19 wildfires have merged to create the largest wildfire ever recorded in British Columbia – Single blaze is estimated to be more than 467,000 hectares

By Mike Laanela and Brady Strachan Aug 22, 2017 (CBC News) – Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of aircraft are working to contain the largest wildfire ever recorded in British Columbia’s history. Nineteen wildfires have merged in the province’s Interior, creating a single blaze that’s estimated to be more than 467,000 hectares [1.15 million acres] […]

Record breaking aerosol index values from Canada forest fires – “These are remarkably high values”

By Colin Seftor 15 August 2017 (NASA) – I plan to post more about smoke from the fires burning both in Canada and Russia. But I did want to post this particular item. Over the last couple of days, OMPS has recorded the largest aerosol index values ever seen since TOMS measurements started in 1978 […]

Long wildfire season in British Columbia exhausting for firefighters, emergency personnel

By Greg Fry 19 August 2017 Williams Lake, B.C. (250 News) – This summer has been the worst wildfire season on record in British Columbia and as a result those fighting the blazes and others working in emergency management have been working harder than ever. However, Chris Duffy, executive director of operations with Emergency Management […]

British Columbia wildfires now worst on record

VANCOUVER, 19 August 2017 (Xinhua) – The Canadian province of British Columbia has extended its state of emergency to Sept. 1 as its residents and fire crews continue to deal with what has become the worst wildfire season on record. The province-wide state of emergency means that those fighting the fires and dealing with the […]

Record-breaking smoke over Canada from British Columbia forest fires – “If and when the plume drifts over populated areas, it may turn day into night”

By Adam Voiland 15 August 2017 (NASA) – For more than a month, dozens of large fires have raged in British Columbia. Since early July 2017, wildfire has burned through coniferous forests stressed by heat, drought, and infestations of mountain pine beetles. In early August, another cluster of intense fires flared up in Northwest Territories […]

Canada wildfires “apocalyptic” – “In my experience and that of the pilots here, we’ve never seen anything like this”

By Adriana  Weber 9 August 2017 (Radio NZ) – A New Zealand helicopter pilot fighting enormous wildfires in Canada says everyone works in an ”apocalyptic twilight” amid the worst conditions he has experienced in 25 years. More than 200 wildfires are burning across the country, with the majority of those ablaze in British Columbia, which […]

We’re choking on smoke in Seattle

By Lindy West 9 August 2017 SEATTLE (The New York Times) – The weather forecast for Seattle on Wednesday reads “89 degrees, smoke.” We first noticed the smoke, drifting down from wildfires still burning in British Columbia, around Aug. 2, just as a heat wave sent temperatures spiking well into the 90s (the historical average […]

Global warming blamed as EU forest fires treble in 2017

By Chris Harris 27 July 2017 (Euronews) – Exclusive: The number of forest fires in the EU has trebled so far this year, according to figures obtained by Euronews, affecting an area nearly the size of Luxembourg. There have been 677 blazes in 2017 – a huge increase on the 215 the bloc saw annually […]

Officials resort to artificial rain to tackle raging wildfires in Siberia

24 July 2017 (The Siberian Times) – Fires have wreaked havoc this summer, with Yakutia and the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous the latest to be hard hit. Clouds are being spiked with a special compound over remote areas of Yakutia to force rain in forest infernos. The skies are cannoned from An-26 planes with silver iodide or […]

British Columbia wildfire season worst since 1958

4 August 2017 (Global News) – B.C. remains under a state of emergency as 123 wildfires continue to burn across the province. This season is now B.C.’s worst fire season in almost six decades and officials say it will only get worse. Just over 7,000 British Columbians remain out of their homes.The provincial state of […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial