Wildfires Worldwide

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Wildfires have burned a record amount of area in the Canadian province of British Columbia

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Wildfires have already burned a record amount of area in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the situation will probably get worse due to more hot, dry weather, government officials said Tuesday.

https://apnews.com/article/canada-wildfires-british-columbia-record-9b47dd03eda060a01e0fe0c894195a0c?

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Canada wildfire: Firefighter dies tackling British Columbia blaze

A third firefighter has died in Canada while battling the country's worst wildfire season on record.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66352768?

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City empties as thousands flee wildfire burning near capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Residents heeded warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as a large wildfire burned just outside the city of 20,000 Friday, while firefighters battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze in a city in British Columbia.

https://apnews.com/article/canada-wildfires-northwest-territories-7b8c327876d86a483c8e25df7bc2c566?

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Firefighters in Greece have discovered the bodies of 18 people in an area with a major wildfire

ALEXANDROUPOLIS, Greece (AP) — Firefighters on Tuesday found the burnt bodies of 18 people believed to have been migrants who had crossed the Turkish border into an area of northeastern Greece where wildfires have raged for days.

https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-greece-evacuation-firefighters-375a33b022ba619d09b15b056ed3f3f7?

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Greece wildfires: 79 people arrested for arson

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said there had been several attempts by arsonists to start new fires on Mount Parnitha, north-west of Athens.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66612781?

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Canadian wildfire smoke turns Orlando air quality unhealthy

If you think it looks a little hazy outside, you’d be right. Central Florida has some of the worst air quality in the nation right now.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/10/03/orlando-air-quality-smoke-unhealthy/?

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Southern California wildfire prompts evacuation order for thousands as Santa Ana winds fuel flames

AGUANGA, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters aided by aircraft on Tuesday battled a wind-driven wildfire that damaged or destroyed at least nine buildings in rural Southern California and prompted authorities to order 4,000 residents to evacuate.

https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-evacuations-santa-ana-winds-1f26223165d7306ab19f5831f8dff0db?

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This town is preparing for a ‘last stand’ as wildfires rage in Canada An intense wildfire could reach a town in western Canada this week, fire experts and officials warned, based on forecasts of winds that are fueling the out-of-control blaze. More than 4,700 people have evacuated, and fire crews and emergency workers were preparing for a “last stand” if the fire advances into the town of Fort Nelson, said Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. Read more.

Why this matters: In 2023, Canada experienced a record number of wildfires that caused choking smoke in parts of the U.S. and forced more than 235,000 Canadians to evacuate their communities. There were no civilian casualties, but at least four firefighters died.   The blaze is one of several out-of-control wildfires in Western Canada threatening communities in provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba, prompting air quality alerts spanning across British Columbia and pushing air quality down to unhealthy levels for the second consecutive day in Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Canadian wildfire smoke chokes Upper Midwest for second straight year   K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals   For farmers, watching and waiting is a spring planting ritual. Climate change is adding to anxiety

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Fast-moving wildfire in the Canadian Rockies ravages the picturesque resort town of Jasper

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alberta (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire in the Canadian Rockies that had prompted 25,000 people to flee roared into the near-deserted town of Jasper overnight with flames higher than treetops, devastating up to half of its structures, officials said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/canada-wildfires-jasper-park-evacuation-c505420203b5fdba2bcf07e8b7f00d90?

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Greece wildfires

 

Evacuations have been ordered near Athens as authorities race to contain wildfires near the Greek capital. More than 500 firefighters and volunteers are working to extinguish the blaze which broke out Sunday near the town of Varnavas, north of Athens. Fire officials have not said how big the fire is, but Greek public broadcaster ERT estimates it exceeds about 19 miles. Although wildfires are common in Greek summers, climate scientists say that unusually hot and dry weather linked to global warming makes the blazes fiercer and more numerous. Greek authorities have battled dozens of blazes already this summer after enduring its hottest June and July on record.

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Wildfires

The Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency due to a series of wildfires. The blazes, which began on Monday in Saskatchewan, have rapidly expanded in size, prompting the evacuation of more than 18,000 people. The intensifying fires are also beginning to send hazardous smoke toward the US. As of Thursday, just over 160 wildfires were burning across Canada, and about half were uncontrolled. Collectively, they have burned more than 1.56 million acres — 40% above the 10-year average for this point in the year. According to National Resources Canada, above-average fire weather severity is forecast for almost all of Western Canada in June and July.

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Wildfire kills 10 firefighters and rescue workers in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — At least 10 firefighters and rescue workers were killed Wednesday and many others injured while battling a wildfire in northwestern Turkey, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-wildfire-forestry-workers-rescuers-killed-d89fb0dba1dbe7ff6678ca11ec6f8b47?

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> Wildfires in Greece lead to second day of evacuations, including some residents near Athens; comes amid severe heat wave with temperatures reaching 112 degrees Fahrenheit (More) | Flooding in northern China leaves two people dead (More)

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France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading

France’s biggest wildfire this summer was spreading quickly Wednesday in a Mediterranean region near the Spanish border after leaving one person dead, authorities said. French Prime Minister François Bayrou deplored a “disaster on an unprecedented scale” in the region. Read More.

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France's Aude Wildfire

France contained its largest wildfire since 1949 yesterday, after three days battling the blaze. The wildfire in the southern Aude region scorched more than 62 square miles—an area roughly one and a half times the size of Paris.    Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, which killed at least one person, injured over a dozen others, and forced about 2,000 to evacuate. Dozens of homes and vehicles have been destroyed. Officials blamed climate change for the heightened wildfire risk (see more, w/graph). Strong winds, dry soil, and a recent drought have spread the fire. More than 2,100 firefighters worked to contain the blaze alongside several water bomber planes (see how they work).   The wildfire comes weeks after a parliamentary report warned France’s fleet of 60 firefighting aircraft is aging and limited. The European Commission, which invested in new aircraft and satellite technology, offered its assistance early Thursday.

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Parts of Europe burn as millions are facing record heat

Wildfires burned in parts of Europe on Tuesday as millions of people across the continent struggled to adapt to the new reality: record summer heat. Temperatures in some areas soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Read More.

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At least 3 dead and thousands displaced as wildfires rage across southern Europe

Wildfires intensified across southern Europe on Wednesday after a nightlong battle to protect the perimeter of Greece’s third-largest city, with at least three more deaths reported in Spain, Turkey and Albania. Read More.

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Firefighters face attacks, drones and arsonists while battling deadly blazes in Chile

FLORIDA, Chile (AP) — Firefighters and security forces battling blazes in Chile that have killed at least 21 people and ravaged swaths of forest this week faced other dangers, too, from attempted attacks to the threat of drone collisions.

https://apnews.com/article/chile-wildfires-firefighters-drones-arson-3566c8c5d5a2d3a9ea8e592c5dea8ab6?

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Chile’s inferno

The world is entering a new era of wildfires. This huge blaze shows how hard they are to tackle.

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• 🇪🇸 One of Spain's deadliest wildfires on record killed 12 people overnight, authorities said, with rising temperatures expected to continue this weekend, AP reports. Go deeper.