California wildfires: thousands evacuate as ‘siege’ of flames overwhelms state

Hundreds of fires are raging across California, forcing tens of thousands of residents – who were already facing blackouts and the coronavirus pandemic – to flee their homes. The flames, sparked by lightning and stoked by a searing heatwave and ferocious winds, have been moving quickly, overwhelming the state’s firefighters and first responders.

“It’s kind of an overwhelming fire siege,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

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California wildfires live: thousands forced to evacuate as blazes rage across state

  • Cluster of wildfires in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties cover an estimated 46,225 acres
  • Lake fire in southern California has burned more than 21,000 acres

Three wild fires and more than 10,000 acres are currently burning out of control around the San Francisco Bay area, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders for residents living near the blazes.

Gov. Newsom said today that he has asked three states — Arizona, Nevada and Texas — to provide hundreds of fire engines to help contain the flames.

Evacuation Order expanded to include all areas west of County Road 306 west to Mendocino County line. Full length of County from Tehama County line south to Colusa County line. #GlennCounty #AugustComplex pic.twitter.com/AlAizoPraM

#LNULightningComplex - New evacuation orders for the Green Valley area in Solano Co, everything west of Suisun Valley Rd & north of Rockville Rd, to the county line. #Fairfield #Vacaville #HennesseyFire pic.twitter.com/eT9Krot7mD

Wildfires in northern California have made the air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area the worst in the world.

As fires blaze through eight of the nine counties surrounding San Francisco, smoke is drifting across the region and light ash falls from the sky.

It’s raining ash in California, forcing us to wear a different kind of mask than we wear for the pandemic when we go buy the generator we need for either rolling blackouts or preemptive outages so we can work from home if we haven’t been evacuated or our house hasn't burned down

What it’s like to live in California right now.

My car was JUST washed and all of this is ash from the wildfires surround us. ITS LITERALLY RAINING ASHES!!!! pic.twitter.com/XB4iLaG9l5

Smoke and Ash in San Jose CA from fires in California pic.twitter.com/Vxqa2leEdL

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California wildfire spawns ‘firenado’ as tornado warning issued amid heatwave

Large wildfires can heat air so much that huge clouds develop and in strong winds these can rotate and sometimes produce a tornado

A wildfire in northern California spawned at least one fire tornado – or “firenado” – on Saturday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning as the state continues to endure a heatwave and wildfires.

“Extremely dangerous fire behavior noted on the #LoyaltonFire! Rotating columns and potential for fire whirls,” NWS Reno tweeted on Saturday.

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Lake fire: huge blaze north of Los Angeles forces evacuations

  • Firefighters battle to contain blaze before temperatures rise
  • Fire in Angeles national forest produces vast plume of smoke

A huge wildfire has prompted evacuations north of Los Angeles, with firefighters hoping to rein in the blaze before temperatures spike later on Thursday.

The Lake fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in dense forest land in the Lake Hughes area of the Angeles national forest, some 60 miles (97km) north of downtown Los Angeles.

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California: thousands under evacuation order as fire rages east of Los Angeles

  • ‘Dangerously hot conditions’ hamper firefighters
  • Blaze only 5% contained but no injuries reported

Thousands of people in California were under evacuation order 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 sq miles (about 80 sq km) of dry brush and timber, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection.

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Apple wildfire forces thousands to evacuate in southern California – video

Thousands of residents in southern California were forced to evacuate as a wildfire in mountains east of Los Angeles exploded in size. The 'Apple fire' burned 60sq km of dry brush and timber after two blazes converged on Friday. Firefighters continue to battle the fire, with dangerously hot weather conditions forecast to carry on

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Apple wildfire: thousands ordered to evacuate as southern California blaze grows

Fire explodes in size as crews battle the flames in triple-digit heat in mountains east of Los Angeles

Thousands of people were under evacuation orders Sunday after a wildfire in mountains east of Los Angeles exploded in size as crews battled the flames in triple-digit heat.

The fire, dubbed the Apple Fire by local firefighters, was straddling Riverside and San Bernardino counties and consumed more than 23sq miles (about 60sq km) of dry brush and timber, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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Huge forest fire kills 18 firefighters and one guide in China

Footage shows large flames shooting into sky from mountains above city of Xichang

Eighteen firefighters and one forestry guide have died while fighting a huge forest fire in south-western China.

State television footage showed flames shooting into the sky from the mountains above the city of Xichang in Sichuan province, turning the sky orange. Heavy clouds of smoke billowed above the buildings and roads of the city, which has a population of about 700,000.

