Gina Martinez Daily Mail Sun, 20 Mar 2022 13:30 UTC
Videos of the blaze posted to social media show the blaze form into what appears to be a 'fire tornado'
A declaration disaster was issued in 11 Texas counties as a massive wildfire that has burned down at least 50 homes and left a sheriff's deputy dead continues to spread.
Firefighters are tackling the Eastland Complex Fire, which has burned through 45,000 acres and was only around 15 percent contained as of Saturday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service fire.
The fire started on Thursday and has quickly spread because of the dry conditions and wind gusts of more than 40 mph in large parts of the state.
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in the counties hardest hit by wildfires after confirming that dozens of homes had been destroyed by the flames.
About 18,000 people live in Eastland County. In the town of Gorman, about 475 homes were evacuated, but officials don't yet know how many structures may have burned, Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Matthew Ford said.
The Texas A&M Forest Services warned that fires could also affect parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, and Nebraska warned of an extreme fire risk.
Three wildfires in the Florida Panhandle have burned through more than 13,000 acres and forced evacuations of at least 1,100 homes in an area still recovering from a Category 5 hurricane three years ago.
The Bertha Swamp Road Fire is estimated at 12,000 acres and is 10% contained as of Monday morning, according to the Florida Forest Service. The fire began in Gulf County on Friday and was pushed by winds into neighboring Calhoun and Bay counties on Saturday.
A major wildfire has devasted a large area on South Korea's eastern coast
A wildfire in an eastern coastal area of South Korea has forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 people. The blaze temporarily threatened a nuclear power station, with the president issuing an alarm.
Thousands of South Korean firefighters and troops on Saturday worked to put out a large wildfire that has spread across more than 6,000 hectares (almost 15,000 acres) since breaking out on a mountain on the country's eastern coast.
The fire threatened at one stage to reach a nuclear power plant and South Korea's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production complex, but firefighters brought the blaze under control before it reached the facilities, according to officials cited by Yonhap news agency.
Red alert for forest fire in Chilean region of Valparaiso
Large forest fires occurred in Valparaíso, Chile on March 1st 2022.
Around 200 hectares of forest have been destroyed by wild fires in the region. The fires started on February 28th, but quickly spread due to high winds and dry conditions.
Roads were closed in the vicinity of the fire as it spread. Warnings are in place due to the proximity of the fire to power cables.
Air quality has been affected, as smoke fills the sky. In local areas, ash has been seen covering streets, with fears of acid rain caused by toxins in the air.
Fire services are working to contain the fire's spread as it threatens nearby settlements, however the fire is still spreading rapidly. This situation is being monitored as it develops.
Laurence Blair, Uki Goñi Guardian Fri, 04 Mar 2022 19:39 UTC
Massive ash cloud from wildfires engulfs southern Paraguay
Smoke blown from fires in drought-striken Argentina shrouds Asunción and surrounding regions in dangerous haze
A massive, fast-moving cloud of ash hundreds of metres tall and several kilometres wide has swept over southern Paraguay, as storms blew debris from wildfires raging in neighbouring Argentina following two years of severe drought.
The colossal bank of smog enveloped Asunción, Paraguay's capital, late on Monday, shrouding the city and its suburbs in a thick, grey haze with the aroma of burnt vegetation.
Forecasters warned residents to stay inside to avoid breathing in the smoky miasma.
In the southern district of Ayolas, where fires have been blazing since early January, conditions were so dark that birds went up into the trees to roost, thinking it was night, said Ray Mendoza, a volunteer firefighter.
Almost 800,000 hectares of the province of Corrientes in northwestern Argentina has been devastated by wildfires.
According to a report by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) released on Friday, 785,238 hectares of land had been burned due to the blazes, which represents 9% of the province's area.
According to the INTA, the fires have affected a great deal of wildlife in the country's northeast.
Many animals have been burned by flames or poisoned by smoke, while others have been run over on roads trying to escape the fires.
Firefighting teams were continuing operations to extinguish the flames.
Fierce winds, with gusts topping 100 mph, along the foothills in the north metro area are driving multiple wildfires and some Boulder County residents are evacuating their homes because of the fire threat.
