Category Archives: Forest Fires

Forestry

Norway says elevated radiation levels due to forest fire near Chornobyl

Reuters
September 18, 2024
Category: Forestry, Forest Fires
Region: International

OSLO — Norway said on Wednesday that elevated levels of radioactive caesium (Cs-137) it had detected near the Arctic border with Russia were likely due to a forest fire near Chornobyl in Ukraine, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident. The Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had measured “very low” levels of radioactive caesium at Svanhovd and Viksjoefjell near the Arctic border with Russia. The authority detected elevated levels of radioactive caesium at Svanhovd from Sept. 9-16 and at Viksjoefjell from Sept. 5-12, but the levels didn’t pose a risk to humans or the environment, it added. …”This time it is most likely that the forest fire around Chornobyl is to blame.” …On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. Four of the Soviet Union’s Chornobyl nuclear power plant… released large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere.

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Forest Fires

Wildfire reported on Mount Arrowsmith now ‘being held’

Nanaimo News Bulletin
September 23, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vancouver Island — The wildfire on Mount Arrowsmith is now ‘being held’, according to BC Wildfire Service. The forest fire is 1.14 hectares in size and was discovered on Sept. 22. It was reported as ‘out-of-control’ until the afternoon of Sept. 23. Dashwood Fire Department said, in a social media post on Sunday evening, that BC Wildfire will deal with this fire this morning (Sept. 23). Two BC Wildfire initial attack crews, one unit crew and a response officer are responding to the fire. MOSAIC is also responding with three water tenders and personnel. BC Wildfire Service lists the fire’s location as Lockwood Creek. It is located 11 kilometres southwest of Coombs and is not threatening any properties as it is in a remote area, according to BC Wildfire Service.

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West Canoe fire grows to 38 hectares

By Spencer Hall
The Rocky Mountain Goat
September 21, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

VALEMOUNT, BC — As of Saturday afternoon, the wildfire located at the approx. 10km mark on the West Canoe Forest Service Road south of Valemount, has grown to 38 hectares. BC Wildfire Service says the fire, located along Kinbasket Lake, currently poses no threat to the Village of Valemount, though it is highly visible from the village and anyone out recreating near the north end of Kinbasket Lake. BCWS currently has two initial attack crews responding to the blaze. These crews are being supported by a helicopter and one piece of heavy equipment. Fire Information Officer Emelie Peacock said the fire is suspected to be human-caused, adding that the specific cause of this fire will be under investigation. 

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B.C. Ministers Provide Wildfire Update

CPAC
September 12, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Bruce Ralston

Bowinn Ma, British Columbia’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, and Bruce Ralston, the minister of forests, hold a news conference in Vancouver to provide an update on the wildfire situation in the province and a presentation on the fall wildfire outlook… 214 wildfires continue to burn across the province including several in northern BC out of the 1,600 starts this season. About 73 per cent of fires this year were caused by lightning, with human caused blazes sitting at 25 per cent. The Prince George Fire Centre saw the most area burned through the season at 786,012 hectares burned. The next closest centre was the Northwest with 112,233 hectares burned.

More coverage available:

Watch video from CPAC News here

MyPGNow – Province looks ahead to fall wildfire conditions

Revelstoke Review – Ongoing drought means higher wildfire danger for northern B.C. this fall

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Welcoming tourists back to Jasper a delicate balance, mayor says

By Emily Rae Pasiuk
CBC News
September 11, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland is aware of the “perceived conflict” of welcoming tourists back to Jasper, even though some residents are not able to return. But so much of life in Jasper depends on the visitor economy, he said. “Without welcoming some visitors, that economy simply doesn’t exist. So it’s a balance that we appreciate is delicate and people are in different stages of the process,” Ireland said on Wednesday. “They will have different perspectives with respect to that balance, but it’s a balance that is essential to help our community recover both economically and socially.” Much of the prime tourism season has already been lost, Ireland said, but a lot of businesses will need a winter season if they are to survive into next year.

