Tag Archives: wildfires

New York City Chokes On Canadian Smoke [VIDEO]

The New York Daily News reports: Canadian wildfires have created dangerous air quality conditions in New York City as an orange sun and smoggy cloud layer descended on the Big Apple Tuesday. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality health advisory for all boroughs as well as surrounding suburbs. The state’s Department of Health recommends that …

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Florida Sees Rash Of Wildfires Amid “Severe Drought”

The Orlando Sentinel reports: With less than 2 inches of rain this year, Orlando is enduring its second driest stretch from Jan. 1 to April 5 since the late 1800s and also its hottest on record for that period. The city, Central Florida and much of the state’s peninsula are experiencing a widening severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought …

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CA Gov Declares Emergency Over Wildfire [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving McKinney fire, which started Friday, went from charring just over 1 square mile (1 square kilometer) to scorching as much as 62 square miles (160 square kilometers) by Saturday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the fire intensified. The proclamation allows Newsom more flexibility …

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Britain Could Break Its All-Time Heat Record Today

The BBC reports: The UK could have its hottest day on record this week, with temperatures forecast to hit up to 41C (106F). The Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning on Monday and Tuesday in much of England, from London and the south-east up to York and Manchester. The current highest temperature in the UK is 38.7C, …

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Yosemite Wildfire Threatens Ancient Sequoias [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: Some of the oldest and largest trees on earth are under threat after a wildfire in Yosemite National Park more than doubled in size in a day. Blistering temperatures, low humidity, and heavy terrain have made it difficult for firefighters to gain control of the Washburn Fire, which has grown to over 2,000 acres. More than 500 …

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New Mexico Governor Furious After US Forest Service Admits Sparking Massive Wildfires In “Controlled Burn”

Reuters reports:  Two blazes that grew into New Mexico’s largest ever wildfire were both started by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the agency said on Friday, prompting the state’s governor to demand the federal government take full responsibility for the disaster. Forest Service investigators determined the Calf Canyon Fire was caused by a “burn pile” of branches that the agency …

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CO Blaze Destroyed 1000 Homes, Cause Investigated

The Associated Press reports: A Colorado official says nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed, hundreds more were damaged, and that three people are missing after a wildfire charred numerous neighborhoods in a suburban area at the base of the Rocky Mountains northwest of Denver. The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said utility officials found …

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Customers Flee CO Stores Ahead Of Flames [VIDEO]

The Independent reports: Customers rushed to evacuate a Costco retail store and a Chuck E Cheese restaurant in Superior, Colorado, on Thursday after a wildfire started spreading rapidly across the area due to gusty winds. Thousands of people in Colorado have been evacuated as hundreds of homes were destroyed by wildfires that tore through parts of the state. A video …

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Colorado Wildfires Destroy Over 500 Homes [VIDEO]

The Denver Post reports: A wind-whipped grassfire roared east from Boulder Thursday afternoon, destroying at least 500 homes, closing major highways and causing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people in two towns, including hospital patients. The Marshall fire, which officials said likely was sparked by downed power lines in the winds that reached gusts of more than 100 mph, …

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Ex-College Professor Charged For Setting CA Wildfires

The Associated Press reports: A former college professor was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for allegedly starting four wildfires in Northern California earlier this year that threatened to trap firefighters as they battled a massive fire nearby, federal prosecutors said. Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count …

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CA Wildfire Threatens Famed Giant Sequoias [VIDEO]

The Los Angeles Times reports: As the growing KNP Complex fire continues its march through Sequoia National Park, fire crews on Thursday were prepping the famed Giant Forest for flames by wrapping some of the massive sequoias in fire-resistant aluminum material. The Colony fire — one of two blazes making up the more than 9,000-acre complex fire — is within …

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Evacuations As Wildfire Advances On Lake Tahoe

The Associated Press reports: Fire officials ordered more evacuations around the Tahoe Basin as a two-week old blaze encroached on the threatened mountain towns surrounding glimmering Lake Tahoe. By nightfall, all residents on the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin were warned to evacuate the region, after fire officials had stressed for days that protecting the area was their …

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CA Firefighters Met With Guns During Evacuation

The Hill reports: Some firefighters battling the massive Dixie Fire raging in Northern California have faced some unforeseen challenges when trying to evacuate residents in harm’s way. Local KPIX reported that firefighters working to evacuate the historic mountain town of Greenville last week encountered residents who refused to leave their property and threatened firefighters with weapons as the blaze moved …

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Dixie Wildfire Now Largest In California History [VIDEO]

Politico reports: The Dixie Fire burning in two Northern California counties is now the largest single wildfire in recorded state history, exploding in size overnight as drought-stricken lands continue to fuel the flames. The fire, which has burned for 23 days and forced mass evacuations, razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville on Thursday, destroying 91 buildings and damaging five …

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Air Quality Warning For NYC Due To Western Wildfires

AccuWeather reports: The AQI reading in New York City Tuesday evening reached an unhealthy 137, the highest this year so far. At this elevated number, health effects can be immediately felt by sensitive groups. Healthy individuals may experience difficulty breathing and throat irritation with prolonged exposure, and should limit outdoor activity. The smoke spread up to 2,500 miles downwind of …

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Manslaughter Charge In 2020 Gender Reveal Wildfire

NPR reports: A couple whose gender reveal ceremony sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter last year were charged with involuntary manslaughter, authorities announced Tuesday. Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pleaded not guilty Monday to charges involving the El Dorado Fire, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson [photo] announced at a news conference. The …

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Oregon Wildfire Produces “Pyrocumulus Clouds”

Changing America reports: The intense smoke and heat from an Oregon wildfire is producing “fire clouds,” also known as pyrocumulus clouds, above the far-ranging fire — creating plumes of smoke and ash that have reached a height of over a mile into the sky. Fire clouds can spew ash and embers, sometimes even lightning, to other areas and further increase …

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Wildfires Rage Across Ten Western States [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Wildfires that torched homes and forced thousands to evacuate burned across 10 parched Western states on Tuesday, and the largest, in Oregon, threatened California’s power supply. Nearly 60 wildfires tore through bone-dry timber and brush from Alaska to Wyoming, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Arizona, Idaho and Montana accounted for more than half of …

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Massive Oregon Wildfire Spreads To 150,000 Acres

NBC News reports: The Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon nearly doubled in size from Saturday to Sunday to more than 150,000 acres as extreme heatwaves and wildfires continued to scorch the West. The intense flames in the Fremont-Winema National Forest broke out on July 6, burning for its sixth day on Sunday, according to an incident report. The out-of-control wildfire …

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Evacuations As Arizona Wildfire Spreads In Record Heat

CNN reports: One of Arizona’s largest wildfires has scorched more than 139,000 acres and continues to spread rapidly as weather conditions are expected to remain hot and dry. More than 1,000 people are fighting to tame the Telegraph Fire, burning east of Phoenix, as it has grown and began merging with the neighboring Mescal Fire. Both fires have charred more …

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