Wildfires
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Fire

Siberian wildfires spread 17.5% in 24 hours


The Moscow Times
Fri, 09 Jul 2021 13:05 UTC
The fires have been fueled by abnormally high temperatures, historic drought and strong winds.
© Russian Aerial Forest Protection Service / TASSThe fires have been fueled by abnormally high temperatures, historic drought and strong winds.
Wildfires ravaging northeastern Siberia have spread by nearly 70,000 hectares in the past day, marking a 17.5% increase in a single day, the Kommersant business daily reported Friday, citing the regional emergencies ministry.

Some 400,000 hectares of forest are now burning in Russia's republic of Sakha.

Abnormally high temperatures and historic drought as well as strong winds have all contributed to the rapid wildfire spread, Sakha's deputy ecology minister and chief forester Sergei Sivtsev told Kommersant.

"For the central regions of the republic, June 2021 became the second driest in the entire history of observations; the last time such a drought was observed was at the end of the 19th century, in 1888," Sivtsev told Kommersant.

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Fire

Wildfires torch homes, land across 10 states in US West

JOHN ANTCZAK and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
abcnews.go.com
Tue, 13 Jul 2021 12:52 UTC
A truck driver who hauls fire equipment watches as the Sugar fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex fire, burns in Doyle, California, on Saturday.
© Noah Berger/APA truck driver who hauls fire equipment watches as the Sugar fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex fire, burns in Doyle, California, on Saturday.
Wildfires that torched homes and forced thousands to evacuate burned across 10 parched Western states on Tuesday, and the largest, in Oregon, threatened a portion of California's power supply.

Nearly 60 wildfires tore through bone-dry timber and brush from Alaska to Wyoming, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Arizona, Idaho and Montana accounted for more than half of the large active fires.

The fires erupted as the West was in the grip of the second bout of dangerously high temperatures in just a few weeks. A climate change-fueled megadrought also is contributing to conditions that make fires even more dangerous, scientists say.

The National Weather Service said the heat wave had peaked in many areas, and remaining excessive heat warnings were expected to expire by Tuesday night.

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Fire

California wildfire advances as heat wave stifles US West


Yahoo! News
Sat, 10 Jul 2021 21:23 UTC
california wildfire july 2021
© AP Photo/Noah BergerFirefighters battle the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, in Doyle, Calif., on Friday, July 9, 2021.
Firefighters struggled to contain an exploding Northern California wildfire under blazing temperatures as another heat wave hits the U.S. West this weekend, prompting an excessive heat warning for inland and desert areas.

On Friday, Death Valley National Park in California recorded a staggering high of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 Celsius) and could reach the same high on Saturday. If verified, the 130-degree reading would be the hottest high recorded there since July 1913, when the same Furnace Creek desert area hit 134 F (57 C), considered the highest reliably measured temperature on Earth.

The Beckwourth Complex — a merging of two lightning-caused fires — headed into Saturday showing no sign of slowing its rush northeast from the Sierra Nevada forest region after doubling in size only a few days earlier.
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Fire

Devastating forest fire in Cyprus leaves 4 dead


Reuters
Sun, 04 Jul 2021 17:04 UTC
Cyprus wildfire
© REUTERS/George ChristophorouA general view of a wildfire in the Larnaca mountain region, Cyprus July 3, 2021. Picture taken July 3, 2021.
Four people were found dead on Sunday as a huge fire raged for a second day in Cyprus, razing tracts of forest and gutting dozens of homes in a blaze one official called the worst on record.

The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least 10 communities over an area exceeding 50 square kilometres (19 square miles) in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range, an area of pine forest and densely vegetated shrubland.

"Its one of the most destructive (fires) we have experienced, unfortunately, with victims," Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters from the area. The state would stand by and support all those affected, he said.