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Wildfire out of control in Nanaimo Lakes area

By Karl Yu
Nanaimo Bulletin
September 11, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Firefighters and forestry workers are attacking a wildfire in the vicinity of Fourth Lake in the Nanaimo Lakes area. The two-hectare blaze, situated approximately 30 kilometres away from Nanaimo, was discovered Tuesday, Sept. 10, at around 9:30 p.m., said Nick Donnelly, B.C. Wildfire Service Coastal Fire Centre information officer, and the fire classified as out of control. “We had some crews deployed there immediately to the scene last night, and they worked the fire overnight alongside some forest industry staff,” said Donnelly. “They worked on suppressing it, and some heavy machinery was used to help build a guard around the perimeter of the fire … it’s still actively being worked on. There are currently multiple crews and fallers assigned.”

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Evacuation orders, alert issued due to wildfire in southeast B.C.

By Akshay Kulkarni
CBC News
September 9, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Regional District of East Kootenay ordered a “tactical evacuation” in a small community in southeastern B.C. due to a nearby wildfire on Monday. In a Facebook post around 3:30 p.m., the RDEK says that emergency responders were carrying out the tactical evacuation due to a wildfire in the area. The tactical evacuations were taking place in the area of Saunders Road and Palmer Road in Baynes Lake, an unincorporated community on the shore of Koocanusa Lake. Loree Duczek, the regional information officer for the East Kootenay Emergency Management Program, said in an interview that there were 14 properties on evacuation order as of 8 p.m. PT, and 38 properties on evacuation alert. The Kikomun wildfire covered an area of 0.05 square kilometres as of Monday night. …

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Wildfires are spreading fast in Canada — we must strengthen forests for the future

By Christopher Mulverhill et. al
Nature.com
September 9, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

At the end of July, a wildfire driven by extreme winds blazed through Jasper National Park in Canada, forcing the evacuation of 25,000 citizens and visitors. For a month, more than 350 firefighters worked to control the fire, which grew to cover 33,000 hectares, making it the largest wildfire in the park in at least 100 years. Last year’s fire season was also catastrophic: about 4% of the nation’s forest area burnt (15 million hectares) — more than twice the previous record, set in 1989. Wildfires are not always bad — they have been fundamental to forest ecosystems for hundreds of millions of years, affecting the composition, structure and biodiversity of landscapes. But wildfires in Canada have been increasing in number, size and intensity since the mid-twentieth century.

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First look at campgrounds in Jasper National Park paints stark picture — but there is hope

By Emily Rae Pasiuk
CBC News
September 8, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Campsites in Jasper National Park would usually be packed with campers at this time of year. Instead, Parks Canada is focusing on cleanup and infrastructure restoration after a wildfire tore through the area in July. The national park has been closed to visitors for weeks, and only recently re-opened to residents. But as of Friday, the public were once more able to access several day-use areas and trails. The sheer heat from the flames cracked boulders, while the wind tossed 75-pound campfire rings across the Athabasca River. Despite these harrowing sights, the other side of the campground remains relatively unscathed.

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Damaged water bomber will be out of service for at least 1 more fire season

By Maddie Ryan
CBC News
September 13, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

One of Newfoundland and Labrador’s five water bombers has been out of service since 2018 after being damaged, and CBC News has learned it won’t be back in service until 2026 at the earliest. That would mark the eighth season the province will have operated without its full fleet. With more than 80 wildfires across the province this year, Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown told CBC News having one of the province’s five water bombers out of commission for at least another season “puts a lot of our assets and our forests in jeopardy.” …A statement from Transportation and Infrastructure Department spokesperson Maria Brown to CBC News last week said the provincial government is confident in its ability “to fight forest fires with the wildfire suppression resources currently in place.”

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Biden-Harris Administration Invests $100 Million to Expand Work to Confront the Wildfire Crisis as part of Investing in America Agenda

US Department of Agriculture
September 10, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $100 million in 21 new projects to expand work on the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy to reduce the threat of wildfire in high-risk areas across the country. The new projects span 14 states and 18 national forests and are part of the $3.2 billion investment in this comprehensive strategy made possible through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law… The program allows national forests, in collaboration with Tribes, communities and partners in qualifying states to build local capacity for projects to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health. A full list of projects and qualifying states can be found on the program webpage.

