Fires around the world




Officials Describe Issues Battling 2 Blazes Near Carquinez Strait
Oct 27, 2019 / 17:44
Two fires that broke out to the north and south of the Carquinez Bridge on Sunday stretched fire crews to the breaking point. Steve Hill, with Con Fire and Jim Crawford, with Cal Fire describe the situation with KPIX 5's Emily Turner. (10-27-19)

 
Lots of drama here. I think though, it's all slightly exasperated a bit. Strong wind's are the norm typically for this time of year.
It all semers of more mass programming on many levels. Perhaps behind, other operations? Posting another back to back.

Up date: Yesterday today depending location time zone.


Photo:

Gavin gives a shuck and jive excuse, indicting it's beyond his control.



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This is obviously anecdotal data, but on the road that I'm on, one power cable had detached from the pole had fallen into a tree.
Imagine if you will power being on instead of off, and we'd have an instant problem on our hands and no way out for us because the road got destroyed on the other end back in the winter of 2017.

I was super gusty where I live.
Power and other services still off. Typing this somewhere other than home.

In the mean time, the Kincaide fire has grown into a monster at 74,000 acres. Good local coverage is here.
 

News | October 29, 2019 7-8 minute Read / Dawn Hodson / Mountain Democrat
Fear and anger were palpable in the room as an estimated crowd of 500 people attended a forum on fire insurance held by Assemblyman Kevin Kiley Thursday night at the Cameron Park Community Center.

Joining Kiley in providing information and answering questions were State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, El Dorado County Supervisors John Hidahl, Lori Parlin and Shiva Frentzen and staff from Lara’s office.

Reporting that 10 of the 20 most destructive fires in California have occurred in the last four years, Lara noted there has been a 12% increase in non-renewals of insurance policies in El Dorado County with that trend expected to continue in the future.

Going into the specifics of why insurance companies aren’t renewing policies, he noted that more of them are relying on satellite imagery of people’s property to determine if they want to write a policy and that more transparency in the process needs to take place. That way people have a chance to review their risk scores, appeal them and mitigate issues so risk scores can be lowered, he said.

Some new legislation related to insurance was passed in 2018-19, which may help. Senate Bill 824 provides non-renewal protection for all homes in a disaster area, Assembly Bill 38 provides financial assistance to homeowners to help pay to fire-harden a home and Assembly Bill 1816 increases advance notice insurers must give to policy holders of non-renewal to 75 days. Not all the laws are in effect yet.

Lara reminded the audience that the state’s FAIR Plan provides last-ditch insurance for those who can’t get insurance elsewhere. Not a state-funded plan, the FAIR Plan is a pool of all the admitted carriers in the state who pay into it based on the number of policies they have issued. FAIR policies do not cover liability. That requires a separate policy at additional cost.

Lara let people know that more information about the FAIR Plan or other insurance-related questions can be found at insurance.ca.gov or by calling 1 (800) 927-4357.

The idea of providing tax incentives or tax credits to homeowners to harden their homes and make them more fire safe or subsidies for homeowners with disabilities was also discussed by Kiley and Lara. Such changes would require new legislation.

People were also reminded that there are surplus line brokers for homeowners who cannot find coverage with an admitted insurer. That includes companies such as Lloyds of London, Lexington, Scottsdale and Hanover. They are considered non-admitted carriers because they are not regulated by the CDI. They charge more because of the additional risk they assume, although one audience member said some of them may be leaving the market.

County efforts

In the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, members of the county board of supervisors had a chance to discuss what the county is doing in the midst of this crisis.

Supervisor Hidalh noted the county recently passed a vegetative management ordinance and is working on a plan to clear vegetation in the highest risk areas of the county right of way. Those efforts are expected to begin in earnest in March and April of next year.
Supervisor Frentzen added that the county had allocated $700,000 for those efforts and will be going out to bid soon to hire a vendor to undertake the work.

In the meantime, Hidahl encouraged residents to join their local fire safe council as a source of information, support and possible grant funding to help in clearing their property.

