Portugal Going Through ‘Difficult Days’ as Wildfires Burn Across the Country

THE HEW YORK TIMES: More than 5,000 personnel are battling a number of wildfires, the authorities said, and the prime minister called it an “extremely difficult weather situation.”

Sweeping wildfires across Portugal this week fueled by scorching heat have caused multiple deaths, disrupted travel and prompted a coordinated response from multiple local and international governments.

The fires, caused by dry brush and exacerbated by heat and strong winds, have been concentrated in the central and northern parts of the country but have been reported all over.

At least four people have died since the fires began over the weekend, according to Publico, a national newspaper in Portugal, and residents have had to flee their homes to safety. It is unclear exactly how many acres have been burned so far, but more than 5,000 personnel were working around Portugal to get the flames under control, according to the country’s National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of Portugal said on social media on Monday that one of the deaths was a firefighter who died of a “sudden illness” while fighting a fire in Oliveira de Azeméis, a region more than 30 miles southeast of Porto. » | Derrick Bryson Taylor | Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Video here.

Greece Orders Evacuations Near Athens as Wildfires Rage

Aug 12, 2024 | Greece ordered the evacuation of hospitals and homes near Athens as wildfires spread across the area, the fire brigade said. At least five more communities were told to flee by civil protection authorities on Monday, after hundreds of people evacuated the previous day from at least eight villages. “Civil protection forces battled hard throughout the night, but despite superhuman efforts, the fire evolved rapidly,” fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. The brigade deployed 510 firefighters, 152 vehicles and 29 aircraft, he added.

Canada Wildfires: Soldiers Sent to British Columbia to Tackle Blazes - BBC News

Aug 21, 2023 | Canadian wildfires in British Columbia are to be tackled by soldiers deployed to the region. About 30,000 households have been ordered to evacuate in the province, where nearly 400 wildfires are raging. Two huge fires in the Shuswap region merged overnight, destroying blocks of houses and other buildings. To the south, travel to the waterside city of Kelowna has been restricted, and smoke from nearby fires hangs over Lake Okanagan. Fires have charred homes in West Kelowna, a nearby city of 36,000.

Hawaii Officials Rush to Clean Up Toxic Fire Dust on Maui before It Spreads | DW News

Aug 19, 2023 | Hawaii's devastating wildfires have left at least 114 people dead. Thousands of buildings are burnt to the ground. And the head of Maui's emergency management agency has stepped down, citing health reasons.

Herman Andaya has faced criticism for not doing more to warn residents. A day earlier, he'd defended his decision not to activate the island's tsunami sirens, saying they might have sent people running inland, towards the approaching fires. Power failures also kept many residents from receiving mobile phone alerts.

Hawaii Fires: Tourists Warned against Travelling to Maui in Wake of Disaster

THE GUARDIAN: Officials say hotel rooms needed to house thousands of displaced residents

Officials in Hawaii have urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui, as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders on the island after wildfires killed more than 90 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

About 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the scale of the devastation in the historic town of Lahaina became clear on Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses,” the agency said in a statement late Saturday. Tourists are encouraged to visit Hawaii’s other islands. » | Associated Press | Monday, August 14, 2023


Incendies à Hawaï : le bilan continue d’augmenter, passant à 96 morts : Seule une petite partie de la zone incendiée (3 %) a été fouillée, et seulement deux victimes ont pu être identifiées. »

Deutsches Video von FAZ übers Beten für die Opfer und für die Vermissten hier.

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Hawaii Wildfires: At Least 80 Killed in Maui – BBC News

Aug 12, 2023 | Eighty people are now confirmed to have been killed by wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials say. There are fears the numbers will rise further, as hundreds are still uncontactable. Firefighters have been trying to contain fires in several areas, including the historic town of Lahaina which has been utterly devastated.

Hawaii Wildfires: Live updates.

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Democracy Now! Native Hawaiian Activist Kaniela Ing on Fires, Colonialism & Banyan Tree

Aug 11, 2023 | We speak with Kaniela Ing, national director of the Green New Deal Network and seventh-generation Kanaka Maoli, Native Hawaiian, about the impact of this week’s devastating wildfires and their relationship to climate change. The catastrophic fires have destroyed nearly all buildings in the historic section of Lahaina, which once served as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. What is now being described as the worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history was created by conditions such as dry vegetation, hurricane-level winds and developers redirecting water and building over wetlands, which are directly related to the climate crisis. “Anyone in power who denies climate change, to me, are the arsonists here,” says Ing. “We’re living the climate emergency.”