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110,000 acres burned; multiple agencies will investigate North Dakota wildfires

By Jeff Beach and Amy Dalrymple
North Dakota Monitor
October 10, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

At least three government agencies will investigate the causes of wildfires that have burned more than 110,000 acres in North Dakota in the last week. State-led investigations into four wildfires in northwest North Dakota are in the early stages, but preliminary findings indicate there’s no evidence the fires were intentionally set, State Fire Marshal Doug Nelson said Thursday. State investigators were asked to look into the fire near Tioga that involved two fatalities, a fire near Ray, a fire near Keene and a fire near New Town, Nelson said. The state fire marshal will investigate if a local fire department requests an investigation. But if the fire occurs on federal land, then a federal agency is likely involved, said Jacob Just, with the North Dakota Insurance Department. …Thursday was a warm, windy day in northwest North Dakota. Winds were expected to gust up to 21 mph at Watford City with a high temperature of 72 degrees. 

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The Shoe Fire burning in steep terrain behind Lake Shasta reaches 300 acres

By Damon Arthur
The Redding Record Searchlight
October 9, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The Shoe Fire broke out sometime between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and was burning rapidly in steep, thick forest, according to images from Alert California, which records images and videos of wildfires across California. Kimblery Hill, a Shasta-Trinity National Forest spokeswoman, said the agency had a heavy response to the fire, including four helicopters, eight engine crews, a bulldozer, one hand crew with three more on order. She said the fire was near the Madrone Campground off Fenders Ferry Road, which runs around the back side of Lake Shasta. It continued to spread Wednesday night. By late afternoon it had reached 300 acres, with no containment. Shasta County sheriff’s officials have ordered evacuations in the area of the fire, which is burning off Fender’s Ferry road northeast of the lake. …Fender’s Ferry Road was closed from Highway 299 to the McCloud River bridge at Gilman Road.

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Elk Fire nears 73,000 acres as crews race to protect homes and structures

By Dan Cepeda
Oil City News
October 7, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

CASPER, Wyo. — The Elk Fire burning in the Bighorn National Forest near Dayton has now reached 72,998 acres, according to an update from the U.S. Forest Service on Monday morning. The fire is now 10% contained along the northeast edge, north of Dayton. Crews are working on the southern end to get ahead of fire movement to protect potentially threatened communities and municipal watersheds in the Big Goose drainage area. …Structure protection work continues today northwest of the fire in Little Horn Canyon, and along subdivisions near US Highway 14 between Dayton and Burgess Junction. …Crews are also working on strategies to protect homes and communities, the Sheridan watershed and key infrastructure south of the fire, they said. Some 700 cattle were transported off the fire area early Monday due to collaborative efforts by the community and emergency agencies. …Multiple structures and outbuildings have been lost, including two primary residences.

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Mandatory evacuations ordered after Yellow Lake Fire triples in size

By Averie Klonowski and Jeff Tavss
Fox News 13
October 6, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

HIGHLAND, Utah — Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in connection to the Yellow Lake Fire burning in eastern Wasatch County, which tripled in size after what officials called a “challenging day” on Friday. As of Saturday morning, the fire had grown to 7,798 acres. By Sunday, the estimate jumped up to over 15,000 and is only 7 percent contained. The fire has been determined as human-caused, although the exact cause remains under investigation. People must evacuate from the western and northern forks of the Duchesne River. Meanwhile, campers in the Grandaddy Lakes area of Ashley National Forest are in ready status and should prepare to evacuate. Red Flag conditions allowed the fire to explode in size thanks to high winds, low humidity and record-breaking temperatures for the month of October. Similar weather conditions were forecast for Saturday, which will force firefighters to take a conservative approach to putting out the wildfire.

