Category Archives: Wildfires

Victoria fires: at least three homes destroyed as authorities warn towns still under threat

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Warnings remained in place for a group of communities west of Ballarat as crews work to get blaze under control

At least three homes have been confirmed destroyed by a bushfire in western Victoria, with fire authorities warning that some towns remain under threat.

There were fears that as many as 10 houses may have been claimed by the fire burning west of Ballarat, and “watch and act” warnings remain in place for Bayindeen, Chute, Elmhurst, Mount Lonarch and surrounds, Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) said.

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Chile wildfires death toll rises to 131

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Fires in Valparaíso said to be country’s deadliest disaster since 2010 earthquake

The death toll from wildfires that ravaged central Chile for several days has risen to 131, and more than 300 people remain missing as the blazes appear to be burning themselves out.

The fires in the Valparaíso region are said to be Chile’s deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2010. Officials have suggested that some of the fires could have been lit intentionally.

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‘Like a war zone’: Chile wildfire death toll reaches 123 amid race to clear rubble

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Death count for Chile’s worst natural disaster in years expected to climb as official two-day mourning period begins

Helicopters dumped tonnes of water on wildfires raging across central Chile, as emergency crews said they were still finding bodies three days after the blazes took hold.

The official death count from Chile’s worst natural disaster in years increased to 123 on Monday according to Marisol Prado, the director of Chile’s forensic medical service. That number was expected to climb as residents, firefighters and military raced to clear rubble.

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At least 112 dead as authorities struggle to contain forest fires in Chile

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People told to evacuate homes as quickly as possible and curfews declared in cities most heavily affected

Firefighters are wrestling with huge forest fires that broke out in central Chile on Friday. Officials have extended curfews in cities most heavily affected by the blazes and said the death toll has increased to 112 killed.

The fires have been burning with the highest intensity around the city of Viña del Mar, where a botanical garden founded in 1931 was destroyed by the flames. At least 1,600 people have been left without homes.

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Forest fires in Chile cause multiple deaths and widespread destruction

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At least 46 people reported dead as dozens of fires sweep across central and southern regions, with Valparaíso worst affected

At least 46 people have died from forest fires raging in central Chile, President Gabriel Boric has said, warning that the death toll is likely to rise.

Earlier on Saturday, Chile’s interior minister, Carolina Tohá, said there were currently 92 forest fires in the centre and south of the country, where temperatures were unusually high. More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed.

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Nova Scotia man charged with starting province’s largest-ever wildfire

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Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, accused of lighting Canada’s Barrington Lake fire, which burned for one month in 2023

A Nova Scotia man has been charged for allegedly starting the eastern Canadian province’s largest-ever wildfire.

The charges against Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, come only days after a Quebec man, inspired by conspiracy theories, pleaded guilty to 14 charges of arson after deliberately lighting forest fires.

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Canadian man who claimed wildfires were a federal conspiracy admits arson

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The country saw record-breaking blazes during the summer and Brian Paré pleaded guilty to lighting more than a dozen fires

A Canadian man who claimed forest fires were the result of a government conspiracy has pleaded guilty to lighting more than a dozen blazes during the country’s record-breaking wildfire season, as nearly 100 fires persist in drought-stricken regions.

Brian Paré admitted to 13 counts of arson and one count of arson with disregard for human life at the courthouse in central Quebec, an act that drew away key firefighting resources from nearly 700 fires in the province last summer.

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‘Disrupting in every way’: LA faces chaotic commutes after interstate fire

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Hazardous materials teams clear burned material from underneath Interstate 10 as crews assess damage

Arson was likely the cause of a raging fire over the weekend that has closed a mile-long stretch of the I-10, a major elevated interstate highway near downtown, the California governor said on Monday.

The California department of forestry and fire protection fire marshal made a preliminary determination that the fire was set intentionally, Gavin Newsom said during a press conference at the fire site. He said investigators have received some tips from witnesses but did not say if there were any suspects or persons of interest.

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Drought turns Amazonian capital into climate dystopia

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Forest fires leave Manaus with second worst air quality in the world, while low river levels cut off communities

A withering drought has turned the Amazonian capital of Manaus into a climate dystopia with the second worst air quality in the world and rivers at the lowest levels in 121 years.

The city of 1 million people, which is surrounded by a forest of trees, normally basks under blue skies. Tourists take pleasure boats to the nearby meeting of the Negro and Amazon (known locally as the Solimões) rivers, where dolphins can often be seen enjoying what are usually the most abundant freshwater resources in the world.

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Man dies and homes feared lost in bushfire near Kempsey as almost 80 fires burn across NSW

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RFS commissioner says death due to Willi Willi fire a ‘tragic reminder of how deadly some of these fires are’

A man has died and multiple homes are feared lost in a bushfire near Kempsey in New South Wales as firefighters work to contain the Willi Willi fire that has burned through more than 11,000 hectares.

NSW police confirmed on Tuesday morning that a man had died on a rural property 30km west of Kempsey.

