Wildfires
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Fire

Wildfires kill three people in southern Italy


Al Jazeera
Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:10 UTC
A fire burns in the area of Monte Grifone and the town of Ciaculli near Palermo, Sicily
A fire burns in the area of Monte Grifone and the town of Ciaculli near Palermo, Sicily.
Wildfires have killed at least three elderly people on Italy's southern island of Sicily as a heatwave and severe storms gripped continental Europe.

The charred bodies of a couple in their 70s were found in their burned-out home on the outskirts of the capital, Palermo, according to Italian media reports.

Another woman in her late 80s died in Palermo province after an ambulance was unable to reach her home due to the fires.

In an overnight message on Facebook, Sicilian President Renato Schifani said "scorching heat and unprecedented devastating fires" had turned Tuesday into "one of the most difficult days in decades".

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Fire

Two confirmed dead in fireball plane crash while fighting wildfires in Greece

Abigail O'Leary
Mirror
Tue, 25 Jul 2023 17:26 UTC
Smoke rises from the crash site
Smoke rises from the crash site
Two people have died in a plane crash which saw an aircraft crash and burst into flames while fighting Greek wildfires on the island of Evia.

Footage managed to capture the moment the aircraft came down near Platanistos and Karystos, two villages in Evia.

An emergency response helicopter is en route to the crash site to assess the situation.

The Greek government said in a statement: "The loss of the lives of Air Force Officers and firefighting aircraft operators, in the line of duty and while attempting to protect the lives and property of citizens, as well as the environment of our country, is deeply saddening.

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Fire

Algeria wildfires kill 25 people including 10 soldiers


Guardian
Mon, 24 Jul 2023 18:09 UTC
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Ten soldiers are among 25 people to have been killed by wildfires in the mountainous Béjaïa and Bouïra regions of Algeria, as a heatwave spreads across north Africa and southern Europe.

About 7,500 firefighters were trying to bring the flames under control, authorities said, adding that about 1,500 people had been evacuated.

Algeria's interior ministry said operations were under way to put out fires in six provinces and asked for people to "avoid areas affected by the fires" and to report new blazes on freephone numbers.

"Civil protection services remain mobilised until the fires are completely extinguished," the ministry said.

The defence ministry said 10 soldiers were killed in the fires, but provided no further details.

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Fire

Rhodes and Corfu wildfires: Thousands evacuated from Greek island fires


BBC
Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:38 UTC
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Wildfires on Rhodes have forced 19,000 people to be evacuated from homes and holiday accommodation.

Flights are due to land on the Greek island later on Monday to bring back stranded holidaymakers.

Tourists have been sleeping at the airport, makeshift rescue centres and on the street, after the flames threatened holiday resorts.

At least three hotels have been destroyed in the dense forest area of Kiotari on the east of the island.

Another evacuation order was issued for parts of Corfu, some 1,027km (670 miles) miles away, on Sunday evening.

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Fire

Canada's record-breaking wildfires burned more than 10 million hectares this year with 906 fires still active


France24
Sat, 15 Jul 2023 13:04 UTC
An aerial view of the Texas Creek wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, provided by the British Columbia Wildfire Service on July 9, 2023.
© British Columbia Wildfire ServiceAn aerial view of the Texas Creek wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, provided by the British Columbia Wildfire Service on July 9, 2023.
The prior all-time high occurred in 1989, when 7.3 million hectares were burned over the course of an entire year, according to national figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

The area burned this year, in just six and a half months, is roughly equivalent to the size of Portugal or Iceland.

In total, 4,088 fires have occurred since January, including many blazes that have scorched hundreds of thousands of hectares.

More than 150,000 people have been displaced, and a 19-year-old firefighter died Thursday.

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Fire

Thousands evacuated as wildfire hits La Palma in Canary Islands


news.stv
Sat, 15 Jul 2023 12:49 UTC
La Palma, with a population of 85,000, is one of eight members of Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast.
© PA MediaLa Palma, with a population of 85,000, is one of eight members of Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast.
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated as a wildfire rages "out of control" on La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands, destroying around a dozen homes, authorities have said.