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State agencies coordinate with local, tribal and federal resources to fight widespread wildfires in western North Dakota

By the Office of the Governor
Government of North Dakota
October 5, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Doug Burgum

BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota state agencies are coordinating with local, federal and tribal firefighters and emergency responders to battle several large wildfires that spread quickly today across western North Dakota, driven by strong winds, dry ground conditions and low humidity. “Strong winds and dry conditions are creating extremely challenging firefighting conditions, and the state continues to mobilize all available resources to assist local, tribal and federal agencies in protecting lives and property,” Gov. Doug Burgum said. Several large wildfires were being fought in western North Dakota on Saturday including near Grassy Butte, near Johnson’s corner along Highway 73 and near Mandaree. Those followed fires Friday night and earlier today that burned thousands of acres including near Arnegard, Keene and Charlson. Evacuation orders were issued in multiple areas and temporary shelters were opened for those displaced. 

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West, Preacher fires continue to burn

By Alexis Bechman
The Payson Roundup
September 16, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

ARIZONA — Crews continue to monitor the prescribed burns north and east of Payson this week. The West Fire, burning north of Pine, is at 4,794 acres and 0% contained. The Preacher Fire, burning near Tonto Village, is at 3,167 acres and 62% contained. Both lightning-caused fires are being allowed to grow and crews are actively igniting fuels to create buffers around both communities. …On Sunday, crews continued igniting on Milk Ranch Point. They added additional fire to the west of Bray Creek Ranch to create more depth in burned area from the perimeter before aerial ignitions began around the Arizona Trail. …On the Preacher Fire, crews continue to mop up and patrol the perimeter. The Tonto National Forest has issued a closure for land surrounding the West Fire. This includes the Pine Trailhead.

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Weekend progress made against Southern California wildfires

By Jaimie Ding, Walter Berry, and Olga R. Rodriguez
Victoria Times Colonist
September 15, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters gained further ground over the weekend against three Southern California wildfires as authorities in northern Nevada lifted the last of evacuation orders for all homes Sunday. More than 8,000 personnel combined are battling the three biggest fires burning in the state, all ignited during a triple-digit heatwave at the start of the month. The largest blaze is the Bridge Fire at 85 square miles (220 square kilometers), which exploded dramatically through the Angeles National Forest east of Los Angeles at the start of the week. It has torched at least 49 buildings and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. The fire was 9% contained Sunday morning, with firefighters gaining 4% overnight.

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What, Then, Is Natural?

Obi Kaufman
Los Angeles Review of Books
September 14, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Obi Kaufmann considers the coming of the modern megafire and many deeply entrenched misconceptions about California’s land, in an excerpt from “The State of Fire.” There was always going to be a period of reckoning—with California’s colonial legacy, with the state’s history of fire management, with the practices of extractive industries, with our patterns of land development—and in the past 20 years, it has arrived. California has entered an era of megafire. In accordance with the National Interagency Fire Center, the word megafire refers to any fire that is larger than 100,000 acres (156 square miles). Eighteen of the 20 largest wildfires in the past 200 years have occurred since the year 2003.

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Trump Threatens to Cut Wildfire Aid if California Doesn’t Deliver More Water

By Soumya Karlamangia
The New York Times
September 13, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Donald J. Trump on Friday threatened to withhold federal wildfire aid from California, if elected as president, unless Gov. Gavin Newsom agrees to divert more water to farmers rather than allowing it to flow to the ocean. Mr. Trump, during a news conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., claimed that the state’s devastating wildfires could be prevented by shifts in how California manages its limited water supply. “If he doesn’t sign those papers, we won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Mr. Newsom authorizing water diversions to farmers. “And if we don’t give him all the money to put out the fires, he’s got problems.”

A response from the California Firefighters Union in the LA Times: Donald Trump “should be ashamed”

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Fire crews battle Bridge Fire as 34,000-acre blaze destroys homes, threatens Wrightwood

By Leo Stallworth & Leanne Suter
ABC7
September 10, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — The Bridge Fire in the Angeles National Forest quickly exploded in size to 34,000 acres Tuesday, destroying several homes and threatening communities like Wrightwood and Mount Baldy. The fire started in the San Gabriel Canyon area around 3 p.m. Sunday near the area of East Fork and Glendora Mountain roads. At the initial time of report, the fire was burning 75 acres has been growing ever since. By Tuesday, it spread north and northeast toward Wrightwood and Pinon Hills, prompting new evacuation orders. …High winds and low humidity are aiding the spread of the fire, Cal Fire said. Firefighters are also hoping the upcoming cooler weather will slow the fire enough for them to gain the upper hand.

