The wildfire near Shuswap Lake is still burning, and fire crews are still on scene. BC Wildfire Service is listing the fire at 1.8 hectares, and stating the fire is still out of control. “The fire is in a terrain that has cliffs and is quite steep, which has been a challenge to the crews on site,” says fire information officer Gagan Lidhran. “It is still considered out of control because they haven’t been able to pull a full guard around the perimeter.” Lidhran says the advisory urging the public to avoid the area will be in place until the fire is completely out. BC Wildfire Service is still investigating the cause of the blaze, as it is unknown at this time.
Heat and thunderstorms in northwestern Ontario have led to a busy few days for forest fire crews in the area. As of Monday afternoon, there were 31 active fires in the northwest region, said Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services. Nine of those fires are not under control, while the remainder are either under control or under observation. The majority of new fires were caused by lightning strikes, Marchand said, and none are threatening any communities. …Marchand said the fire hazard remains moderate to low in the southern areas of the region due to recent precipitation. However, the hazard is high to extreme in other places, including the Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Kenora, and Red Lake areas.
BANNING, California — Evacuation orders remained in place early Monday for thousands of people after a wildfire in mountains east of Los Angeles exploded in size and forced crews to battle flames in triple-digit heat. The Apple Fire in Riverside County consumed more than 31 square miles of dry brush and timber, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. As of Monday morning, it was 5% contained. The cause was under investigation. Officials allowed flames to run up the side of Mount San Gorgonio, an 11,000-foot peak, because it wasn’t safe to let crews work in such steep, rugged terrain, said Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. …One home and two outbuildings were destroyed, Cal Fire said. No injuries were reported. Evacuation orders and advisories were issued for about 8,000 people in mountain, canyon and foothill neighborhoods.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A fire on private timberland along Fir Mountain Road in Hood River County has scorched about 70 acres but is not threatening any structures at this time, the Oregon Department of Forestry said Sunday morning. The fire, about 8 miles southeast of Hood River, may impact some roads in the area. Officials with ODF said the fire is burning in slash piles, nearby standing timber and smaller replanted trees. Winds pushed the fire outside some of the fire lines that were dozed in the very early hours of Sunday, but a fireline is being built, officials said. Water tenders are being used as well as a helicopter with water bucket.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Explosive growth of the Caldwell Fire near Lava Beds National Monument has slowed and fire crews spent Thursday increasing containment of one of the nation’s largest fires. As of press time Thursday, the Caldwell Fire was estimated at 79,316 acres in size. The Gillem and Caldwell fires, both lightning-caused, merged Wednesday and will now be managed and referred to only as the Caldwell Fire. Fire managers estimated they had about 45 percent containment on that fire, despite the fact that a flag warning was in effect much of Thursday afternoon and will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Friday. …A mandatory evacuation remains in place for the Medicine Lake Recreation Area. The Lava Beds National Monument remains closed.
PAYSON, Ariz — Sad developments in the helicopter crash that took the life of a Valley firefighter during operations over the Polles Fire burning in the Tonto National Forest that was sparked by lightning. It’s a tragic loss, as crews not only continue to battle the flames but are now dealing with the loss of one of their own. Brian Boatman, 37, died after conducting standard supply missions to the “boots on the ground” crews fighting the flames in remote areas. …Officials confirmed to 12 News, the aviation firefighter was aiding ground crews with countless supplies and commend his efforts. …”This is one of the tragic days that we all do not want to have on our watch,” Incident Commander John Pierson said.
Portugal will go on high alert as more than 850 firefighters struggle to put out a fire sweeping across part of the country’s central region on Sunday, with strong winds and high temperatures complicating efforts to tackle the blaze. The wildfire has been raging in the municipality of Oleiros since Saturday afternoon… and has already forced the precautionary evacuation of a number of people. A 21-year-old firefighter died in a road accident on Saturday evening while fighting the fire and seven others were injured, including one civilian. …Portugal’s Internal Affairs Minister Eduardo Cabrita said it could take firefighters until Tuesday or Wednesday to bring the wildfire under control. …One of the root causes of its frequent wildfires is that parts of the country’s interior are deserted as people have left to live in cities or abroad, and the job of clearing trees and bushes is neglected, creating a fire risk.
Iran has been ravaged by hundreds wildfires spreading across thousands of acres since May 22. The phenomenon is not entirely new but, the number of fires have increased. The fires have raised questions and concerns as to whether they were caused by accident or arson. The Arasbaran forest in northwestern Iran was the latest to catch fire in early July. The Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Bushehr provinces have also been dealing with forest fires in the past few months, while fires in the Khuzestan, Lorestan, and Ilam provinces in June not only destroyed forests, but acres of vegetation, pastureland, and grassland. …According to Deputy Agriculture Minister Masoud Mansour, 90 percent of the fires were caused unintentionally by human error.