Comment: See also: Hell on the Road of Bones: Wildfires in Russia's Far East engulf highway known worldwide for danger & extremely cold temperatures

And check out SOTTs monthly Earth Changes Summary: June 2021: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs



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Fire

"The whole town is on fire": Wildfire amid record heat wave forces entire Canadian village to evacuate - spark from train suspected


CBS News
Fri, 02 Jul 2021 17:18 UTC
Lytton canada wildfire
© 2 Rivers Remix SocietyLytton, located in southern British Columbia, Canada, was engulfed in flames within a matter of minutes
A wildfire amid a record heat wave in western Canada has forced authorities to order residents to evacuate a village in British Columbia that smashed the country's record for hottest temperature three days in a row this week. Mayor Jan Polderman of Lytton issued the evacuation order Wednesday, saying on Twitter that the fire was threatening structures and the safety of residents of the community, which is 95 miles northeast of Vancouver.

"All residents are advised to leave the community and go to a safe location,″ Polderman said.

Comment: More from RT:
sparks lakes wildfire canada british columbia
© AFP / BC Wildfire ServiceSparks Lake wildfire, British Columbia, seen from the air on June 29, 2021
The province's wildfire service said it had responded to the blaze in Lytton and confirmed on Thursday that there were four general clusters of multiple wildfires across British Columbia.

"Ground crews, helicopters, air tankers, members from volunteer fire departments, and heavy equipment have responded and will continue to do so over the coming days," it said in a statement.

Before the scenes in Lytton, at least three major wildfires were burning in British Columbia, with 26 blazes having started between Tuesday and Wednesday alone.
There is speculation the fire was sparked by a CN train passing through the tinder-dry area:
CN Rail is "evaluating" the status of its train traffic through the bone-dry B.C. Interior after a fast-moving fire on Wednesday destroyed much of the Village of Lytton — a blaze thought to have been sparked by a passing train.

The fire in Lytton is believed to have began at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Based on accounts from those in the village at the time, it moved quickly. Some estimates on Thursday have said as much as 90 per cent of the village was burned.

Global BC is reporting investigators believe the fire was sparked by a passing train, citing sources at the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

Castanet reached out to both major Canadian railways, each of which run through Lytton, for comment and asked whether any thought is being given to stopping trains until conditions in the Interior improve.

"Pertaining to the impact on our operation, we are evaluating this, but our focus now being the safety and support of the community," CN spokesman Mathieu Gaudreault said in a statement.

According to Gaudreault, CN finds the Lytton blaze "deeply distressing" and very concerning.

"We have reached out to local elected officials to offer our assistance," he said.

"We want to offer our support to the people of the First Nation of Lytton and we are committed in assisting this community during this tragic event."

A CP Rail spokesman said his railway was focusing on helping in any way it can in the aftermath of the Lytton fire.

"Our focus is on assisting emergency response operations in the town of Lytton," Andy Cummings told Castanet via email.


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Fire

Hell on the Road of Bones: Wildfires in Russia's Far East engulf highway known worldwide for danger & extremely cold temperatures

Jonny Tickle
RT
Thu, 01 Jul 2021 06:40 UTC
Fire in Russia
© RT video screenshot
The notorious Road of Bones in Russia's Far East has been cut off by hellish wildfires as forests lining the famous and dangerous route burn in the summer heat. Approximately 40 kilometers of the highway are inaccessible.

Videos posted online show how the road is covered in flames, with smoke causing very limited visibility. Earlier in the week, local authorities revealed that they would artificially induce rain to fight against the wildfires. Around 69,000 hectares of wild land were reported to be ablaze.

Constructed during the Soviet era, the Road of Bones was built using forced Gulag labor, and its construction caused the deaths of thousands of prisoners. It is the only road connecting much of the region.

The section engulfed in flames is in Yakutia's Tattinsky district, a five-hour drive east from the region's capital Yakutsk.

Comment: See also:

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Fire

Wildfires explode in the US West: At least 50 wildfires burn

Haley Yamada,Melissa Griffin, and Max Golembo
abcnews.go.com
Thu, 24 Jun 2021 12:07 UTC
An image made from video shows the Sylvan Fire burning in Eagle County, Colo., on June 22, 2021.
© Jonathan McNallyAn image made from video shows the Sylvan Fire burning in Eagle County, Colo., on June 22, 2021.
As of Wednesday, more than half a million acres have burned across 11 states.