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Oregon wildfires: Linton Fire brings closures for McKenzie Pass, widespread rain forecast

By Zach Urness
Statesman Journal
September 9, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Oregon had a busy weekend fighting new wildfires that ignited during three straight days of critical conditions. Lightning strikes, hot temperatures and dry winds fueled the ignition and spread of numerous Oregon wildfires. But the flames and smoke might not last long — widespread rain and cool temperatures will arrive by midweek….Widespread rain of between a quarter and a three-quarters of an inch is forecast Tuesday into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Portland. The rain should help dampen fires that have ignited particularly in the Cascade Range. And temperatures are forecast to remain cool, with another potential hit of rain, next week. …The number of acres burned in Oregon continued to grow, reaching 1.74 million acres by Sunday. …Oregon’s previous record for acres burned was 1.2 million acres in 2012, followed by 1.1 million in 2020.

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Southern California’s Line wildfire surpasses 21,000 acres amid evacuation orders

By David Brennan and Bill Hutchinson
ABC News
September 9, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The wildfire tearing through the foothills of Southern California’s San Bernardino County is now endangering more than 36,000 structures, according to emergency officials. The Line Fire began on Sept. 5 and has since burned about 21,203 acres east of Los Angeles, with three firefighters injured attempting to control the blaze, fire officials said. As of Monday afternoon, the fire was 3% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. No structures have been damaged or destroyed, but Cal Fire said Monday that 36,328 structures, including homes and commercial buildings, are being threatened by the fire. …”Early next week, cooler weather will moderate fire activity below the marine layer. However, fire activity above the marine layer will remain active. There is still potential for spot fires to become established well outside the control lines,” Cal Fire said in a statement.

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Line Fire in Southern California doubles in size, forcing thousands to evacuate as state of emergency is declared

By Marissa Wenzke, Iris Salem & Dean Fioresi
CBS News
September 8, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The fast-growing Line Fire exploded to 17,459 acres Sunday in San Bernardino County, with expanded mandatory evacuation orders driving thousands of people from their homes amid an unrelenting heat wave that has brought days of triple-digit temperatures to Southern California. Hundreds of firefighters battled the flames as the wildfire nearly doubled in size overnight and remained at zero-percent containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday night, allowing for additional resources and funding to assist with the firefight. …Paired with the sweltering heat currently roasting the region, weather officials say that the smoke from the fire has created clouds similar to those that come with thunderstorms, prompting reports of over 1,100 lightning strikes in the area.

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Lightning could worsen wildfire east of LA already threatening 35,000 homes and buildings

By Eugene Garcia And Trân Nguyễn
Associated Press
September 9, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

HIGHLAND, Calif. — An out-of-control wildfire in the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles threatened ten of thousands of buildings and forced hundreds of residents to flee Sunday amid a days-long heat wave of triple-digit temperatures. The so-called Line Fire was burning along the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. As of Sunday morning, the blaze had charred about 27 square miles (70 square kilometers) of grass and chaparral, leaving a thick cloud of dark smoke blanketing the area. The fire burned so hot Saturday that it created its own thunderstorm-like weather systems of pyroculumus clouds, which could bring more challenging conditions such as gusty winds and lightning strikes, according to the National Weather Service. Firefighters also faced steep terrain, which limited their ability to control the blaze, officials said. The fire remained uncontained Sunday afternoon.

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Rail Ridge wildfire in Oregon consumes over 60,000 acres; closes area of national forest

By Julia Gomez and Zach Urness
USA Today
September 4, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The Rail Ridge Fire in central Oregon has set over 61,000 acres ablaze and is 0% contained. The wildfire was discovered on September 2, according to USA TODAY’s data. It’s located in Dayville, around 240 miles southeast of Portland. There are two forests, the Umatilla National Forest and the Ochoco National Forest, that surround the fire, which is primarily fueled by tall grass and brush. As of 1:33 a.m., the fire has not been contained and has caused over $115,000 in damages. But only four houses are in the area where the fire is burning. The fire was caused by lightning. Several lightning strikes caused multiple fires, which combined and became the Rail Ridge Fire, according to Central Oregon Fire’s website.