The blaze has affected an area of about 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) and officials warned residents the situation could worsen because a heatwave has made the terrain tinder-dry.

"The fire has spread very fast," Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo said.

"The fire is out of control."

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Fire

Smoke from Canadian wildfires hits Norway and flows to southern Europe

Dani Anguiano
Guardian
Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:49 UTC
Sudbury 17 wildfire burns east of Mississagi
© APSudbury 17 wildfire burns east of Mississagi provincial park near Elliot Lake, Ontario, on 4 June 2023.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires that has descended upon parts of the eastern US and Canada in a thick haze has drifted over Norway and is expected to hit southern Europe, Norwegian officials said on Friday.

Using a climate forecast model, atmosphere and climate scientists with the Norwegian climate and environmental research institute (NILU) predicted how the smoke would travel through the atmosphere, flowing over the Scandinavian country before moving further south. The smoke was not expected to pose a health risk there.

"Smoke from the forest fires in Canada is still drifting in over Norway. It will also reach other parts of Europe over the next few days," the institute said on Twitter.
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Fire

Best of the Web: Air quality levels in parts of the U.S. plunge as Canada wildfires rage

Denise Chow and Evan Bush
NBC News
Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:39 UTC
A screenshot of a radar-based analysis by the
© NOAAA screenshot of a radar-based analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration taken late Tuesday afternoon shows near-surface smoke over the U.S.
Millions of people in the eastern U.S. faced unhealthy air quality conditions Tuesday as smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada wafts over much of the country.

An air quality advisory was in effect for several regions of New York state Tuesday. Air monitoring stations in some parts of New York City showed measures considered unhealthy for anyone Tuesday afternoon.

New York City ranked second and Detroit third among major cities for the worst air quality worldwide around 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to IQAir, a Swiss air monitoring company.

"Try to limit your outdoor activities today to the absolute necessities," Mayor Eric Adams advised anyone with breathing issues on Twitter.

It was the second day of hazy skies across a wide stretch of the country. Smoke blanketed the landscape from the Ohio Valley to as far south as the Carolinas on Monday. Air quality advisories were in effect Monday in southeastern Minnesota and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as in more than 60 counties in Wisconsin.


Comment: Wildfire smoke blankets much of Canada, raising health risks

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Fire

Wildfire smoke blankets much of Canada, raising health risks


CBC News
Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:25 UTC
The East side of the Paskwa fire burns in the High Level Forest Area district of Alberta in a May 9, 2023, handout photo.
© HO-Government of Alberta Fire ServiceThe East side of the Paskwa fire burns in the High Level Forest Area district of Alberta in a May 9, 2023, handout photo.

Hundreds of wildfires have left much of the country blanketed in smoke and smog that brings real health risks — especially for vulnerable children and seniors, pregnant people, and those with asthma and heart or lung disease.

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Fire

Donnie Creek wildfire now larger than all fires in British Columbia last year combined

Rajpreet Sahota
cjdctv.com
Wed, 31 May 2023 18:29 UTC
The Donnie Creek wildfire.
© BCWS.The Donnie Creek wildfire.
The Donnie Creek fire has grown in size yet again.

According to the B.C. Wildfire, the fire is bigger than all of the fires that burned in B.C. last summer combined. It is 168,395 hectares, an increase from yesterday's size of 157,500 hectares.

The weather is contributing to fire activity. The clouds are decreasing the fire activity since yesterday compared to the erratic activity from the weekend. However, the fire is pushing southeast due to winds from the west.

"We are looking at warmer temperatures tomorrow and full sun. No precipitation coming either. And, the relative humidity is dropping and that just means the air is getting drier around the fires," explains B.C. Wildfire's Information Officer Bryan Zandberg.

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