To add to the list, although possibly unrelated, apparently now the World Trade Centre in Brussels, Belgium, is on fire:
Added: Article:
"The future is here". Yeah, looks about right.
To add to the list, although possibly unrelated, apparently now the World Trade Centre in Brussels, Belgium, is on fire:
Added: Article:
Yeah, I was suspicious at first of all those reported fires in Iran, for example. But it turns out this is probably almost purely an artifact of news reporting:One thing to note about these fires is that parts of the ME are having almost record temperatures. While it's interesting, we should be careful to avoid confirmation bias.
A fast-moving wildfire in the Japatul Valley area southeast of Alpine has spread to 1,500 acres amid triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds.
Firefighters from the Cleveland National Forest and Cal Fire are battling the blaze, which broke out about 3 p.m. off Japatul and Carveacre roads.
“Update on the #ValleyFire, 300-400 acres, dangerous rate of spread, community of Carveacre is threatened and under evacuation orders. Multiple air and ground resources are on scene and en route,” according to a tweet from the Cleveland National Forest shortly after the blaze started.
San Diego Gas & Electric reported that the giant Skycrane helicopter that it provides for San Diego County protection has already made multiple water drops. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department also sent resources, including the Type-3 Metro Zone Strike Team.
Cal Fire reported at 5:15 p.m. that the fire is moving west toward Lawson Valley.
Those under evacuation orders were directed to Steele Canyon High School in Spring Valley or Joan MacQueen Middle School in Alpine.
According to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, road closures due to the fire include: Japatul Road at Carveacre Road, Sequan Truck Trail and Hidden Glen Road, and Lawson Valley Road at Skyline Truck Trail.
Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles in East County.
Weather readings in Alpine when the fire started were 107 degrees with wind gusts of 29 knots.
Updated at 6 and 9:45 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020
The weather system sparked the LNU Lightning Complex Fire in the North Bay that has charred more than 375,000 acres. It ignited the SCU Lightning Complex fire in Alameda and Santa Clara counties that has burned close to 400,000 acres. It set the blaze that became the CZU Lightning Complex Fire that burned more than 86,000 acres. The interactive photo gallery below shows how those fires changed the landscape. By moving the slider left and right, you can see a before and after of the inferno and get an idea of the scope of the blaze.
Roland Pagan on Saturday stood knee-deep in swirls of smoke on a mesa where the two-story home it took him nine years to build once offered commanding views of the desert flatlands below.
Almost exactly 24 hours earlier, Pagan, 80, stood on a nearby hill and peered through binoculars, watching his house in Juniper Hills collapse in flames.
“The ferocity of this fire was shocking,” he said, shaking his head in sadness. “It burned my house alive in just 20 minutes.”
The Bobcat fire exploded Friday amid intense winds, burning homes in the Antelope Valley and spreading in multiple directions.
As of Saturday, the fire had burned more than 93,842 acres and was threatening some desert communities along Highway 138. The fire lines stretched across 30 miles of rough terrain on the northern flanks of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Skipping Down
The fire spread rapidly onto the desert floor Friday as winds arrived. Some residents had to flee as the fire jumped around, hitting some homes but sparing others.
Flames tore through stands of yucca and juniper, leaving behind piles of ash resembling leopard spots and transforming the landscape into a smoky wasteland.
The fire was 15% contained as of Saturday, but fire officials said they have a tough weekend ahead with hot conditions and more winds forecast.
“We are expecting another round of some pretty gusty south to southwest winds over the Bobcat fire this afternoon and into the evening hours,” said David Gomberg, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The weather service was warning of an elevated fire weather threat both Saturday and Sunday due to the combination of wind and low relative humidity.
The Bobcat fire is approaching 100,000 acres, making it one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County history, and continues to threaten some desert communities as well as the Mt. Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains on Sunday.
Although the fire is no longer bearing down on foothill communities like Arcadia and Monrovia, it is moving into some remote areas in the Antelope Valley, destroying homes and prompting numerous evacuations, officials said.
There were flare-ups overnight around Mt. Wilson, but firefighters on the ground and in the air were able to prevent any losses there.
The fire has burned nearly 94,000 acres and is only 15% contained, officials said. Winds could kick up again Sunday, but fire officials said with lower temperatures and calmer winds expected Monday and Tuesday, this might give them a chance to get the upper hand on the blaze.
Skipping Down
“The ferocity of this fire was shocking,” said Pagan, 80, who stood on a nearby hill and peered through binoculars, watching his house in Juniper Hills collapse in flames. “It burned my house alive in just 20 minutes.”
Though the fire approached the high desert community of Valyermo, a Benedictine monastery there appeared to have escaped major damage.
There are now more than 1,600 firefighters on the lines. They have relied on helicopters and water-dropping airplanes to deal with heat, erratic winds, low humidity and flames sweeping across vast swaths of inaccessible mountain terrain.
Skipping
The blaze is destroying forests and laying the groundwork for mudslides in some of the last refuges for federally endangered animals, including the southern mountain yellow-legged frog.
The fire burned through the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area, destroying the nature center, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation said on Twitter. No animals or staff were hurt, and the wildlife sanctuary staff office was still standing, the department said.