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

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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B.C. lifts last ’wildfire of note’ designation, as number of blazes drops below 300

By Ashley Joannou
Canadian Press in The Squamish Chief
August 26, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER — There are no longer any “wildfires of note” burning in British Columbia, with the BC Wildfire Service saying favourable weather had allowed crews to make good progress in the province’s battle against hundreds of blazes. The designation means a fire is highly visible or poses a threat to people or public safety… Earlier this month at least nine blazes had been considered “wildfires of note.” But fire information officer Emelie Peacock said the change doesn’t mean the wildfire season is over and there are still a handful of evacuation orders and alerts impacting communities around the province. “It’s certainly welcome news for those people who are able to come back to their communities. But we still do have a lot of fire on the landscape,” she said Monday. Peacock said more than 700 firefighters and 100 aircraft were still out fighting fires in B.C.

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How the Highway 1 border wildfire is evolving

By Ollie Williams
Cabin Radio
August 26, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The past weekend saw another series of rolling closures along Northwest Territories (NWT) Highway 1 near the territory’s southern border with Alberta. Drivers in the area reported “zero visibility” along stretches of the highway on Saturday morning. A wildfire burned across the road at least once on Sunday. This part of the territory has been besieged by fire for two consecutive summers. This month alone, the NWT government’s Department of Infrastructure issued Facebook advisories for this section of the highway on August 10, 13, 18, 20 and 25. Two heavy equipment contractors helping firefighters in the region described earlier this month having to drive through a wildfire escorting others to safety as conditions became extremely dangerous.

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‘Must keep our guard up’: West Kelowna firefighters stop blaze spreading to Gorman Bros. lumber yard

By Iain Burns
Kelowna Now
August 19, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

All four West Kelowna fire stations combined to knock down a potentially dangerous fire in the city last night. Fire Chief Jason Brolund said crews battled to prevent the fire spreading towards the storage yard owned by Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd on Dunfield Road. The first 911 calls came in just before 5 pm, Brolund explained, after a fire was spotted among the grass and trees at the Glenrosa Road and Hwy 97 interchange. “The fire was driven by wind and dry grass, combined with sloping terrain,” Brolund said in a media bulletin. He added: “While this past week’s rain and higher humidity has helped, we still experienced cross-over fire weather conditions this afternoon. Temperatures (above 30ºC) and low humidity (below 30 per cent) with winds (above 30 kilometres an hour) combined to accelerate the spread of the fire. “This is a reminder that we must keep our guard up as fire season continues.”

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Huge Shetland Creek blaze now being held: B.C. Wildfire Service

The Canadian Press in CBC News
August 19, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The large wildfire that destroyed multiple homes in British Columbia’s southern Interior last month is now being held, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). Officials say the 280-square-kilometre Shetland Creek wildfire is not likely to spread further, but crews still have hard work ahead. A statement from the BCWS says smoke will remain visible from within the perimeter as crews use hand tools to dig out hot spots and turn over and wet down earth to remove heat from the fire. The fire is still listed as one of five wildfires of note in the province, meaning they are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety and infrastructure. Last week the Thompson-Nicola Regional District lifted most of the remaining evacuation orders and alerts that were in place due to the Shetland Creek fire, which is burning between the communities of Lytton and Cache Creek about 180 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

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Jasper wildfire no longer out-of-control, now classified as ‘being held’

Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
August 17, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

JASPER, ALTA. — Parks Canada says a wildfire that forced everyone to flee the Alberta town of Jasper and destroyed close to a third of its buildings is no longer classified as out-of-control and is now listed as “being held.” The agency issued a statement saying that means the fire is not currently expected to spread into any priority areas. Jasper residents were finally allowed to return to the community on Friday after they had to flee the raging flames more than three weeks ago, but an alert remained in place advising them to remain prepared to evacuate again at short notice in case fire conditions worsened. …Parks Canada’s statement says it’s proud to call the wildfire being held on Day 27 of the blaze, especially since it’s the day of firefighter Morgan Kitchen’s memorial in Calgary.

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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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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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Extreme wildfires threaten the Portland area’s drinking water. It’s not alone

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
August 28, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

…Dry east winds fanned flames across 1,600 acres in three days, threatening to send ash into a reservoir within the Bull Run watershed, a collection of rivers and streams that serve as the primary source of drinking water for about 1 million people in the Portland area. Before last summer, the watershed hadn’t seen a major wildfire in over 150 years. That’s partly because the U.S. Forest Service has been quick to stomp out flames. But even before colonization, federal foresters say this temperate rainforest hadn’t seen many large-scale wildfires in centuries past. Historically, the Bull Run’s damp understory, wet soils and frequent rains haven’t let flames last long. … Along with wildfires, droughts and invasive pests are killing swaths of trees, making it harder to keep water cool and soils intact. …For those reasons, Bladon said cities need to invest in additional resiliency to protect drinking water.

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Emergency closure area reduced for Pyramid Fire in Willamette National Forest

By Elliott Deins
The Register-Guard
August 19, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Willamette National Forest has slightly reduced an emergency closure area for the Pyramid Fire, according to a new release. As of Monday morning, the Pyramid Fire had burned 1,324 acres and was 76% contained. The area reopened is a small region directly south of Detroit Lake, according to closure maps. However, many of the recreation sites in the Old Cascades region near Santiam Junction still remain closed, according to the new map. “The general closure area extends from Forest Service Road (FSR) 11 south to Highway 20, encompassing the Middle Santiam Wilderness,” the release said.

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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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Madeira wildfire threatens UNESCO-listed forest

By
Associated Free Press in Le Monde
August 21, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Portuguese authorities sent reinforcements to the island of Madeira on Wednesday, August 21, to fight a wildfire raging for a week that has touched the edge of a UNESCO-listed forest. The fire had burned 4,392 hectares of land up to Tuesday, the European Union’s Copernicus observatory said in an X social media post. It added that more than 95 hectares had burned in the previous 24 hours. Regional civil protection chief Antonio Nunes told RTP public television that the flames had touched a part of the Laurissilva forest, the largest surviving laurel forest, which is on UNESCO’s world heritage list. He said the damage was not significant. More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze on two main fronts in the island, which is traditionally packed with summer tourists at this time, the civil protection service said in a statement. 

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