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Bear Fire in Tahoe National Forest grows to 3,000 acres

By Jason Green
East Bay Times
September 4, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

SIERRA COUNTY, California – The Bear Fire in the Tahoe National Forest grew to 3,000 acres by Wednesday morning thanks to a mix of warming temperatures, dry fuel conditions and strong winds, officials said. The wildfire was 0% contained, the U.S. Forest Service said in an update Wednesday morning. The jump in fire activity led the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office to expand evacuation warnings according to the USFS. Earlier, an evacuation order was issued for the community of Sierra Brooks… Crews, meanwhile, were working to establish containment lines while aircraft dropped retardant and water on the flames. The Bear Fire was reported around 2 p.m. Monday off Bear Valley Road, south of Sierra Brooks, according to the USFS. The cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation.

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Oregon wildfires roar back: Copperfield, Central Oregon blazes bring evacuations

By Zach Urness
Statesman Journal
September 3, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Oregon’s wildfire season roared back over Labor Day weekend as multiple wildfires ignited that brought evacuations mainly east of the Cascade Mountains. Hot, dry and windy temperatures combined with over 1,000 lightning strikes to ignite fires that burned from outside Klamath Falls to the John Day area. …The Copperfield Fire ignited and spread rapidly over the weekend, bringing level 3 “go now” evacuation orders east of Chiloquin and north of Klamath Falls. Road closures were still in place on Tuesday morning for the 3,656 acre fire, which grew rapidly on strong winds Monday afternoon. …Temperatures are forecast to rise above 90 Wednesday and even crack 100 degrees Thursday and Friday. …Central Oregon received widespread lightning storms with minimal rainfall over the Labor Day weekend, leading to multiple fires that ignited and grew quickly largely in grassland.

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Crews battle Bear Fire near Tahoe National Forest, prompting evacuations

NBC Bay Area
September 2, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Crews were battling a fast-moving wildfire that ignited Monday afternoon near Tahoe National Forest in Northern California. The blaze called the Bear Fire broke out after 2 p.m. in Sierra County, just south of the town of Loyalton. As of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said the wildfire has grown to nearly 1,400 acres and is 0% contained. The U.S. Forest Service is the lead agency in the firefight. As a precaution, crews issued evacuation orders for residents in the area, the forest service said. The fire is threatening Sierra Brooks with 286 structures and 536 residents under mandatory evacuation orders issued by Sierra County Sheriff’s Office. About 760 residences and businesses were without power, the forest service said.

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Idaho’s Wapiti Fire surpasses 70,000 acres; containment at 0%

By Clark Corbin
Idaho Capital Sun
August 27, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Firefighters have been working through the night to protect homes as Idaho’s Wapiti Fire increased to more than 70,000 acres burned and containment was still estimated at 0%, fire officials said Tuesday. The Wapiti Fire was started by lighting on July 24 near Grandjean and is burning in the Boise National Forest, Sawtooth National Forest, Sawtooth Wilderness and Salmon-Challis National Forest. “Monday afternoon, fire activity increased, and the fire began moving into Crooked Creek,” the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team wrote in the Wapiti Fire’s InciWeb daily update. …Firefighters have been working through the night to protect homes as Idaho’s Wapiti Fire increased to more than 70,000 acres burned and containment was still estimated at 0%, fire officials said Tuesday. …Fire officials said Tuesday there were 620 people fighting the Wapiti Fire, and wildland firefighters and crews were using air tankers to create a fire retardant line east of Idaho Highway 21.

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Hundreds of firefighters battle a deadly forest fire raging in southern Greece for the third day

Associated Press in Financial Post
September 30, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

ATHENS, Greece — Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers in southern Greece battled for a third day on Tuesday a large wildfire that has killed two people and devastated a large forested area. The fire service said more than 400 firefighters, assisted by 20 waterbombing aircraft, were engaged against the blaze in the mountains of Corinthia in the Peloponnese region. The authorities were optimistic that progress has been made as the main front of the blaze was out, leaving a large number of scattered fires. However, it remained unclear whether that success could be expanded on before winds whipped up and spread the blaze again. …The two victims were identified as local residents who got trapped late Sunday by the fast-advancing blaze. Greece is plagued every summer by destructive wildfires that have been exacerbated by global warming. Over the past few months, the fire service has had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires.

