Wildfires
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Fire

Israel: Sky over Jerusalem fills with smoke as massive forest fire breaks out


Ruptly
Mon, 16 Aug 2021 12:03 UTC
Huge Jerusalem-area wildfire burns into the night
Huge Jerusalem-area wildfire burns into the night
The sky appeared filled with clouds of smoke following a large forest fire near Beit Meir, western Jerusalem, on Sunday.

Aeroplanes could be seen flying overhead, dumping loads of fire retardant in efforts to quench the blaze, which was exacerbated by high temperatures and strong winds.

More than 2,000 nearby residents have reportedly been evacuated, with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett telling security forces to evacuate communities without question, regardless of any doubts they may have.

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Fire

Wildfire death toll rises to 4 as Italy battles over 500 infernos across the country


RT
Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:40 UTC
wildfire italy sardinia
© Reuters / Vigili del FuocoA fire is seen burning a forest near the town of Mandas on the south of the island of Sardinia, Italy, August 12, 2021
Italy's emergency services fought more than 500 fires across the country throughout the night, officials said on Thursday, as the death toll from the blazes rose to four amid intense heat waves across Europe.

With Italy recording a record high temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the nation's firefighters have spent days battling hundreds of raging wildfires throughout the south of the country, including in Calabria and Sicily.

Emergency services were deployed overnight to try and control more than 500 blazes, as Italy and its European neighbours contend with extreme dry summer weather, which experts warn will get worse due to the effects of climate change.
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Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis says wildfires a 'major ecological catastrophe'

Elena Bacatoros
Associated Press
Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:27 UTC
greece wildfires
© AP Photo/Michael VaraklasA burnt forest in Agia Anna village on Evia island, about 181 kilometers (113 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday described the devastating wildfires that burned across the country for more than a week as the greatest ecological catastrophe Greece had seen in decades.

The fires broke out as the country roasted during the most intense and protracted heat wave experienced since 1987. Hundreds of wildfires erupted across the country, stretching Greece's firefighting capabilities to the limit and leading the government to appeal for help from abroad. Hundreds of firefighters, along with planes, helicopters and vehicles, arrived from 24 European and Middle Eastern countries to assist.

"We managed to save lives, but we lost forests and property," Mitsotakis said, describing the wildfires as "the greatest ecological catastrophe of the last few decades."
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Fire

Wildfires in Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo


Republic World
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 12:36 UTC
fire
Firefighters managed to control a huge fire that broke out Monday night near the village of Kalimash in Albania and threatened the main access to neighbouring Kosovo.

The fire engulfed the area above the Thirrë-Kalimash Tunnel, burning trees and shrubbery.

No injuries occurred and traffic was able resume some hours later.


Comment: More extreme wildfires recently struck (on August 7) another country in the region - Kosovo:



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Algeria wildfires: At least 65 people killed as blazes ravage forests and villages east of the capital


Sky News
Wed, 11 Aug 2021 12:11 UTC
Smoke rises from a forest fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province, east of the Algerian capital, Algiers
Smoke rises from a forest fire in the mountainous Tizi Ouzou province, east of the Algerian capital, Algiers
The dead include soldiers who were killed saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of the capital, Algiers.

At least 65 people have been killed in wildfires that erupted in Algeria, according to state television reports.

Officials said the number included 25 soldiers killed trying to save residents.

The fires have been ravaging forests and villages east of the capital, Algiers, in the Kabyle region, covering the mountainous area with thick clouds of smoke.

Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane told state television the blazes appeared to be "highly synchronised", adding that "leads one to believe these were criminal acts".

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British Columbia wildfires by the numbers: Over 650,000 hectares burned

Josh Duncan
KamloopsbcNow
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 17:30 UTC
fire
The sun has risen on another summer day in British Columbia where thousands of hard-working personnel are combining their efforts to get the province's ongoing wildfire situation under control.

Since April 1, there have been 1,451 wildfires in BC that have burned just over 650,000 hectares of land.


Currently, there are 260 active wildfires and here's how they break down by region:
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"Like a horror movie:" Greece wildfires continue to force thousands of evacuations


Global News
Sun, 08 Aug 2021 13:19 UTC
FLEE
The burning of wildfires in Greece was like living in a horror movie, one resident said as she was evacuated from the Greek island of Evia by ferry on Sunday.

Thousands of people have fled their homes on Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day, and ferries were on standby for more evacuations after taking many to safety by sea.

Fires that had threatened the northern suburbs of Athens in recent days died back. But the blaze on Evia, a large island north-east of the capital, quickly burgeoned into several fronts, ripping through thousands of hectares of pristine forest across its northern part, and forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages.

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Fire

Dixie fire becomes the second-largest wildfire in California history


L A Times
Mon, 09 Aug 2021 13:10 UTC
Devastation of the Dixie Fire in Pumas County
© Zac Slotemaker/KRNVDevastation of the Dixie Fire in Pumas County
The Dixie fire, now the second-largest blaze in state history, has burned more than 463,000 acres and destroyed more than 400 buildings.

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Seven dead as wildfires sweep across Algeria


Dhaka Tribune
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 12:17 UTC
Some fires erupted near houses, forcing inhabitants to flee [Screengrab/ Social media]
Some fires erupted near houses, forcing inhabitants to flee [Screengrab/ Social media]
Algeria is the latest Mediterranean country to be hit by wildfires, after blazes hit Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

Wildfires fanned by blistering temperatures and tinder-dry conditions have killed at least seven people in Algeria, the interior minister said Tuesday, adding the fires had criminal origins.

Photographs posted on social media show huge walls of flame and billowing clouds of smoke towering over villages in the forested hills of the Kabylie region, east of the capital Algiers.

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Siberian wildfire smoke reaches North Pole in historic first


The Moscow Times
Mon, 09 Aug 2021 10:27 UTC
Satellite images captured “only a small part” of the smoke stretching 3,200 kilometers east to west and 4,000 kilometers north to south
© MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFCSatellite images captured “only a small part” of the smoke stretching 3,200 kilometers east to west and 4,000 kilometers north to south.
Smoke from wildfires burning across Russia's largest and coldest region has reached the North Pole for what is believed to be the first time in known history last week, according to satellite observations.

The European Union's Copernicus satellite monitoring service has said that the forest fires in the Siberian republic of Sakha (Yakutia) — fueled by hot weather and a 150-year record drought — have already emitted a record 505 megatons of carbon dioxide with several weeks remaining in the fire season.

"This week, wildfire smoke has traveled more than 3,000 km (1,864 mi) from Yakutia to reach the North Pole, a feat that appears to be a first in recorded history," NASA's Earth-monitoring tool MODIS said Saturday.

The thick smoke had blanketed vast swathes of Siberia before reaching the North Pole, sparking evacuations, concerns over deteriorating air quality and orders to clear fire trails of dead wood and fallen trees around endangered settlements.

Smoke has been detected in 1,300 towns and settlements in the Krasnoyarsk region west of Sakha alone, emergency officials said Saturday.

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