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Living in the climate emergency: Australia’s new fire zone

Areas of Australia have burnt during the recent bushfire season that used to be too wet to burn. In this first episode of The Frontline, a new series that shows how everyday Australians are already experiencing the climate crisis, we go inside the new fire zone

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Fires and floods: maps of Europe predict scale of climate catastrophe

Without urgent action, rising sea levels by end of century could leave cities under water

A series of detailed maps have laid bare the scale of possible forest fires, floods, droughts and deluges that Europe could face by the end of the century without urgent action to adapt to and confront global heating.

An average one-metre rise in sea levels by the end of the century – without any flood prevention action – would mean 90% of the surface of Hull would be under water, according to the European Environment Agency.

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Australia fires: threat remains for ACT bushfires as NSW issued with smoke health warning – latest updates

A total fire ban remains in place across the capital territory as fires continue to burn, causing severe smoke and dust haze in NSW

A quick recap.

Looks like the forecast rain is heading over Canberra. We’ll wait to hear if this helps or hinders the firefighting efforts.

Rain heading through Canberra. Let's hope this brings some relief. No sign of the storm yet though. pic.twitter.com/YVJDd3HK3u

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Australia fires: bushfires menace homes and lives – and firefighters warn winds will create new threats

Embers flare into an out-of-control blaze on ‘another difficult day’ in NSW and in the country around Canberra

• Terror on all sides: inside a firestorm tearing through the Australian bush

The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, says the Australian state has experienced “another difficult day” as multiple emergency fires burned across its south-east.

While five emergency warnings were in place on Saturday afternoon for blazes across the NSW south coast and south-east, at 9pm on Saturday evening just one remained at the highest level.

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Canberra fires live updates: capital of Australia faces renewed bushfire threat – latest news

Huge fires to the south smother city with smoke amid weather forecast for heatwave and searing temperatures as Scott Morrison prepares to address National Press Club today. Follow live news and latest updates

From Tuesday night. A lot of ACT residents are comparing this fire to the devastating 2003 blaze.

Just a reminder of where we’re at. On Monday, a defence helicopter landed in the Namadgi national park, south of Canberra, and accidentally sparked what authorities have called the city’s “most serious” bushfire threat since the city’s devastating 2003 fires.

Tuesday saw dramatic images of the fire approaching Canberra’s southern suburbs, but conditions eased throughout the evening and the fire was downgraded from emergency level to watch and act just before midnight.

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Australia fires live: Canberra airport closed, reports of air tanker crash in NSW bushfires – latest updates

ACT residents near bushfire south of Canberra told to seek shelter as contact lost with large water-bombing plane fighting New South Wales bushfire. Follow latest news and live updates

There’s a steady stream of people arriving at the Moruya Showgrounds, which has been re-opened as an evacuation centre. For a lot of people, it’s becoming a home away from home.

One woman from Congo, just south of here, told me it was her third time here since New Years Eve.

The sky is looking ominous outside the Moruya showground where our reporter on the ground, Michael McGowan, captured this image.

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Huge dust storms in Australia hit central New South Wales

Videos posted to social media show the clouds turning day into night in some areas

Damaging winds produced by thunderstorms across central New South Wales have whipped up dust storms that turned daytime into night in some towns.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a series of severe thunderstorm warnings on Sunday evening for inland NSW with the associated winds generating massive dust clouds.

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Hundreds of thousands of fish dead in NSW as bushfire ash washed into river

Ecologist fears the Macleay River may take decades to recover, with heavy rains likely to affect other waterways

Hundreds of thousands of native fish are estimated to have died in northern New South Wales after rains washed ash and sludge from bushfires into the Macleay River.

Parts of the Macleay River – favoured by recreational fishers – have been turned into what locals described as “runny cake mix” that stank of rotting vegetation and dead fish.

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Disinformation and lies are spreading faster than Australia’s bushfires

Social media claims of an arson epidemic and obstructive environmentalists have infected mainstream reporting of the bushfire crisis

Lies have spread faster than grassfire during Australia’s unprecedented national emergency.

They’ve ranged from the exaggerated to the outrageous.

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Kangaroo Island bushfires: grave fears for unique wildlife after estimated 25,000 koalas killed

Greatest concerns for endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart and glossy black-cockatoo after third of island burned

Ecologists have grave concerns for the future of unique and endangered wildlife on Kangaroo Island where bushfires have killed thousands of koalas.

Fires on the island, in South Australia, have so far burned through 155,000 hectares – about one third of the island’s entire area – with blazes concentrated in the biodiversity-rich western areas.

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