Study: Housing developments near drying forests a deadly combination in the West

By Darryl Fears8 March 2014 (Washington Post) – As the climate warms, forest fires in the West increasingly will feast on acres of dry brush, growing into giants. In a cycle that will become routine, homeowners will flee, while firefighters will rush toward their houses — and away from areas where they could be putting […]

Health experts warn of water contamination from California drought – Wildfire conditions are ‘what we would usually see in August’

By Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Richard Borsuk18 February 2014 SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) – California’s drought has put 10 communities at acute risk of running out of drinking water in 60 days, and worsened numerous other health and safety problems, public health officials in the most populous U.S. state said on Tuesday. Rural communities where residents […]

Image of the Day: Satellite view of bushfires in Southeastern Australia, 9 February 2014

By Holli Riebeek11 February 2014 (NASA) – With high temperatures and strong winds, fire conditions reached dangerous levels on February 8-9, 2014, in the Australian state of Victoria. Several large bushfires burned in and around Snowy River National Park, producing dense clouds of smoke. The largest of the fires, Yalmy, had burned 79,893 hectares as […]

Severe fire warnings issued in Queensland, Western Australia amid record-breaking heat wave

By Reissa Su  7 January 2014 (IBT) – Western Australia continues to experience rising temperatures due to a record-breaking heat wave that began in the later weeks of December before creeping towards South Australia. Queensland and New South Wales were not spared from the sweltering heat with temperatures peaking across Queensland on Jan. 3. According […]

California enters third consecutive dry winter, statewide drought worst on record – ‘Lack of rain and snow this winter could bring catastrophic losses to California agriculture’

By Kiley Kroh27 December 2013 (Center for American Progress) – As California enters its third consecutive dry winter, with no sign of moisture on the horizon, fears are growing over increased wildfire activity, agricultural losses and additional stress placed on already strained water supplies. The city of Los Angeles has received only 3.6 inches of […]

Australia Climate Council warns on big and frequent bushfires

By Matt Johnston9 December 2013 (Herald Sun) – Victorians should prepare for more intense bushfires to flare up more often, a report on climate change warns.  The Climate Council, which was the government funded Climate Commission before Prime Minister Tony Abbott removed it from the public purse, will release its report into bushfire risks today. […]

Graph of the Day: Forest fires near Yakutsk, Russia, 2000-2012

By Brad Plumer14 November 2013 (Washington Post) – From a new study in the journal Science: the first effort to quantify in detail how forests are changing and disappearing over the past decade. The research team, led by the University of Maryland, used Landsat satellite images and Google’s Earth Engine to assemble detailed new maps. […]

These maps show where the Earth’s forests are vanishing

By Brad Plumer14 November 2013 (Washington Post) – Want to know where we’re destroying the world’s forests? Here’s the very first high-resolution map showing the change in the world’s tree cover between 2000 and 2012. That comes from a new study published Thursday in the journal Science — the first effort to quantify in detail […]

South Australia braces for extreme heat and catastrophic fire conditions

By Lia Harris6 November 2013 (The Advertiser) – As South Australia prepares for a scorcher with catastrophic fire conditions in some areas, CFS crews have already extinguished two scrub fires overnight and attended a third near Birdwood this morning.  CFS crews were called to a grass fire at Forreston, about 5km from Birdwood, at about […]

Bushfire smoke engulfs Australia’s biggest city Sydney

By Aaron Akinyemi2 November 2013 (International Business Times UK) – The bushfires that have ravaged large swathes of Australia are now advancing towards Sydney, the country’s biggest city. The bustling metropolis has been enveloped in a shroud of smoke due to bushfires burning to the west, with iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House […]

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