Tag Archives: disasters

The BBC reports: Officials have blamed a gender reveal party for one of several wildfires raging in the US state of California. A “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” at the event sparked the El Dorado fire, which has now spread over 7,000 acres. It is one of more than two dozen blazes across the state. California is currently experiencing a record heatwave, …

USA Today reports: The Ukrainian jet that crashed after taking off from a Tehran airport probably was shot down by an Iranian missile, a London-based global information firm says. “Photographs purportedly taken near the site of the crash and circulated on social media appear to show the guidance section of an SA-15 Gauntlet short-range, surface to air missile, which landed …

The Arizona Daily Star reports: The Sawmill Fire is shown erupting from an exploding target — with blue smoke curling off the fire’s fringes — in a video just obtained by the Arizona Daily Star. The 49-second video clearly shows the fire starting in yellow grassland near a stand of mesquite trees from the exploding target on state land in …

Reuters reports: An Aeromexico plane crashed in the northern state of Durango on Tuesday, television images showed, with the state’s governor saying the accident happened close to an airport. The Mexican airline wrote in a post on Twitter that it was aware of reports of a crash in Durango and was seeking to verify the information and obtain details. Governor …

The Associated Press reports: The state’s top prosecutor on Friday charged a speeding Amtrak engineer with causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter and other crimes in a deadly 2015 derailment that came after he accelerated to 106 mph on a 50 mph curve. Prosecutors said they were in talks with engineer Brandon Bostian’s attorney to have him surrender on the charges. …

NBC News reports: A massive fire caused a bridge to collapse Thursday night on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, one of the busiest stretches of roadway in America, backing up rush hour traffic for several miles and creating what the mayor called a long-term “transportation crisis.” The huge fire was reported at 6:21 p.m. ET underneath the bridge on the northbound …

NBC News reports: Two juveniles were arrested Wednesday on aggravated arson charges in the Tennessee wildfires that killed 14 people, and more charges are possible, authorities said Wednesday. The suspects weren’t identified because they’re minors. Authorities would say only that they are residents of Tennessee but not of Sevier County, where the fire caused significant damage and forced the evacuations …

Oakland fire officials have begun identifying some of the victims in Friday’s warehouse disaster. Erin Rook reports at LGBTQ Nation: Transgender musician Cash Askew, 22, of dream-pop band Them Are Us Too was one of 11 victims identified by authorities as of Monday morning. According to Scout Wolfcave, founder of the Trans Assistance Project, two other trans women are also …