There were at least 50 large wildfires burning more than half a million acres across 11 states on Wednesday -- mostly in the West.

In Colorado, the Oil Spring and Sylvan fires in White River National Forest are the two biggest fires in the state. Firefighters are battling hot, dry and windy conditions.

Since the fire broke out on Monday, the Sylvan Fire has destroyed more than 3,000 acres in Eagle County, Colorado. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued in Eagle County on Tuesday evening.

In central California, a fast-moving brush fire, known as the Inyo Creek Fire, broke out on June 18 due to lightning from passing thunderstorms with mandatory evacuation orders issued in the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

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Fire

Thousands flee as two massive wildfires sweep Arizona

Graeme Massie
The Independent
Wed, 09 Jun 2021 01:09 UTC
Arizona wildfires
Two large rural Arizona fires have scorched more than 138,000 acres and forced thousands of residents from their homes.

Firefighters in the eastern part of the state are tackling the Telegraph Fire, which has burned 71,756 acres and the Mescal Fire that has charred 66,913 acres.

Authorities say that the Telegraph Fire has burned since last week but is zero per cent contained, while the Mescal Fire is 23 per cent contained.

At least 2,500 homes in Gila County have been evacuated, said Carl Melford, the county emergency manager.

And he estimated that there was twice as many households with bags packed just in case they have to leave quickly.

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Fire

Greek villages evacuated as wildfire rages


Euronews
Thu, 20 May 2021 12:27 UTC
Fire burns among houses during a wildfire in the village of Schinos, near Corinth, Greece, late Wednesday, May 19, 2021
© APFire burns among houses during a wildfire in the village of Schinos, near Corinth, Greece, late Wednesday, May 19, 2021
At least six Greek villages and two monasteries were evacuated on Wednesday night due to a major forest fire on the coast of the Gulf of Corinth, about 90 km west of Athens, fire officials said.

"The fire is raging on a wide front near the village of Skinos, a fire brigade spokesman told AFP. According to Greek media, several homes were damaged but no casualties were reported immediately.

Some 180 firefighters, supported by 17 planes and three helicopters, are involved in the extinguishing operations, the Greek fire brigade tweeted.

"This is the first major fire of 2021 (...) villages have been evacuated as a precaution," fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told Skai TV.

Black smoke from the fire was visible from the capital.

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Attention

Overview of the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis debate

George Howard
Cosmic Tusk
Fri, 14 May 2021 19:16 UTC
The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis
© Earth-Science journal, Earth-Science ReviewsLocation map showing 53 YD boundary (black mat) sites (reproduced from Pino et al. (2019) under the terms of the CCA 4.0 International License). Orange dots represent 28 sites with peaks in both platinum and other impact proxies such as high-temperature iron-rich microspherules. Red dots represent 24 sites with impact proxies but lacking platinum measurements. The yellow dot indicates the Pilauco site, Chile, described in detail in Pino et al. (2019). A new site in South Africa, Wonderkrater, has been identified since this map was first published (Thackeray et al., 2019).
Indefatigable genius and digital friend of the Tusk, Dr. Martin Sweatman, authored a surprise blockbuster this week. Below is a peer-reviewed and fully accepted pre-online synthesis overview of the Younger Dryas Impact controversy since the very first paper in 2007. 'The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis: review of the impact evidence' concludes — in perhaps the world's most appropriate and respected scientific journal — that based on the published evidence, our modern world is indeed birthed of a horrendous global catastrophe ~12,881 years ago. It is a lengthy, detailed, fair and lucid tour-de-force in support of The Event based on Martin's reading of the entire debate.

Martin is an example to the Tusk of how many, many people there are on earth. You have to have 8+ billion humans in order to have enough brain matter and determination on the end of the bell curve to find a just one single, well-qualified, unbiased, poly-curious scientist, so determined to find the truth that they will to read every last word — and then write every last word — well.
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