Related here, here, here and here.

Hawaii Fires: Fresh Blaze Prompts Renewed Evacuations as Maui Death Toll Rises

THE GUARDIAN: At least 80 people killed in deadliest disaster in the state’s history, as questions asked about the local warning system

Cars destroyed by wildfires line Lahaina’s seafront main street on Friday. The death toll has risen to 67 and is expected to rise. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The death toll from the Maui wildfires in Hawaii has risen to 80 as search teams comb through the smouldering ruins of Lahaina and a new fire triggered the evacuation of another community on Friday night.

The Maui police department said the new fire was burning in Kaanapali in West Maui, to the north-east of the area that burned earlier this week. No details of the evacuation were immediately provided in the police post on social media.

The new fire and rising death toll came as Hawaiian officials sought to determine how the initial inferno spread so rapidly through Lahaina, a historic resort town, with little warning. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, August 12, 2023

Hawaii Fires Death Toll on Maui Island Rises - BBC News

Aug 11, 2023 | The number of people killed in the Hawaii wildfires has risen to 53, and police said as many as 1,000 may be missing on the island of Maui. Governor Josh Green says the fires are the "largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history" and 80% of historic seaside town Lahaina is "gone". In Lahaina, tourists were forced to jump into the sea and tread water for hours. Firefighters are still battling to contain Maui's wildfires, which began on Tuesday and were fuelled by Hurricane Dora's passing winds.

Why This Year’s Extreme Weather Conditions Have Scientists In Shock | DW News

Aug 9, 2023 | Hundreds of firefighters worked to put out a wildfire in southern Portugal on Tuesday, with 1,400 people evacuated since the start of the blaze. The fire has destroyed around 6,700 hectares of land. A total of 19 villages, four tourist accommodations and a camping site have been evacuated as a precaution. From north to south, Europe is again battling extreme weather events, with floods in Slovenia, a heat wave in Spain and landslides in Norway.

At Least 36 People Killed as Fire Devastates Lahaina Town in Hawaii

THE GUARDIAN: Wildfires fanned by Hurricane Dora destroy businesses and leave dozens more people injured, officials say

At least 36 people have died in the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, local authorities have said, adding that the fire remained active.

Wildfires, fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have destroyed businesses in the historic town of Lahaina and left dozens more people injured. There have been 13 evacuations for three fires. (With videos) » | Oliver Holmes and agencies | Thursday, August 10, 2023

Related video.

NYT live updates here.

Les incendies à Hawaï ont fait au moins 36 morts, la ville de Lahaina en grande partie détruite : Les feux ont été alimentés par de forts vents, exacerbés par l’ouragan Dora. Certaines personnes ont été obligées de se jeter dans l’océan Pacifique pour échapper à la fumée et aux incendies. »

Mindestens 36 Tote bei Bränden auf Maui: Starke Wald- und Buschbrände haben Teile der Insel Maui zerstört. Behördenangaben zufolge sind 36 Menschen gestorben. Bisher seien die Brände noch nicht unter Kontrolle. »

‘Like a bomb went off’: Maui wildfires decimate historic town of Lahaina: Flames fanned by Hurricane Dora leap above buildings, leaving residents grappling with loss of life and homes »

At Least Six People Confirmed Dead in Hawaii Wildfires - BBC News

Aug 9, 2023 | Hawaii is battling wildfires spurred by winds from Hurricane Dora - prompting evacuations on Maui and the Big Island. Mayor Richard Bissen has confirmed six fatalities in Maui county and warned numbers could rise. The US Coast Guard says it rescued 12 people, after reports of residents escaping a blaze by jumping into the sea near the town of Lahaina, on Maui. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has authorised the use of federal funds in Hawaii to help people affected by fires.

Hundreds of Firefighters Tackling Blaze Raging in Southern Portugal

THE GUARDIAN: Fire has scorched thousands of hectares of land and forced precautionary evacuation of 1,400 people

Hundreds of firefighters are scrambling to put out a blaze raging in southern Portugal that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and led to the precautionary evacuation of about 1,400 people.

