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Wed, 22 Sep 2021
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Fire

US Wildfires: World's largest tree wrapped in protective blanket in Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest


ITV
Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:32 UTC
World's largest tree wrapped in fire-resistant blanket due to wildfire fears

World's largest tree wrapped in fire-resistant blanket due to wildfire fears
Firefighters are attempting to save the world's largest tree from wildfires in the US by wrapping it in aluminium foil and starting their own fires to burn away flammable material.

The famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias is under threat from wildfires burning in California's rugged Sierra Nevada.

The world's largest tree by volume, The General Sherman, in Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest, was wrapped in protection against the possibility of intense flames.

Several key buildings and other sequoias were also wrapped.

The aluminium wrapping can withstand intensive heat for short periods.
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Fire

Spain wildfire: More towns evacuated on Costa del Sol as soldiers deployed


Sky News
Sun, 12 Sep 2021 10:40 UTC
The wildfire has been raging since Wednesday

The wildfire has been raging since Wednesday
Two more towns have been evacuated and soldiers are being deployed as a wildfire continues to burn on Spain's Costa del Sol.

The battle is being made more difficult by "complicated terrain and the virulent behaviour of the fire", officials said.

The blaze - in a mountainous area above the resort of Estepona, popular with British tourists - has killed one emergency worker since it started on Wednesday.

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Fire

Firefighter killed in wildfire on Costa Del Sol, Spain as 1,000 forced to evacuate

Sam Corbishley and Natalia Penza
Metro (UK)
Fri, 10 Sep 2021 18:55 UTC
The wildfire is the most devastating of the last decade in Malaga province
© Europa Press
The wildfire is the most devastating of the last decade in Malaga province
A devastating wildfire affecting mountains behind the popular Costa del Sol resort of Estepona has left a firefighter dead and forced more than 1,000 people to abandon their homes.

The 44-year-old emergency worker was killed on Thursday afternoon while battling the 'out-of-control' blaze alongside colleagues, officials confirmed.

Many local residents and holidaymakers staying nearby were told to evacuate their homes and accommodation, with a small number put up in a sports pavilion set up to house around 100 people.

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Fire

Dixie Fire is blazing its way to becoming California's biggest ever


CNN
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:15 UTC
fire
The Dixie Fire in northern California is on its way to becoming the largest wildfire in the state's history, officials say.

It has burned 917,579 acres and was only 59% contained as of Tuesday. Currently, the largest fire by acreage for the state is the August Complex, which burned 1,032,648 acres in 2020.

The Dixie Fire started on July 14 and has damaged or destroyed at least 1,282 structures, according to Cal Fire.

Of the top 20 largest wildfires since 1932, 17 have occurred since 2000; 11 since 2016; five in 2020 -- and three from this year.

"For September through December the entire state shows drier, more wind events, and large fire activity to continue for the next three months," said Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter.

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Fire

Drone footage shows the extent of devastating fires burning in Amazon rainforest - well above historic average for 3rd consecutive year


Sky News
Tue, 07 Sep 2021 11:51 UTC
FIRES
Shocking drone footage has shown the dramatic impact fire is having in the pristine Amazon jungle in Brazil.

The footage, taken by Reuters on Sunday, show the aftermath of a massive fire in the Apui, Amazonas State region.

Satellites registered 28,060 fires in the Brazilian Amazon in August.

According to official government data, fires burned well above the historic average for the third consecutive year.

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and critical to the world's ecosystem due to the vast amount of carbon dioxide that its plant life absorbs and stores.

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Fire

Resorts burn and fire tornadoes rage in blaze-ravaged California, as entire CITY ordered to evacuate


RT
Mon, 30 Aug 2021 10:36 UTC
The Caldor Fire burns at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort in Eldorado National Forest, California, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021
© Noah Berger
The Caldor Fire burns at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort in Eldorado National Forest, California, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021
Fresh evacuation orders have been issued in the resort city of South Lake Tahoe, California, as a devastating wildfire closes in. Meanwhile, fires to the south of Los Angeles have whipped up intense tornadoes of flame.

Residents of South Lake Tahoe, a resort town on the Californian side of the lake straddling the state's border with Nevada, were ordered on Monday to head east, as law enforcement officers went door to door to make sure everyone complied.

The order was given as the Caldor Fire - one of 20 large wildfires currently burning in the Golden State - closed in. Photos from South Lake Tahoe showed smoky air, and pictures from the Sierra-at-Tahoe resort 12 miles (19km) to the south showed firefighters, aided by the resort's snow cannons, desperately trying to hold back the inferno.

