Uncontrolled wildfires continue to rage across Australia and officials say there is a chance the flames could threaten the country’s largest city.
The government of New South Wales, the largest state in Australia, declared a state of emergency as forecasters are calling for high winds and temperatures to continue. The early start for the Australian bushfire season has already killed one person and have caused thousands to flee their homes and property.
While cooler weather had allowed firefighters to get the total amount of blazes down to 60 by Thursday, rural fire service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Other officials told the BBC that these fires are the biggest threat they’ve seen in over 40 years.
The Blue Mountains and Hawksbury communities west and north of Sydney are facing “unparalleled risk” according to local officials and embers from the flames have jumped the Nepean River from the foot of the mountains near Sydney’s suburban outskirts.
Police are preparing for mandatory evacuations.
“At the end of the day we hope to have buildings standing,” state police commissioner Alan Clarke told the London Daily Telegraph, “but if we don’t have buildings standing we don’t want bodies in them.”
The Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park in California, now the 6th largest in state history, has firefighters using a new method to help fight the flames: a National Guard Predator drone.
The drone will fly over the fire 22 hours a day and provide real time photos to fire commanders about the fire’s progress and possible hot spots. Continue reading →
Officials in the San Francisco area are trying to fill all area reservoirs quickly before ash from the ongoing Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park taints their water supply.
The massive fire is now roughly the size of the city of Chicago. Despite firefighters getting the blaze at least 15% contained, the flames are within a mile of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir which feeds San Francisco. Continue reading →
California firefighters continue to struggle against a massive wildfire that has burned to the edge of Yosemite National Park.
Officials say that the fire is 7% contained. Unfortunately, strong winds are working against the firefighters. Continue reading →
A wildfire at Yosemite National Park has tripled in size and is less than 2% contained according to local officials.
The fire is threatening 268 homes near Pine Mountain Lake and causing evacuations of entire neighborhoods. Sheriff deputies have gone door-to-door asking people to leave although the evacuation is not yet mandatory. Continue reading →
As a massive Idaho wildfire continues to burn virtually out of control, local officials say forecasts of heavy rain could bring another problem to the firefighters attempting to stop the blaze: flash flooding.
“If a storm moves over the fire and dumps a lot of rain in a short amount of time then that could be a flood risk,” Blaine County officials stated on their official twitter account. Continue reading →
A wildfire near Ketchum, Idaho is burning out of control and threatening over 10,000 homes.
The fire has burned 93,000 acres in 11 days and is considered only 6% contained according to local fire officials. Continue reading →
A lighting sparked wildfire is raging near a Utah resort town where 13 homes have already been destroyed by the fast moving blaze.
The fire started in the Lake Rockport Estates subdivision near Park City, Utah. In addition to the homes, over 20 other buildings such as cabins and barns have been destroyed by the fire. Continue reading →
An uncontained wildfire in Riverside County is burning toward the desert as officials say their efforts have been hampered by overnight winds.
The fast-moving fire has burned more than 6,000 acres of land and destroyed 15 structures near Banning, California. Three people have been injured by the flames and hundreds have been forced to flee. Continue reading →
Two large Nevada wildfires are racing through rugged mountain regions making it hard for firefighters to tame the blazes.
Officials are trying to add resources to fight the flames. One fire’s smoke can be seen from downtown Las Vegas and the second is southwest of Reno. Continue reading →