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Revealed: how a little-known pollution rule keeps the air dirty for millions of Americans

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Major investigation shows local governments are increasingly exploiting a loophole in the Clean Air Act, leaving more than 21 million Americans with air that’s dirtier than they realize

A legal loophole has allowed the US Environmental Protection Agency to strike pollution from clean air tallies in more than 70 counties, enabling local regulators to claim the air was cleaner than it really was for more than 21 million Americans.

Regulators have exploited a little-known provision in the Clean Air Act called the “exceptional events rule” to forgive pollution caused by “natural” or “uncontrollable” events – including wildfires – on records used by the EPA for regulatory decisions, a new investigation from The California Newsroom, MuckRock and the Guardian reveals.

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Canary Islands schools close and wildfire revives in soaring temperatures

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Heat is forecast to continue as authorities suspend classes on all islands and battle Tenerife blaze

Authorities on the Canary Islands have ordered the temporary closure of schools due to scorching temperatures on the archipelago that have set records and helped revive a huge wildfire on Tenerife.

The Spanish archipelago off the north-west coast of Africa typically experiences spring-like conditions all year, but temperatures have recently soared to about 38C (100F) in some parts.

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Thousands evacuated on Tenerife as wildfire rages amid heatwave

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Firefighters backed by water-dropping helicopters battle blaze that broke out in area of Spanish Canary island ravaged by fire in August

A wildfire raging on Spain’s holiday island of Tenerife amid unseasonably hot temperatures has forced the evacuation of about 3,000 people from their homes, local officials said.

Firefighters backed by six water-dropping helicopters were battling the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in an area of steep ravines in the north-east of the island that was badly ravaged by a huge wildfire in August, the regional government of Tenerife said.

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Woman who escaped Lahaina wildfire by running through burning field dies

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Laurie Allen is now among the at least 98 people who died when a blaze destroyed the historic Hawaii town in August

A woman who escaped a wildfire that destroyed Hawaii community by running through a burning field has died after spending more than seven weeks in a hospital burn unit.

Laurie Allen died Friday at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, according to a GoFundMe page set up for her and her husband, Perry Allen.

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Hawaii fires: number of fatalities drops to 97 as DNA tests help identify victims

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Police chief confirmed number of missing had also dropped from 41 to 31 and that 74 of the deceased had been identified

The number of confirmed fatalities from the Maui wildfires is at least 97 people, a lower death toll than what officials had previously announced, Hawaii governor Josh Green said in an interview on CNN on Friday.

State leaders said last month that at least 115 people had died in the 8 August blaze but on Friday said new testing showed they were counting multiple DNA samples from some of the victims. John Pelltier, the Maui police chief, said in a press conference that the number of missing people had also dropped from 41 to 31. And so far, 74 of the deceased have been positively identified.

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Hawaii fires: number of missing drops from hundreds to 66 amid recovery

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Josh Green, the state governor, approved $25m for business recovery and said Maui will reopen for tourism on 8 October

One month after the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century leveled the historic town of Lahaina, the governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, said Friday that the number of missing has dropped to 66, the confirmed death toll remains at 115 and authorities will soon escort residents on visits to their property.

Tens of millions of dollars in aid will make its way to families and businesses as they recover, Green said, and beginning 8 October, travel restrictions will end and West Maui will reopen to visitors.

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‘Sleeping giant’ drought threatens more disasters after record Canada wildfires

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Unprecedented drought in British Columbia could usher in a fresh set of natural disasters, including devastating floods

A season of record-breaking wildfires in British Columbia is nearly over, but officials in the Canadian province have warned that a persistent drought in the Canadian province is a “sleeping giant” which could usher in a fresh set of natural disasters, including devastating floods in the coming months.

Bowinn Ma, British Columbia’s emergency management minister said this week the unprecedented drought has the full attention of senior government officials as the region enters the “home stretch” of the province’s unprecedented wildfire season. Hundreds of blazes tore across the province this summer, leaving crews exhausted and broken, and scorching an estimated 2.2m hectares of land.

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‘So many precious things were lost’: Rhodes after the fires – photo essay

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The photographer Gideon Mendel travelled to Rhodes a month after the fires as part of his Burning World project. He sought to document the impact on lives and landscapes

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded, and Rhodes in Greece was one of many places that faced scorching temperatures and wildfires. There were no human casualties but the fire ravaged about 135,000 hectares of forest and vegetation, burned more than 50,000 olive trees and many domestic animals, destroyed about 50 homes and led to the mass evacuation of tourists from the area.

I travelled to the region a month after the fires, making new work for my Burning World project. I choose not to document the flames but rather seek out their aftermath, the traces left behind on lives and landscapes.

The Ekaterini hotel in Kiotari, south Rhodes

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Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch Maui wildfire fund with $10m

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Winfrey says direct cash assistance aims to support those affected as they determine what ‘rebuilding looks like for them’

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have launched a relief fund for the Maui wildfires with an initial $10m donation.

The People’s Fund of Maui, a fund within the Entertainment Industry Foundation, will distribute direct cash assistance to those affected by the wildfires in Maui, which killed at least 115 people earlier this month and devastated the towns of Kula and Lahaina. The fund, supported by public donations and the initial grant by Winfrey and Johnson, plans to provide $1,200 a month to anyone over the age of 18 who lost their primary residence in the fires, including renters and excluding property owners who do not reside in the residence.

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