Tag Archives: blaze

California crews hold wildfire in check, let more residents go home

Wildland Firefighters battle the Bridge Coulee Fire, part of the Lodgepole Complex, east of the Musselshell River, north of Mosby, Montana, U.S. July 21, 2017. Bureau of Land Management/Jonathan Moor/Handout via REUTERS

By Ian Simpson

(Reuters) – California authorities battling a massive wildfire near Yosemite National Park lifted evacuation orders on Sunday for more residents but said firefighters may need almost two more weeks to fully contain the blaze.

The Detwiler Fire was 45 percent contained, a slight improvement from Saturday, after burning 76,250 acres (30,857 hectares) and more than 130 structures, including 63 homes, since it broke out on Monday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.

Evacuation orders were lifted by midday Sunday for much of the historic gold rush era town of Coulterville and nearby areas as firefighters completed firelines to contain the blaze, Cal Fire said in a statement.

More evacuation orders were lifted for residents of nearby affected areas on Sunday evening.

A chimney stands amidst remains of a home destroyed by the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, California U.S. July 19, 2017.

A chimney stands amidst remains of a home destroyed by the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, California U.S. July 19, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

About two-thirds of the 5,000 people who had been ordered to leave their homes have been allowed to return, Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman, said by telephone.

The almost 4,800 firefighters battling the blaze expect to contain it fully by Aug. 5, with temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) this week complicating the fight, he said.

“Hopefully we’ll see it (contained) before then,” McLean said. “We’re making pretty good progress.”

There have been no injuries reported from the Detwiler fire, named for the road where it erupted. Its cause is being investigated.

Yosemite National Park has remained open as the fire has burned to the west, but smoke has clouded the views of its world-famous landmarks.

The Detwiler Fire is one of 35 large fires in the United States, almost all in the west, the National Interagency Fire Center said on its website.

Montana Governor Steve Bullock on Sunday declared a fire emergency because of wildfires burning across the state, fed by high temperatures and drought. Montana’s Lodgepole Complex fire expanded to about 226,000 acres (91,460 hectares) and was uncontained on Sunday, the fire center said.

The order allows Bullock to mobilize more state resources and the Montana National Guard in the fight against the fires, which have destroyed more than 10 homes so far.

 

(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington and Chris Michaud in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Nick Macfie)

 

10 year old blaze victim ‘called for mum and dad’

Yupin Saw-wa, (L) cries as she holds a picture of her daughter, who died after a fire swept through the Christian Pitakiatwittaya School in the northern province of Chiang Rai

y Athit Perawongmetha

WIANG PA PAO, Thailand (Reuters) – A 10-year-old Thai girl called out for her mother and father as a blaze swept through her school dormitory “until her voice was gone”, her mother said on Tuesday.

The fire broke out late on Sunday as the girls, aged between five and 12, slept at a Christian school for children of hill-tribe families in the northern province of Chiang Rai. Seventeen girls died.

Investigators are looking at the possibility of faulty lighting on the ground floor below the dormitory.

Malawian Saw-wa’s daughter, May, died in hospital. Her elder daughter survived by jumping from a second-floor window, she said.

“My eldest daughter said she heard May calling for mum and dad to help until her voice was gone,” Malawian said.

“Never in my lifetime will I let my daughter out of my sight. The school must be held responsible for this. My daughter was my heart and soul.”

Five of the victims have been identified and police were seeking to identify the others through DNA tests.

Police questioned witnesses on Tuesday, and said they had not yet reached a conclusion on the cause of the fire.

“We still need to gather evidence from the scene first on what caused this and whether this was due to negligence,” said district police chief Prayad Singsin.

A forensics officer told Reuters evidence pointed to a loose light bulb melting on the ground floor of the two-storey building, causing the fire that killed the girls in the dormitory above.

Around 10 of the 19 girls that survived slept on the school grounds on Monday night as their parents had yet to arrive from far-flung areas to pick them up, said Tuenjai Tanachaikant a local who volunteered to help at the school after the fire.

Some of the parents also slept at the school where they lit incense sticks and prayed.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sent his condolences to the families of the victims and the school.

“The prime minister wanted to sent a message to all the teachers and students that the fire may burn down the school buildings but don’t let it burn away their hopes,” government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told reporters.

Prayuth said he had ordered government agencies to work to reduce the number of deadly accidents in Thailand. In Bangkok on Tuesday, a blaze at a restaurant and bar killed two people, police said.

(This refiled version of the story adds death toll).

(Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Pracha Hariraksapitak BANGKOK; Writing by Simon Webb; Editing by Nick Macfie)