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Fire

Massive wildfires devastate protected area of Bolivian forest

Philip Whiteside
Sky News
Sat, 21 Aug 2021 12:51 UTC
An area equivalent to twice the size of greater London has already burned in the Santa Cruz region

An area equivalent to twice the size of greater London has already burned in the Santa Cruz region
An area twice the size of greater London has burned in an area home to an isolated indigenous community, near the Brazil border.

More than 1,000 square miles of Bolivian forests have been destroyed by wildfires, authorities say.

So far 280,000 hectares, an area equivalent to just less than twice that of greater London, has been devastated in a southeastern region bordering Brazil and Paraguay.

As of Friday, Bolivia's Santa Cruz fire department said 15 fires have yet to be contained and continue to threaten, among others, the Nembiguasu conservation area.

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Fire

Thousands evacuated as Northern California blaze triples in size in 24 hours, destroys dozens of homes


RT
Wed, 18 Aug 2021 22:02 UTC
caldor fire damage
© REUTERS/Fred Greaves
Aftermath of Caldor Fire in Grizzly Flats, California.
Thousands are evacuating from Northern California as the Caldor Fire has charred nearly 50,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes, and officials are warning of conditions creating a "perfect combination" for it to spread further.

"The Caldor Fire continued to experience unprecedented fire behavior and growth due to extremely dry fuels pushed by the south west winds," the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said of the El Dorado County blaze.

In their latest update on fighting the fire, fire officials said a "red flag warning" has been extended through tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service. Red flag warnings are issued "for weather events which may result in extreme fire behavior that will occur within 24 hours."

Comment: Yet another massive fire to join the list around the world. Could there be a connection with the Perseids?

See also:

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Fire

Thousands evacuated as hundreds of firefighters battle fire in southern France - 2 killed (UPDATE)


Euronews
Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:23 UTC
fire
Thousands of people have been evacuated since Monday in southeastern France to escape a rapidly-advancing wildfire.

The evacuations in the coastal Var department took place in the hinterland, particularly around the villages of Grimaud and La Môle, near Saint Tropez.

Twelve campsites were also evacuated, the Prefecture said.

The fire broke out on Monday at the Sigues motorway service area, about 100km north-east of Toulon.

By early morning on Tuesday, it had travelled 22 kilometres and burnt 5,000 hectares of forests. About 100 houses were damaged.


Comment: Update August 18: Deutsche Welle (DW) reports:
Two die in French wildfires near Saint-Tropez

Over 1,000 firefighters have struggled to contain a fire on the Mediterranean coast

Over 1,000 firefighters have struggled to contain a fire on the Mediterranean coast
Wildfires in the hills near the French coastal resort of Saint-Tropez have claimed the lives of at least two people, the regional government said on Wednesday.

"The battle is ongoing and the fire has not yet been contained," French President Emmanuel Macron said after visiting the area on Tuesday. "The coming hours will be absolutely decisive."

What has happened so far?

A total of 1,200 firefighters have tried to extinguish the flames of France's worst fire of the summer that has forced about 7,000 residents and tourists to flee their homes in the French Riviera area.

The blaze has killed at least two people and injured 24 others, including five firefighters, local prefect Evence Richard said.

Crews used high-pressure hoses and water-carrying planes to try to put out flames that were spread quickly by strong winds and high temperatures.

Authorities reported no new evacuations on Wednesday, but another 20 people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The blaze that broke out on Monday in the Plaine des Maures nature reserve had still not been stabilized, a government official reported.

Over 7,000 hectares (17,297 acres) of forests, vineyards and wild animals were burnt to cinders in just three days.

Frank Graciano, the Var fire service spokesman, said that although the fire "had not spread" throughout Tuesday night, "that does not mean it is under control."

"We will carry out the same basic work as yesterday by dropping water on the critical places," Graciano added.



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Fire

1,000 evacuated from their homes as wildfire in Ávila ,Spain affects 10,000 hectares


SpanishNewsToday.com
Mon, 16 Aug 2021 12:33 UTC
FIRE
The fire in Navalcruz is reported to be the worst in Spain so far this year

The record high temperatures in Spain over the weekend of August 14 and 15 have been accompanied by a series of wildfires affecting various parts of the country, the worst of them affecting over 10,000 hectares of land in and around Navalacruz in the province of Ávila (Castlila y León).

Serious fires have also been keeping emergency services busy in Madrid, Castellón and numerous other provinces, but the one which broke out on Saturday morning alongside the N-502 in Navalacruz is by some distance the most extensive and is threatening forest land and livestock as well as villages and towns. Over 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the municipalities of Riofrío, Sotalbo, Solosancho, Sobledillo and Villaviciosa and are being housed temporarily in public buildings and pavilions made available by the Town Hall of Ávila.

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