in the far eastern Amur region are to focus on protecting local towns and villages as the fast spread of the fire is making the flames too difficult to extinguish in the forest, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.

A wide range of equipment, including tractors, bulldozers and water carriers, is used to fight 24 wildfires raging in the area of more than 42,000 hectares, said a statement published on the region's governmental website.

The Russian Emergency Ministry has mobilized aircraft including B-200 and An-2 planes and Mi-8 helicopters to help firefighters cope in the most affected areas, RIA Novosti reported.