Smoke lifting Sunday over Washington state fires – ‘It’s like a flue opening in a fireplace’

By Donna Blankinship and Brian Skoloff23 August 2015 OKANOGAN, Washington (AP) – The massive cloud of smoke began to lift over Washington wildfires on Sunday. But as air quality improves, the fire’s behavior could become more erratic and intense, fire officials said. “It’s like a flue opening in a fireplace,” said Suzanne Flory, spokeswoman for […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of smoke from wildfires in the U.S. Northwest, 23 August 2015

LANCE/MODIS satellite view of wildfires in the U.S. Northwest, 23 August 2015   LANCE/MODIS satellite view of wildfires in the U.S. Northwest, 22 August 2015. LANCE Rapid Response MODIS images Technorati Tags: wildfire,forest fire,NASA,global warming,climate change,pollution,drought,California

Siberia in flames – Around Lake Baikal, ‘it feels like doomsday’

23 August 2015 (The Siberian Times) – These unnerving images show the scale of destruction from wildfires close to Lake Baikal, the jewel of Siberia. The sky is aglow over the Republic of Buryatia from the uncontrolled burning, the latest outbreaks of fires that have been destroying forests around the world’s oldest and deepest lake […]

Washington state asks for volunteer help to fight forest fires, for the first time in state history

By Drew Mikkelsen21 August 2015 OMAK, Washington (KING 5 News) – With wildfires straining resources, Washington officials say that for the first time in state history they’re coordinating help from residents who have and can operate equipment like backhoes and bulldozers to dig fire lines. The Department of Natural Resources says its command posts have […]

NASA satellite captures thick plumes of smoke from wildfires

18 August 2015 (ABC) – As wildfires continue to burn dozens of homes and force thousands of evacuations around the Pacific Northwest, NASA has released images illustrating the massive plumes of smoke and charred Earth that can be seen from space. Wildfires have burned around 7 million acres, according to NASA, which is 2 million […]

Three killed, four injured fighting ‘Hell Storm’ wildfire near Twisp, Washington – ‘The conditions throughout the area remain extremely dangerous’

By Rob Kauder19 August 2015 SPOKANE, Washington (KXLY) – Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said Wednesday evening three firefighters have been killed and three to four more have been injured while battling raging wildfires. Rogers called the dire situation these firefighters faced near Twisp a “Hell Storm,” with the fire racing across the ground, being […]

Wildfire statistics for the U.S. West, 19 August 2015

19 August 2015 (Desdemona Despair) – Famous Northwest weatherman Cliff Mass recently posted about wildfires in Washington State (A Real Surprise: FEWER Acres Than Normal Have Burned over the Northwest This Year). Professor Mass shows some great graphs from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center of the Bureau of Land Management: Fuels and Fire Danger [pdf]. […]

Video: Alaska permafrost threatened by intense fires, rapid climate change

By Trevor Hughes14 August 2015 FAIRBANKS, Alaska (USA TODAY) – One of the state’s worst wildfire seasons in history has scorched 5 million acres of tundra and forests across Alaska, and experts here fear climate change will cause even more devastating fires through a combination of lower snowpack, drying tundra and melting permafrost. Like an […]

Video: With climate change, a terrifying new normal for firefighters in the U.S. West – ‘We’re being asked to battle fires that didn’t exist 20 years ago’

10 August 2015 (Yale Environment 360) – In the last two decades, officials in Colorado have watched as massive, months-long wildfires have become a regular occurrence in their state. A Yale Environment 360 video goes onto the front lines with Colorado firefighters who describe what it’s like to continuously confront deadly blazes fueled by a […]

California blaze explodes in size as wildfires roast West – Second firefighter dies

LOWER LAKE, California, 12 August 2015 (Associated Press) – Wildfires are charging through several states in the parched West, scorching homes and forcing people to flee. Flames are plaguing some California residents, who had to evacuate for the second time in recent weeks after blazes exploded in size. Here’s a look at wildfires burning through […]

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