Wildfires
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Tornado2

At least 32 dead after severe weather swept across the US Midwest

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Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms have torn through at least six states in the US Midwest, killing at least 32 people.

Buildings collapsed, roofs were torn off, and vehicles overturned.

Hundreds of thousands have been left without power.

Al Jazeera's Joel Evans reports.


Comment: Related: At least 3 dead in dust storm crashes in West Texas


Fire

Evacuation orders issued as 175 wildfires erupt across South and North Carolina

wildfire north south carolina
© Brandon RunnellsSmoke rises from a wildfire in the Carolina Forest in Horry County, South Carolina, Mar. 1, 2025.
The cause of the Carolina Forest Fire is under investigation. The blaze erupted amid wind gusts of up to 40 mph and extremely dry conditions, fire officials said.

A fire in Horry County north of the Carolina Forest had scorched more than 300 acres by Sunday morning and was burning out of control, officials said.

Red flag fire danger warnings were issued across South Carolina.

"Our first responders are risking their lives to contain many fires across South Carolina tonight," McMaster said on Saturday.

Video footage captured plumes of smoke and flames wafting above a tree line and houses in the Carolina Forest.

Fire

Thousands evacuated as Japan's biggest fire in decades continues to burn

A wildfire in Ofunato, Japan, on March 2.
© Hidenori Nagai/The YomiuriA wildfire in Ofunato, Japan, on March 2.
Japan has deployed more than 2,000 firefighters to battle the country's biggest forest fire in three decades.

At least one person has died in the blaze, which has torched more than 5,200 acres around the northern Japanese city of Ofunato since Thursday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA).

Although January to March is typically Ofunato's driest season, the area saw less rainfall last month than any February in more than 20 years - recording just 2.5 millimetres, compared to the usual average of 41.

About 4,600 people remain under government-issued evacuation orders as the fire continues to burn.

Some 2,000 have already left the area to stay with friends or relatives, and more than 1,200 have evacuated to shelters, officials said.


Info

A warning from the trees

How bad can a solar storm be? Just ask a tree. Unlike human records, which go back hundreds of years, trees can remember solar storms for millennia.
Tree Rings
© Spaceweather
Nagoya University doctoral student Fusa Miyake made the discovery in 2012 while studying rings in the stump of a 1900-year-old Japanese cedar. One ring, in particular, drew her attention. Grown in the year 774-75 AD, it contained a 12% jump in radioactive carbon-14 (14C), about 20 times greater than ordinary fluctuations from cosmic radiation. Other teams confirmed the spike in wood from Germany, Russia, the United States, Finland, and New Zealand. Whatever happened, trees all over the world experienced it.

Most researchers think it was a solar storm — an extraordinary one. Often, we point to the Carrington Event of 1859 as the worst-case scenario for solar storms. The 774-75 AD storm was at least 10 times stronger; if it happened today, it would floor modern technology. Since Miyake's initial discovery, she and others have confirmed five more examples (12,450 BC, 7176 BC, 5259 BC, 664-663 BC, 993 AD). Researchers call them "Miyake Events."

Fire

Dems profiting on California tragedy

Several dozen cars were abandoned on Sunset Boulevard after embers picked up and winds created a new fire.
Several dozen cars were abandoned on Sunset Boulevard after embers picked up and winds created a new fire.
Gov. Gavin Newsom
© Office of the Governor of California, Wikimedia Commons
Politicians never shy away from using a tragedy for personal gain. Democrats like Gavin Newsom and Elizabeth Warren have been caught stealing donations intended for California wildfire victims and funneling them back into their Democrat Super PACs.

Newsom created a website to combat "misinformation," another term for controlling the narrative, called CaliforniaFireFacts.com that redirects to the governor's own website. Concerned citizens are encouraged to donate to the wildfire victims through Campaign for Democracy: "Your donation will go directly towards supporting the firefighters and the communities they serve, including direct financial support to impacted residents."

One would assume that the donations would go directly to the people of California who lost everything. Think again. Who is processing these donations? ActBlue Carities, Inc., a 501 tax-exempt organization that is a political Super PAC for Democratic political candidates.

Fire

'There's nothing left': fast-moving wildfires sweep through southern California - at least 24 dead (UPDATES)

Several dozen cars were abandoned on Sunset Boulevard after embers picked up and winds created a new fire.
Several dozen cars were abandoned on Sunset Boulevard after embers picked up and winds created a new fire.
Fast-moving wildfires have broken out in southern California, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.