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Peru declares state of emergency in regions scorched by forest fires

By Marco Aquino
Reuters
September 18, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Dina Boluarte

LIMA – Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in three regions affected by devastating forest fires that have burned through swathes of the nation’s Andean and Amazonian crop lands and left 16 dead. The heavily forested northern regions of Amazonas, San Martin and Ucayali will be under the new emergency measures, she said, following several requests from local authorities for more resources to be allocated to fight the fires. Forest fires are frequent in Peru between August and November, largely due to the burning of dry grasslands to expand agricultural frontiers and sometimes by land traffickers. Boluarte urged farming communities to stop burning grasslands as thousands of hectares have gone up in flames, while noting that the fires are also a result of the lack of rainfall caused by climate change. The president said Peru had registered 238 fires across most of its regions, and some 80% of these were “controlled”.

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Portugal declares a state of calamity as wildfires rage out of control

Associated Press in National Public Radio
September 19, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

LISBON, Portugal — More than 100 wildfires stretched thousands of firefighters to the limit in northern Portugal on Wednesday, with seven deaths since the worst spate of fires in recent years spread out of control over the weekend. Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro declared a state of calamity for the hardest-hit areas late Tuesday, invoking powers to mobilize more firefighters and civil servants. He also called on police investigators to redouble their efforts to find those who started the fires and pledged help for those who have lost their homes or have been evacuated. “We are well aware that these difficult hours are not over yet,” Montenegro told the nation in a televised address. “We have to continue to give everything we have and ask for help from our partners and friends so that we can reinforce the protection of our people and property.”

Additional coverage in Reuters, by Miguel Pereira and Guillermo Martinez: Beset by wildfires, Portugal gets help from Spain, Morocco

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Norway says elevated radiation levels due to forest fire near Chornobyl

Reuters
September 18, 2024
Category: Forestry, Forest Fires
Region: International

OSLO — Norway said on Wednesday that elevated levels of radioactive caesium (Cs-137) it had detected near the Arctic border with Russia were likely due to a forest fire near Chornobyl in Ukraine, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident. The Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had measured “very low” levels of radioactive caesium at Svanhovd and Viksjoefjell near the Arctic border with Russia. The authority detected elevated levels of radioactive caesium at Svanhovd from Sept. 9-16 and at Viksjoefjell from Sept. 5-12, but the levels didn’t pose a risk to humans or the environment, it added. …”This time it is most likely that the forest fire around Chornobyl is to blame.” …On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. Four of the Soviet Union’s Chornobyl nuclear power plant… released large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere.

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Brasilia wildfire rages across national park, threatening protected environments

Associated Free Press in France 24
September 17, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

BRAZIL — Firefighters on Monday battled flames spreading through a national park in Brazil that is enveloping Brasilia in smoke. It’s the latest wildfire in the country, which is experiencing an historic drought. More than 90 firefighters were trying to extinguish blazes that have already burned through 700 hectares of the conservation area of Brasilia National Park. Two aircraft from the Federal District’s military firefighting unit and another two from the nearby Chapada dos Veadeiros national park are being mobilized, according to a statement from ICMBio, the government agency that manages the park. The head of the agency, Mauro Pires, told newspaper Folha de S.Paulo that the fire was human-caused and appears to have started near the edge of a farm. Smoke from the fire smothered the capital, Brasilia, on Monday, and columns of black smoke were visible from several points in the city.

