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Fire

Thousands evacuate as wildfires turn the sky red in Chile


Global News
Sat, 16 Jan 2021 09:03 UTC
Chile wildfires
© YouTube/Global News (screen capture)
Wildfires raged in Chile's Valparaiso region on Friday, turning the sky red and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes.

Authorities said at least 10 properties were engulfed by the fires sweeping through the forest area near Quilpue city.

No deaths or injuries have been reported. Officials ordered the evacuation of some 25,000 residents and hundreds of firefighters were deployed to help battle the fires.

Emergency authorities said the fires have blazed through some 400 hectares of forest, with firefighters concentrating their efforts on four focal points.

A local government official said authorities believe the wildfires were started deliberately.
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Fire

57,000 wildfires this year in the US - About 10 million acres burned

Yelena Dzhanova
Insider
Sat, 26 Dec 2020 13:20 UTC
A law enforcement officer watches flames launch into the air as fire continues to spread at the Bear fire in Oroville, California on September 9, 2020.
© Josh Edelson/AFP
A law enforcement officer watches flames launch into the air as fire continues to spread at the Bear fire in Oroville, California on September 9, 2020.
As 2020 winds to a close, firefighters are still struggling to contain three active California wildfires.

These three wildfires are part of the more than 57,000 that occurred this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, which tracks wildland fires.


As of December 23, these tens of thousands of wildfires have scorched more than 10.3 million acres, a record-high in at least a decade. Burned acres in the United States has not reached double-digit million figures in the last 10 years, according to the agency.

Last year, about 4.5 million acres were burned down because of about 49,000 wildfires.
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Cloud Lightning

Environmental disasters across globe in November 2020

Burak Bir
Anadolu Agency
Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:49 UTC
flood
Seasonal Deyr rains, which hit Somalia between October and December, acutely impact the lives of roughly 73,000 people

November saw a host of global environmental disasters, including floods in Mexico and typhoon gales in the Philippines, as well as forest fires in Algeria and storms in Central America and Somalia.

Here is a timeline compiled by Anadolu Agency.

Nov. 2:

- At least 17 people die and tens of thousands of others evacuated to safer areas due to the ongoing typhoon in the Philippines, according to state media.

Nov. 4:

- A miniature tsunami hits coastal areas in Turkey after being triggered by an earthquake in the Aegean Sea, according to the head of Bogazici University's Kandilli Earthquake Research Institute.
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Fire

California wildfire leads to evacuations as 4,000 acres burn

Lee Brown
New York Post
Thu, 03 Dec 2020 03:52 UTC
Firefighters Silverado
© AP
Firefighters battling the fire haul a hose while working to save a home in the Silverado community in Orange County, California.
A new California wildfire forced residents to flee their homes early Thursday after the blaze exploded in high winds across more than 4,000 acres in Orange County, according to officials.

After an already record-breaking year of wildfires, California was again hit late Wednesday when a house fire quickly spread to tinder-dry brush, sparking the out-of-control Bond Fire, which grew to over 6 square miles in Orange County's Silverado Canyon.

It rapidly spread across the region in winds that topped 70 mph, and by Thursday was burning about 4,000 acres, the Orange County Fire Association (OCFA) said on Twitter alongside dramatic video clips.

"We have received reports that there may be multiple structures damaged from the fire," the fire department said, saying they were "in the process of verifying the number involved and the extent of damage."

Dramatic video showed the region once again overwhelmed with red skies as officials ordered mandatory evacuations.
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Sun

Temperature extremes: Severe fire danger for Australia as November high temperatures smash records

Swati Pandey
Reuters
Sun, 29 Nov 2020 15:20 UTC
The forecast heat map for the first day of summer with a renewed heatwave across inland eastern Australia

The forecast heat map for the first day of summer with a renewed heatwave across inland eastern Australia
Parts of Australia, including Sydney, sweltered through the hottest November night on record with temperatures likely to stay high on Sunday, prompting authorities to issue a total fire ban.

