Wildfires
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Fire

At least 18 new deaths reported in Greece wildfires


cbc.ca
Tue, 22 Aug 2023 12:22 UTC
A house is shown burning during a wildfire in Avanta, near Alexandroupolis, in northern Greece. Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen dozens of wildfires break out across the country.
© Sakis MitrolidisA house is shown burning during a wildfire in Avanta, near Alexandroupolis, in northern Greece. Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen dozens of wildfires break out across the country.
Greek firefighters found the bodies of 18 people in an area of northeastern Greece ravaged by a major wildfire burning for days, authorities said Tuesday.

Greek police activated the country's Disaster Victim Identification Team to identify the bodies, which were found near a shack in the Avanta area in the northeastern Alexandroupolis region, Ioannis Artopios, a spokesperson for the fire department, said in a televised statement.

Given no reports of missing people had been filed in the area, authorities were examining the possibility the casualties were migrants who had entered the country from the nearby border with Turkey, Artopios said.

Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen dozens of wildfires break out across the country. On Monday, two people died and two firefighters were injured in separate fires in northern and central Greece.

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Fire

Evacuations ordered after winds whip Northern California wildfire near site of 2022 deadly blaze


Associated Press
Wed, 16 Aug 2023 10:50 UTC
Klamath fire
© Roger Matthews/Caltrans/APFire: Klamath National Forest
Rural areas near California's border with Oregon were under evacuation orders Wednesday after gusty winds from a thunderstorm sent a lightning-sparked wildfire racing through national forest lands, authorities said.

The blaze in Siskiyou County, dubbed the Head Fire, was one of at least 20 fires - most of them tiny - that erupted in the Klamath National Forest as thunderstorms brought lightning and downdrafts that drove the flames through timber and rural lands.

Forest Supervisor Rachel Smith told The Associated Press:
"This has been a fire that has moved extremely quickly. Just in a matter of a couple of minutes yesterday afternoon the fire grew from just 50 acres (20.2 hectares) to nearly 1,500 acres (607 hectares). This is the kind of growth that historically we have not experienced on our forest prior to the last couple of years."
An overflight late Tuesday measured the fire at 4.2 square miles (10.8 square kilometers), slightly smaller than initial estimates after it grew rapidly in just a few hours. A forest statement said fire behavior also decreased during the night.

Firefighters were working to protect homes near the confluence of the Scott and Klamath rivers, a very lightly populated area about 20 miles (32.2 kilometers) from the California-Oregon state line and about 50 miles northwest of Mt. Shasta.
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Cloud Lightning

Best of the Web: Maui wildfires death toll climbs to 480 locals claim, as Hawaii morgue workers run out of body bags

Ruth Styles
Daily Mail
Fri, 18 Aug 2023 12:11 UTC
Maui residents say the actual wildfire death toll so far is likely closer to 480 and reveal the MPD's morgue office (pictured) ran out of body bags in the early days of the ongoing search and recovery operation in Lahaina
Maui residents say the actual wildfire death toll so far is likely closer to 480 and reveal the MPD's morgue office (pictured) ran out of body bags in the early days of the ongoing search and recovery operation in Lahaina
Maui authorities are dramatically underplaying the number of people known to have died in the inferno that ripped through Lahaina last week - with locals telling DailyMail.com that the actual death toll is at least 480 and that morgues had run out of body bags.

The figure is quadruple that of the official number of 111 - and some of the relatives of the victims have been left to uncover the remains of their loved ones themselves due to the glacial progress of the search and recovery operation.

On Tuesday, Maui mayor Richard Bissen said just 25 per cent of the stricken town had been searched, although he expected that figure to increase to 85 per cent by Saturday.

But DailyMail.com photos taken on Wednesday showed hundreds of cars and vehicles still unsearched - with just a handful marked with an orange X to show they'd been looked at.

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Fire

Canada wildfires: State of emergency declared in British Columbia as firefighters combat blazes

Maroosha Muzaffar
Independent (UK)
Sat, 19 Aug 2023 11:35 UTC
Homes are pictured near the McDougall Creek
© Ben Nelms/CBCHomes are pictured near the McDougall Creek Wildfire as it burns in West Kelowna, B.C. on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. B.C. Premier David Eby announced a provincewide state of emergency after a significant number of homes were destroyed by the fast-burning wildfire.
The premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia has declared a state of emergency, citing what he described as the worst wildfire season ever as thousands of individuals have been evacuated from cities to the east of Vancouver.

David Eby said on Friday night: "Over the past 24 hours, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead."

He continued: "We are facing the worst wildfire season in our province's history. This unprecedented situation has come to a head this evening. In just the last 24 hours, the situation has evolved and deteriorated quite rapidly."

Amidst blustery conditions in the hills and mountains above West Kelowna, firefighters are battling the uncontained McDougall Creek wildfire, which has spread over 10,500 hectares of land. This volatile situation has prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents.

West Kelowna, a municipality with a population of 36,000, is situated approximately 300 kilometres [180 miles] east of Vancouver. Evacuations were also being carried out north of nearby Kelowna, a city with a population of about 150,000 also on Okanagan Lake, the local media reported.


Comment: Related: Canada wildfire: Evacuees flee Yellowknife as fire nears northern city

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Fire

More than 3,000 people flee wildfires in popular French tourist spot

Jasper King
Metro (UK)
Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:25 UTC
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A popular part of France is the latest area to be hit by devastating wildfires with more than 3,000 tourists evacuated from a holiday spot.

The blaze ripped through 500 hectares of land in the holiday region of Pyrenees-Orientales, close to Spain's border.

The fire broke out on Monday afternoon at 5pm and spread rapidly near the villages of Saint-Andre, Sorede and the seaside resort of Argeles, due to the 'extremely hot weather, drought and strong winds of up to 180km/hr'.

It has so far gutted around 30 homes, incinerated cars and destroyed a campsite in the commune of Saint-Andre.

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Fire

Canada wildfire: Evacuees flee Yellowknife as fire nears northern city

Nadine Yousif
bbc
Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:18 UTC
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.

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Fire

Emergency services struggle to control wildfire on Spanish island of Tenerife


The Telegraph (UK)
Thu, 17 Aug 2023 10:10 UTC
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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.

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Fire

Maui wildfires leave trail of death and destruction

Aditi Sangal, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Maureen Chowdhury
CNN
Tue, 15 Aug 2023 06:35 UTC
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:

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Fire

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

Oliver Holmes, Edward Helmore
Guardian
Thu, 10 Aug 2023 08:25 UTC
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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.


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Fire

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


Associated Press
Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:08 UTC
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.

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