The wildfire, which is being tackled by more than 800 firefighters, started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira in the Alentejo region but has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal’s top tourist destinations. » | Reuters in Odemira | Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Hundreds of Firefighters Continue to Battle Wildfires across Europe - BBC News

Jul 28, 2023 | Wildfires continue to spread across Europe and the Mediterranean, with hundreds of firefighters tackling fires in countries like Italy and Greece. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said his country needs to take more steps to combat the effects of climate change. The BBC’s Bethany Bell and Sofia Bettiza report from Rhodes and southern Italy.

‘Like a Blowtorch’: Mediterranean Gripped by Wildfires as Blazes Spread in Croatia and Portugal

THE GUARDIAN: ‘There is no magical defence mechanism,’ says Greek prime minister as fires burn in northern Africa and southern Europe

Wildfires were burning in at least nine countries across the Mediterranean as blazes spread in Croatia and Portugal, with thousands of firefighters in Europe and north Africa working in extreme heat to contain flames stoked by high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds.

High temperatures and parched ground sparked wildfires in countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, with at least 34 people killed in Algeria, where 8,000 firefighters on Tuesday battled blazes across the tinder-dry north. Fires burned in a total of 15 provinces, leading to the evacuation of more than 1,500 people.

Witnesses described fleeing walls of flames that raged “like a blowtorch”, destroying homes and coastal resorts, and turning vast forest areas into blackened wastelands. (+ videos) » | Helen Sullivan and agencies | Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Greece Wildfires: Two Pilots Dead as Plane Crashes Fighting Flames

ul 25, 2023 | Greece has declared three days of national mourning for its armed forces - after two air force pilots were killed as they battled the intense wildfires which have been raging across the south of the country for days. With flames still spreading in the scorching heat and strong winds - more people have been evacuated from Rhodes and Corfu. While Italy is also in the grip of extreme weather - forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes.

Algeria Wildfires Kill Dozens of People Including 10 Soldiers

THE GUARDIAN: About 7,500 firefighters trying to bring blazes under control and 1,500 people evacuated as heatwave spreads

Thirty-four people including 10 soldiers have been killed by wildfires in the mountainous Béjaïa and Bouïra regions of Algeria, as a heatwave spreads across north Africa and southern Europe.

About 8,000 firefighters were trying to bring the flames under control, authorities said, adding that about 1,500 people had been evacuated.

Algeria’s interior ministry said operations were under way to put out fires in six provinces and asked for people to “avoid areas affected by the fires” and to report new blazes on freephone numbers.

“Civil protection services remain mobilised until the fires are completely extinguished,” the ministry said.

The defence ministry said 10 soldiers were killed in the fires, but provided no further details. » | Agencies in Algiers | Monday, July 24, 2023

Rhodes and Corfu Wildfires: Thousands Evacuated from Island Fires - BBC News

Jul 14, 2023 | Wildfires on Rhodes have forced 19,000 people to be evacuated from homes and holiday accommodation.

Flights are due to land on the Greek island later on Monday to bring back stranded holidaymakers. Tourists have been sleeping at the airport, makeshift rescue centres and on the street, after the flames threatened holiday resorts. At least three hotels have been destroyed in the dense forest area of Kiotari on the east of the island.

Another evacuation order was issued for parts of Corfu, some 1,027km (670 miles) miles away, on Sunday evening.


Related here, here and here.

Greece: Wildfires Break Out on Corfu and Evia as 19,000 Flee Rhodes Blazes

THE GUARDIAN: Boats ready to pick up evacuees on Corfu as heatwave continues and firefighters tackle blazes on Rhodes that sparked Greece’s largest wildfire evacuation

Firefighters in Greece were struggling to contain 82 wildfires burning across the country, 64 of which started on Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far.

As well as huge blazes on the island of Rhodes, which forced 19,000 to flee, wildfires also broke out on the islands of Evia and Corfu.

On Evia, authorities told residents of four southern villages to evacuate to the town of Karystos, west of where the fire was advancing. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Monday, July 24, 2023

Rhodes: Thousands Evacuated from Greek Island as Wildfires Spread – BBC News

Jul 23, 2023 | Thousands of people have been evacuated from homes and hotels on the Greek island of Rhodes after wildfires engulfed large parts of the island. Greece's fire service told the BBC it apologises for what it called "a mess" on the island, warning that the situation could worsen due to weather. More than 3,500 people have been evacuated by land and sea to safety.

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