At about 1 p.m., the Boulder Office of Emergency Management ordered an evacuation notice for the town of Superior — population of about 12,000 people. Less than an hour later, fire command ordered an evacuation of Louisville — about 20,000 people.
"Boulder County Office of Emergency Management has just announced an Evacuation Order for ALL of Superior, Colorado residents," the town said on Twitter. "Evacuation point is the South Boulder Recreation Center. The Superior Community Center is not an official evacuation location."
"If you are in Louisville, this is a life threatening situation. LEAVE NOW!" fire officials said on Twitter.
Comment: These wildfires were so sudden and so destructive, they rank as the state's worst-ever. That they came in the cold season on New Year's Eve, and targeted urban areas between the city of Boulder and Denver, makes them stranger still.
More views of the blaze:
UPDATE 31/12/2021: Governor sees 'miracle' in devastating Colorado fires
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has reported there has been no known loss of life from the devastating wildfires that have claimed over 500 homes.
"We may have our own New Year's miracle on our hands if it holds up that there was no loss of life," Polis said at a press conference on Friday.
No deaths would be "quite the testimony to preparedness and emergency response," he added, as residents only had minutes to evacuate as the blazes spread rapidly due to high winds.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said earlier the fires had eliminated at least 500 homes and destroyed entire subdivisions. The burn area includes approximately 2,000 homes, up to half of which may have been heavily impacted by the fires, authorities said.
Pelle also referred to no deaths as "miraculous" on Friday, and he said authorities do not have the long list of missing persons typical for such incidents, saying only one person was reported missing and they have since been accounted for.
Numerous injuries have been reported, however, including from first responders, and the sheriff said to expect more.
Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes on Thursday, with the towns of Superior and Louisville the first to evacuate. Among the destruction is a Tesla facility that photos show has nearly burnt to the ground.
Thousands in the state remain without power. An official investigation into the fire is underway, though authorities have said high winds blowing up to 105 miles per hour helped spread what was likely a blaze caused by downed power lines.
"The origin of the fire hasn't been confirmed. It's suspected to be power lines," Pelle said.
Aerial view:
Damage reports are starting to come in. From ZeroHedge:
Entire neighborhoods burned to the ground.
And aerial survey of damage from the Boulder, Colorado wildfire, December 31, 2021
A Colorado sheriff who is helping assess damage caused by a wildfire that spread rapidly across an area just outside Denver said Friday he would "not be surprised" if up to 1,000 homes were lost.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle made the remark while announcing there were no reports of fatalities or casualties, adding that the one person missing after the Marshall Fire tore through the communities of Louisville and Superior on Thursday has been accounted for and is well.
"I would estimate it is going to be at least 500 homes, I would not be surprised if it's 1,000," Pelle told a reporter Friday when asked about the extent of the damage.
A total damage assessment is still ongoing - but Pelle, who on Friday morning flew over the 6,000 acres burned in the fire - said "we did see entire subdivisions... that are totally gone."
Around three to six inches of snow is expected to fall on the region late Friday into Saturday. The weather pattern should bring moisture to the drought-stricken area and help snuff out the last pockets of flames, according to Pelle.
"At this point, as long as the weather holds up here, there's not going to be substantial additional damage from this fire," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Friday.
Polis said he spoke with President Biden this morning, who pledged federal assistance in the wake of the disaster.
View of a huge fire in Paraje Villegas, Rio Negro province, 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of Bariloche, Argentina, Dec. 29, 2021.
Several sources of fire have been active for weeks in the Argentine provinces of Neuquen, Rio Negro and Chubut (south), where the flames have consumed thousands of hectares of native forest, amid adverse weather conditions, according to the authorities.
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Comment: These wildfires were so sudden and so destructive, they rank as the state's worst-ever. That they came in the cold season on New Year's Eve, and targeted urban areas between the city of Boulder and Denver, makes them stranger still.
More views of the blaze:
UPDATE 31/12/2021: Governor sees 'miracle' in devastating Colorado fires Aerial view:
Damage reports are starting to come in. From ZeroHedge: Fox News reports: