Wildfires
S


Fire

Canada wildfire: Evacuees flee Yellowknife as fire nears northern city

Cars on Highway 3 out of Yellowknife were bumper to bumper on Wednesday as people scrambled to evacuate
© ReutersCars on Highway 3 out of Yellowknife were bumper to bumper on Wednesday as people scrambled to evacuate
Thousands of people fleeing a wildfire on the outskirts of Yellowknife, one of the largest cities in Canada's north, have crowded into the local airport and the road out of town.

Hundreds have also lined up for emergency military evacuation flights.

Local officials have given the 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, a deadline of noon Friday (18:00 GMT) to leave.

As of Thursday, the fire was within 16km (10 miles) of the city.

The Northwest Territories declared a state of emergency late on Tuesday as it battles nearly 240 wildfires.


Fire

Emergency services struggle to control wildfire on Spanish island of Tenerife

mmmmm
A wildfire that broke out in a mountainous national park on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Wednesday spread to 1,800 hectares (4,450 acres) in 24 hours as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze amid difficult terrain conditions.

The fire's perimeter expanded to 14 miles across dry woodland covering both flanks of steep ravines near the Mount Teide volcano - Spain's highest peak - hampering access to the area.

"The fire is out of control... the outlook is not positive," the region's leader, Fernando Clavijo, told an evening news conference in Tenerife's capital, Santa Cruz.


Fire

Maui wildfires leave trail of death and destruction

maui hawaii wildfires shelter
© Jorge Garcia/ReutersA view of a War Memorial Gym turned into donation and medical shelter to aid victims of the Maui wildfires in Kahului, Hawaii, on August 11.
  • The official death toll has reached 99 in the wildfires on Maui and is expected to increase "significantly" in the coming days, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said on CNN. The blaze that devastated the historic town of Lahaina is now the deadliest US wildfire in over 100 years, officials said.
  • Officials will begin releasing the names of the deceased Tuesday, Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said during a Monday news conference.
  • As residents sift through the ashes of what used to be homes and landmarks, some say the island is struggling to provide housing for those displaced by the fires.
  • Here's how to help victims of the wildfires in Hawaii.

Comment: See also:


Fire

Best of the Web: At least 55 killed with 1,000 people still missing as fire devastates Lahaina town in Hawaii (UPDATE)

mmmmmm
At least 36 people have died in wildfires that have ravaged the historic town of Lahaina in Hawaii, local authorities have said, adding that the fires remained active.

Wildfires, fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have destroyed homes and businesses in Lahaina, a beachfront town on the island of Maui that was once the capital of the kingdom of Hawaii. Dozens more people have been injured, and there have been 13 evacuations for three fires in the area.

Flames roared throughout the night and day, forcing adults and children to dive into the ocean for safety.

"As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire," a Maui county statement said. "No other details are available at this time."


Comment: Update August 11

The Independent (UK) reports:
The death toll from the devastating wildfires on the island of Maui, Hawaii, has now climbed to 55 - as officials warned that the loss of life is expected to rise further.

Another 17 fatalities were confirmed on Thursday, taking the toll to 53 victims. By Thursday night, another two people had been found dead, Maui County confirmed.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Thursday evening that around 1,000 people are still unaccounted for, as he said that the Aloha State is headed for its deadliest disaster in state history.



Mr Green said that those unaccounted for are not presumed dead but that hundreds have been left without communications and so their safety is unclear.

"Here's the challenge: there's no power, no internet, no phone, no radio. You compound some of that. So when we're speaking to our officers, we need them to get a sat phone," he said.

The wildfires continue to devastate Lahaina, with more than 1,700 buildings and billions of dollars in property destroyed.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said that the historic town has been totally wiped out.

"It's all gone. None of it's there. It's all burnt to the ground," he said.



Fire

Crews are battling 'fire whirls' in California's Mojave Desert

Flames  rise
© Ty O'Neil/APFlames rise from the York Fire • Mojave National Preserve • July 30, 2023
Crews battled "fire whirls" in California's Mojave National Preserve as a massive wildfire crossed into Nevada amid dangerously high temperatures and raging winds.