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Peru Struggles to Fight Nationwide Wildfires That Have Left 15 People Dead Since July

Associated Press in Time Magazine
September 17, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

LIMA — Wildfires in Peru have left at least 15 dead since July and more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of cultivated land and natural areas scorched, authorities said Monday. Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén told reporters that the fires were started by human activity and that 22 of the 24 regions that make up the country have active outbreaks. He added that clouds, smoke and winds were hampering the operations of the aircraft available to fight the fires. A Civil Defense report seen by the Associated Press indicates that since July at least 15 people have died and another 98 have been injured due to the fires. Of the fatalities, 10 died in the last two weeks and more than 1,800 people have been affected. The livestock sector was reported to have lost 334 animals. Peru’s National Forest and Wildlife Service, SERFOR, indicated that the effects of climate change intensify the conditions that facilitate the spread of fire.

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Thousands of firefighters battle ‘raging’ wildfires across Portugal

By Jack Burgess
BBC News
September 16, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

PORTUGAL — More than 5,000 firefighters have been tackling wildfires that Portugal’s Prime Minister has said are “raging across the country”. Louis Montenegro named one firefighter who had died of “a sudden illness” while battling a blaze in Oliveira de Azeméis as João Silva. Temperatures in Portugal exceeded 30C (86F) over the weekend and are expected to remain elevated for days. At least two people have died due to the fires, according to local media reports. Portuguese authorities say there is the highest possible risk of wildfires breaking out across many central and northern regions of the country through to Wednesday – with the threat remaining “very high” until Friday. Ten thousand hectares (37 sq miles) have already been burned between Porto and Aveiro in the north, the Portuguese news agency Lusa said. As of 23:00 BST, there were 128 active wildfires across the country.

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A continent ablaze: South America surpasses record for fires

By Jake Spring and Stefanie Eschenbacher
Reuters
September 13, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

South America is being ravaged by fire from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest through the world’s largest wetlands to dry forests in Bolivia, breaking a previous record for the number of blazes seen in a year up to Sept. 11. Satellite data analyzed by Brazil’s space research agency Inpe has registered 346,112 fire hotspots so far this year in all 13 countries of South America, topping the earlier 2007 record of 345,322 hotspots in a data series that goes back to 1998… Brazil and Bolivia have dispatched thousands of firefighters to attempt to control the blazes, but remain mostly at the mercy of extreme weather fuelling the fires.

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Drones piloted by Artificial Intelligence could prevent wildfires

By Sebastian Buckup
World Economic Forum
September 12, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Drones piloted by artificial intelligence (AI), rather than humans, could soon work together in teams to prevent wildfires, say researchers. Swarms of up to 30 autonomous planes would be able to spot and put out flames which can lead to wildfires by working collectively using AI, if a study in the UK is a success. The team of firefighters, engineers and scientists working on the research – which is still in the test phase and has not yet been used on a wildfire – say their project is the first to combine unpiloted drone technology with swarm engineering for firefighting. Drones piloted by people are already used in firefighting, to detect hidden blazes and assess safety risks, among other tasks.

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Wildfire destroys 20% of Brasilia forest, arson suspected

By Sebastian Rocandio
Reuters
September 5, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

BRASILIA – Firefighters succeeded on Wednesday in reducing the extent of a massive wildfire that blazed for two days and destroyed 20% of a forest in the Brazilian capital, cloaking the city in smoke, according to officials, who suspect that it may have been started by arsonists. The National Forest of Brasilia is a conservation area that extends over 5,600 hectares of woodland that protects the springs that are the source of 70% of the city’s freshwater. The fire broke out at the peak of the dry season allowing flames to spread fast. “We hope to have the fire under control by the end of the day,” said Fabio dos Santos Miranda, who manages the forest. “We are sure this was an environmental crime, but we haven’t confirmed if it was intentional or not,” he said in an interview, adding that three suspected arsonists were seen in the area where the fire started.

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Why has Spain seen far fewer forest fires this year?

By Alex Trelinski
The Olive Press
September 3, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Spain has seen a big fall in land destroyed by forest fires in the first eight months of 2023- around half the average for the last decade. Figures for the year up to August 25 from the Ministry for Ecological Transition(Miteco) showed over 42,000 hectares have been devastated compared to nearly 79,000 hectares last year. The worst year of the decade was 2022 with nearly 249,000 hectares burnt. The large reduction this year is down to above average rainfall towards the end of spring coupled with fewer heatwaves during the summer and the August arrival of rain and storms.

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