Sydney CBD surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) on Saturday while swathes of western New South Wales, South Australia and northern Victoria baked through even higher temperatures nearing 45 degrees.

Temperatures are expected to cross 40 degrees for a second straight day on Sunday while the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a five or six-day heatwave for parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

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Fire

Wildfires sweep through 10 northern Algerian provinces - 2 people killed


CGTN
Mon, 09 Nov 2020 12:31 UTC
wildfire
Several wildfires broke out in 10 provinces in Algeria, and several city officials are reporting that this has been the worst year for wildfires in almost two decades.

The wildfires near the coastal city of Tipaza, west of the Algerian capital, have reportedly killed two people who sought shelter in a chicken coop and forced the evacuation of nearby residents.

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Fire

Australia's wildfires created a 'record-breaking' smoke plume in the upper atmosphere

Alexandru Micu
ZME Science
Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:03 UTC
Ukraine wildfires
Australia's bushfires set a record for the largest smoke cloud generated by a wildfire, a new paper reports. The plume was at least three times larger than any previously recorded one.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan's (USask) Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies say that last winter's Australian wildfires created a smoke cloud that pushed all the way to the stratosphere, some 35 kilometers above the surface, and reached incredible sizes. At its largest, it measured 1,000 kilometers across. The cloud remained intact for three months and traveled over 66,000 kilometers.

King smoke
"When I saw the satellite measurement of the smoke plume at 35 kilometres, it was jaw dropping. I never would have expected that," said Adam Bourassa, professor of physics and engineering physics, who led the USask group which played a key role in analyzing NASA satellite data.

Comment: The smoke these wildfires produce, together with particulates from meteor 'smoke' and volcanic eruptions, all jointly contribute to the increased dust-load in the atmosphere. This changes its electric charge rebalancing mechanisms, producing more intense storms and precipitation in the form of record rainfall, hail, lightning strikes, atmospheric 'anomalies' etc.

See also:

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Fire

Wind-fuelled wildfire in Southern California leads to evacuation order for 100,000

Guardian News
YouTube
Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:34 UTC
Weather conditions are hampering efforts to bring the fires under control
© REUTERS
Weather conditions are hampering efforts to bring the fires under control
A fast-burning wildfire has triggered evacuation orders for 60,000 Southern California residents, as hundreds of thousands elsewhere across the state endured a second straight day of power shutoffs due to heightened fire risks from high winds. The Silverado fire sparked early in Orange county, quickly jumping a highway and exploding to 4,000 acres. The fire had doubled in size within two hours, with strong wind gusts pushing flames along brushy ridges in Silverado canyon toward thousands of homes. The latest threats came amid California's worst wildfire season on record in terms of landscape burned, with more than 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares) scorched since the start of the year, along with thousands of homes destroyed and 31 lives lost.


Comment: Four million acres burned in California wildfires

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Fire

East Troublesome wildfire in Colorado explodes to 170,000 acres: 'Really unheard of'

Anica Padilla
Denver.cbslocal.com
Thu, 22 Oct 2020 17:15 UTC
Troublesome fire

East Troublesome fire
The East Troublesome Fire grew almost another 50,000 acres on Thursday, after growing about 100,000 acres Wednesday night. As of Thursday evening, the fire was estimated at 170,000 acres — making it the second largest fire in Colorado history.

"We prepare for the worst. This is the worst of the worst of the worst," Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said.

There are concerns the fire could merge with the Cameron Peak Fire, which has burned over 200,000 acres.

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Fire

Massive Colorado wildfires force thousands to evacuate


NBC News
Mon, 19 Oct 2020 19:32 UTC
fire
In Boulder County, the CalWood fire exploded to nearly 9,000 acres leaving whole neighborhoods in ruin and forcing nearly 3,000 people to flee their homes. In Northern Colorado firefighters are scrambling to contain the Cameron Peak fire—the largest wildfire in state history.


Comment: Cameron Peak Fire is now the largest wildfire in Colorado history

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