The York Fire was mapped at roughly 120 square miles (284 square kilometers) on Monday night, with no containment.

The blaze erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the vast wildland preserve, crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.

A smoky haze blotted out the sun midday on the Las Vegas Strip and obliterated views of mountains surrounding the city and suburbs. Because of low visibility, the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas reported departure delays of nearly two hours.

A fire whirl — sometimes called a fire tornado — is a "spinning column of fire" that forms when intense heat and turbulent winds combine, according to the National Park Service. The vortexes — which can be anywhere from a few feet tall to several hundred feet high, with varying rotational speeds — were spotted Sunday on the north end of the York Fire.


Fire

Wildfires kill three people in southern Italy

A fire burns in the area of Monte Grifone and the town of Ciaculli near Palermo, Sicily
A fire burns in the area of Monte Grifone and the town of Ciaculli near Palermo, Sicily.
Wildfires have killed at least three elderly people on Italy's southern island of Sicily as a heatwave and severe storms gripped continental Europe.

The charred bodies of a couple in their 70s were found in their burned-out home on the outskirts of the capital, Palermo, according to Italian media reports.

Another woman in her late 80s died in Palermo province after an ambulance was unable to reach her home due to the fires.

In an overnight message on Facebook, Sicilian President Renato Schifani said "scorching heat and unprecedented devastating fires" had turned Tuesday into "one of the most difficult days in decades".


Fire

Two confirmed dead in fireball plane crash while fighting wildfires in Greece

Smoke rises from the crash site
Smoke rises from the crash site
Two people have died in a plane crash which saw an aircraft crash and burst into flames while fighting Greek wildfires on the island of Evia.

Footage managed to capture the moment the aircraft came down near Platanistos and Karystos, two villages in Evia.

An emergency response helicopter is en route to the crash site to assess the situation.

The Greek government said in a statement: "The loss of the lives of Air Force Officers and firefighting aircraft operators, in the line of duty and while attempting to protect the lives and property of citizens, as well as the environment of our country, is deeply saddening.


Fire

Algeria wildfires kill 25 people including 10 soldiers

mmmmm
Ten soldiers are among 25 people to have been killed by wildfires in the mountainous Béjaïa and Bouïra regions of Algeria, as a heatwave spreads across north Africa and southern Europe.

About 7,500 firefighters were trying to bring the flames under control, authorities said, adding that about 1,500 people had been evacuated.

Algeria's interior ministry said operations were under way to put out fires in six provinces and asked for people to "avoid areas affected by the fires" and to report new blazes on freephone numbers.

"Civil protection services remain mobilised until the fires are completely extinguished," the ministry said.

The defence ministry said 10 soldiers were killed in the fires, but provided no further details.


Fire

Rhodes and Corfu wildfires: Thousands evacuated from Greek island fires

mmmmm
Wildfires on Rhodes have forced 19,000 people to be evacuated from homes and holiday accommodation.

Flights are due to land on the Greek island later on Monday to bring back stranded holidaymakers.

Tourists have been sleeping at the airport, makeshift rescue centres and on the street, after the flames threatened holiday resorts.

At least three hotels have been destroyed in the dense forest area of Kiotari on the east of the island.

Another evacuation order was issued for parts of Corfu, some 1,027km (670 miles) miles away, on Sunday evening.


Fire

Canada's record-breaking wildfires burned more than 10 million hectares this year with 906 fires still active

An aerial view of the Texas Creek wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, provided by the British Columbia Wildfire Service on July 9, 2023.
© British Columbia Wildfire ServiceAn aerial view of the Texas Creek wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, provided by the British Columbia Wildfire Service on July 9, 2023.
The prior all-time high occurred in 1989, when 7.3 million hectares were burned over the course of an entire year, according to national figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

The area burned this year, in just six and a half months, is roughly equivalent to the size of Portugal or Iceland.

In total, 4,088 fires have occurred since January, including many blazes that have scorched hundreds of thousands of hectares.

More than 150,000 people have been displaced, and a 19-year-old firefighter died Thursday.