The thick smoke and haze that turned the New York City skyline orange and brought some of the worst air quality levels the Northeast has seen in decades was spawned by a series of wildfires burning in Canada. The fires, which began in early June and have affected Ontario and …
Read More »Canada on track for its worst-ever wildfire season
Canada is on track for its worst-ever year of wildfire destruction as warm and dry conditions are forecast to persist through to the end of the summer after an unprecedented start to the fire season, officials said on Monday. Blazes are burning in nearly all Canadian provinces and territories, and …
Read More »Alberta on high alert for wildfire upsurge over scorching holiday weekend
Firefighters in Alberta are on high alert for a surge in blazes over a long weekend in the oil-rich Canadian province, which is enduring throttled energy production, home evacuations and property damage after an intense start to the wildfire season. Record-high temperatures and lack of rain this year have led …
Read More »Canada’s Alberta announces state of emergency over wildfires
Almost all of Alberta and much of neighboring Saskatchewan province face extreme fire risks. Alberta has announced a state of emergency as wildfires flare across the Canadian province, forcing 25,000 people to flee their homes in what a top official said was an “unprecedented” crisis. Thousands more have been told …
Read More »22 dead, hundreds injured in Chile wildfires that continue to spread
As of Saturday morning, there were 251 wildfires raging throughout Chile, 151 of which were under control, according to Chile’s Senapred disaster agency. Chile extended an emergency declaration to yet another region on Saturday as firefighters struggled to control dozens of raging wildfires that have claimed at least 22 lives …
Read More »Raging wildfire in southern California triples in size, forcing evacuations
A raging wildfire outside Los Angeles in the US state of California has forced massive evacuations, spreading to 23,919 acres with five percent containment, according to reports. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate around the affected areas with the growing blaze snatching two lives. Tropical Storm Kay is …
Read More »Algeria’s wildfires death toll rises to 37 – Ennahar TV
The death toll from wildfires in Algeria has risen to 37, the local Ennahar TV reported on Thursday, citing the Algerian Civil Protection Directorate. The number of injured also increased to 183 people, the report added. The wildfires are burning in mountainous areas and the victims were from the provinces …
Read More »Spain firefighters battle to control huge Valencia wildfire (Pictures)
A cry of “run, run, run, run” rang out across the hillside as a wall of flame fed by high winds swept down towards four Spanish firefighters, engulfing tinder-dry bracken seconds after they fled for their lives. The wildfire they were battling on Wednesday was in the eastern Valencia region, …
Read More »Wildfire in Portugal envelops Madrid skyscrapers in smoke 400 km away
Smoke from a huge wildfire in central Portugal enveloped skyscrapers known as the “Four Towers” in Madrid 400 km (250 miles) away on Tuesday, and residents of the Spanish capital complained of a strong burning smell. The fire, which has ravaged Portugal’s Serra da Estrela national park, started on August …
Read More »Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Blaze near Lisbon
Hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze raging in a Portuguese municipality near the capital Lisbon on Sunday as high temperatures and strong winds made it harder to put out the flames.
Read More »Two Hundred Homes Ablaze, Deaths in Siberia Fires
Several fires have broken out in southern Siberia, affecting about 200 buildings and causing at least five deaths, local authorities said on Saturday, adding they had placed the area under a state of emergency.
Read More »Largest US wildfire rages out of control in New Mexico (Videos)
Firefighters in New Mexico failed on Friday to pin back the flames of the United States’ largest wildfire, which is burning perilously close to a string of mountain villages. The blaze is the most destructive of dozens in the US Southwest that are more widespread and burning earlier than normal …
Read More »USA | 5,000 under evacuation orders as New Mexico wildfire rages
Evacuation orders for close to 5,000 people are still in place as firefighters battle a deadly blaze in New Mexico. The wind-fueled wildfire has ripped through the mountain community of Ruidoso. The flames have destroyed more than 200 homes and killed two people since the wildfire broke out Tuesday. Authorities …
Read More »Wildfire engulfs vast area in California as firefighters struggle to contain it
Several DC-10 jets have been pressed into service to douse the wildfire that has grown to 15,500 acres (6,272 hectares) in a southern California coastal mountain range, according to reports. The jets dropped fire retardant over the western flank of the massive fire along the southern California coast on Thursday, …
Read More »Two California wildfires threatening some of world’s largest trees
Two wildfires in the US state of California are threatening some of the world’s largest and oldest trees in the area, according to the US National Park Service (NPS). Sequoia National Park in California, home to giant sequoia trees – the world’s largest, was forced to shut down due to …
Read More »Rain helps fight against ‘monster’ wildfire in southern Spain
Light rain gave some breathing room to crews struggling Monday to battle a “monster” wildfire in southern Spain which killed a firefighter and forced the evacuation of around 2,600 people. Around 500 firefighters and 51 water-dropping planes have been tackling the blaze, which officials believe was started deliberately last Wednesday …
Read More »Joe Biden approves disaster declaration for California as he prepares to survey wildfire damage
US President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for California and will travel to Sacramento on Monday to survey the damage from recent wildfires, the White House said on Sunday. More than 6,800 wildfires large and small have blackened an estimated 1.7 million acres (689,000 hectares) within California alone …
Read More »Strong winds, high temperatures fuel wildfire near Spanish resort
Unusually strong winds and high late-summer temperatures hindered efforts on Friday to tame a wildfire near a popular resort in southern Spain that has forced over 1,000 people out of their homes and killed an emergency worker. Since erupting on Wednesday evening, the blaze has burned through around 3,600 hectares …
Read More »Algeria detains 30 people over devastating wildfires
Algeria has detained 30 people, including seven members of a separatist group that the government has declared a terrorist organisation, for involvement in wildfires that killed at least 65 people, the paramilitary police said on Wednesday. They have been placed in custody after appearing before a court following investigations over …
Read More »Lake Tahoe threatened by massive fire, more ordered to flee
Fire officials ordered more evacuations near Lake Tahoe and told other residents to be ready to leave as a destructive fire roared through forests southwest of the alpine lake that straddles the California-Nevada state line. Several communities south of the lake were abruptly ordered to evacuate Sunday afternoon and residents …
Read More »