Comment: Update January 9

Sky News reports:
At least five people have died in a wildfire in Los Angeles, officials have said, with firefighters now facing new blazes, including one in the city's famous Hollywood Hills.



With firefighters struggling to bring the blazes under control due to strong winds and dry conditions, more than 130,000 people across the wider Los Angeles area are now under evacuation orders.

The new evacuation areas include parts of the Hollywood Hills, where a new fire, dubbed the Sunset Fire, broke out on Wednesday, as well as parts of Santa Monica - famous for its pier.

Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley said on Wednesday that the largest of the fires, the Pacific Palisades blaze to the west of downtown Los Angeles, was now over 15,800 acres "and growing".

Meanwhile, firefighters continue to battle the Hurst Fire, to the north, now at 700 acres, while firefighters from the Los Angeles County continue to battle the Eaton Fire, near to the city of Pasadena, as well as a new blaze near Acton.

Los Angeles County fire chief Anthony Marrone said the five people who were killed all died in the Eaton fire.

At a news conference, Los Angeles' chief of police James McDonnell told reporters: "This is a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles, but a time where we're really tested and see who we really are.

"It's critical that at these times we be patient, that we come together, that we focus on saving lives and to be able to the very best job we can."

He then urged those under evacuation orders to take them "very seriously", saying they make "the difference between living and not".
Update January 13

The BBC reports:
Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires.

Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).

Ahead of the wind's uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.

The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday to 24, while officials said earlier at least another 16 remain missing.

Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres and is 13% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.

The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250bn-$275bn.



Fire

Let's talk about...California Wildfires

California Wildfires
© Off-Guardian
Unprecedented wildfires have swept the Los Angeles area over the last few days, destroying neighbourhoods and threatening landmarks.

The BBC is helpfully keeping a running tally of the number of celebrities whose homes have burned down.

This is the first time in recorded history that wildfires of this scale have occurred in California in January, according to an expert quoted in the New Scientist:
"While Santa Ana fires are nothing new in southern California, this type of explosive fire event has never happened in January before, and it's only happened once in December," says Crystal Kolden at the University of California, Merced.
There has been no official word on what started the fires as yet, although officials from the California Fire Service claimed that 95% of wildfires in California are started by humans.

Fire

California insurer State Farm canceled policies months before Los Angeles Wildfires

wildfires los angeles 2025
© Official Flickr Account of CAL FIRE / Handout/Anadolu via Getty ImagesThousands of firefighters continued battling the Palisades Fire on Thursday — and others around Los Angeles County in January 2025.
State Farm, one of the biggest insurers in California, canceled hundreds of homeowners' policies last summer in Pacific Palisades — the same area which is now being ravaged by a devastating wildfire.

The move was justified by the company as an attempt to avoid "financial failure" as the frequency and severity of wildfires is growing in the Golden State, especially in at-risk zones. But as the multiple fires currently burning through Southern California threaten to cause devastating losses for residents, many will likely need to rely on their insurers to get back on their feet after the blazes are contained.

"Our number one priority right now is the safety of our customers, agents and employees impacted by the fires and assisting our customers in the midst of this tragedy," a spokesperson for State Farm told Newsweek in response to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Fire

In maps: Thousands of acres on fire in Los Angeles

Firefighter

Wildfires are raging in several areas of Los Angeles, with high winds and extremely dry conditions fuelling their progress across thousands of acres of land.

Firefighters are so far unable to contain them, with one fire official telling the BBC on Thursday that they are still rapidly expanding.

The largest fire, in the Pacific Palisades area where many celebrities live, is the most destructive fire in the history of Los Angeles. More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed.

It's a rapidly changing situation - these maps and pictures chart how the fires have spread, where they are located and what they look like from space.

Fire

15,000 acres burn as powerful Santa Ana winds fuel explosive Southern California wildfires

wildfire southern california
© ReutersPowerful Santa Ana winds near Los Angeles are fueling some of the most significant wildfire threats in years across Southern California, November 6, 2024.
Fast-moving CA wildfire burning dozens of homes, causing thousands to flee

Powerful Santa Ana winds near Los Angeles are fueling some of the most significant wildfire threats in years across Southern California.

The relentless 50-70 mph wind gusts have created a perfect storm of conditions, leading to rapid fire spread and widespread evacuations.

These conditions led to the explosion of the destructive Mountain Fire in Ventura County on Wednesday. In a matter of hours, it consumed nearly 15,000 acres. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for parts of Ventura, Camarillo, Moorpark, and Somis, California.