The supervisors were also questioned if the county will lower people’s property taxes if property values in the county decline due to the wildfire risk but it was pointed out that once the crisis passes, those taxes can rise again. They were also asked what property owners can do about adjacent landowners who don’t clear their property and about the fire risk posed on public property such as the Pine Hill Preserve.

Members of Lara’s staff also responded to audience questions with all three staffers repeatedly urging people to keep looking if their insurance policy is cancelled or if they are faced with a large rate increase.

Phil Irwin, who manages California’s FAIR Plan insurance program, said the agency is exploring more payment options to make it easier for people to pay their insurance. Urging people to shop around, he said he’d like to get to the point where people don’t need the FAIR Plan.
Joel Laucher, a special consultant to the California Department of Insurance, said there are new insurers entering the market but some insurers choose to become non-admitted so they don’t have to follow the same rules. He also encouraged people to not give up easily in checking out other insurance options, saying people should only turn to the FAIR Plan as a last option.

Tony Cignarde, deputy commissioner of the Consumer Services and Market Conduct branch of the California Department Insurance, said consumers should have the right to appeal their fire rating score and to mitigate the risks driving the score.

Audience reaction

Members of the public had a chance to question the speakers, with many describing the ordeal they have faced in finding insurance and the fear they have of losing their homes.

One woman said she might have to walk away from her home because she can’t afford the insurance rate she was quoted and selling her home may not be an option. Even with the FAIR Plan her rate went up 30 percent.

Another in the audience said there is a need to bring more insurance carriers into the market and asked what the county is doing about the problem. They also blamed PG&E for contributing to the problem and advocated for putting electrical lines underground and bringing back the logging industry to help thin out forests.

Kiley said failed policies and no oversight of PG&E have contributed to the problem. He went on to suggest that people consider a higher deductible as one way of reducing the cost of insurance.

A last comment came from a resident who said he is a retired fire chief. He blamed the insurance industry for using the fire-risk ratings without taking into account factors unique to rural areas. He said the county was to blame for approving developments with narrow streets and no fire hydrants. He also claimed that insurance rates are tied in part to local fire protection, saying fire agencies have lost funds to counties who used the money for other purposes.

In response Supervisor Parlin suggested people read an editorial in the Oct. 16 edition of the Mountain Democrat by Don Ashton, the county’s Chief Administrative Officer, regarding funding challenges for fire districts.



Oct 29, 2019
 
Here's today's report from the Sunshine Coast, South East Queensland. I just heard from friends yesterday that they had returned home after being evacuated. This is further south than those fires.

 
There was two massive wildfires in and around Sydney Australia that I was caught in for a time. That was 1994 and 2001. This current one might be as big or bigger, hard to say. No one mentioned it was global warming / climate change then. But I noticed lots about blaming "climate deniers" on social media today. Many are posted in a smug "told you so" kind of way. I came across an article talking about the "science".

Can we curb climate change?
Last year, a United Nations report said Australia was falling short in efforts to cut its carbon emissions...

Seems this is the conclusion the article gets to.. If Carbon Emissions = Climate Change = Bushfires; then Reducing Carbon Emissions = Reducing Bushfires; but Australia isn't reducing carbon emissions enough; therefore... We'll according to the social media posts I've read "climate deniers" are to blame for the bushfires.

...problem solving with black and white thinking.
 
Fire conditions eased on some of the major fronts burning across Australia on Sunday after a cool weather change, with firefighters trying to contain blazes before the expected return of hotter conditions at the end of the week.

Australian PM defends climate policies as cooler weather helps firefighters
FILE PHOTO: A home is seen as smoke from the Grose Valley Fire rises in the distance, at Bilpin, New South Wales, Australia, December 21, 2019. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts via REUTERS/File Photo

Australia's bushfires circle Sydney as temperatures soar

Catastrophic conditions fueled massive bushfires across Australia's New South Wales state on Saturday, with two blazes around Sydney burning at emergency level, while in South Australia one person was found dead in a fire zone.

Australian PM apologizes for vacation as firefighters killed in huge blazes
Flowers and the helmets of volunteer firefighters Andrew O'Dwyer and Geoffrey Keaton, who died when their fire truck was struck by a falling tree as it traveled through the front line of a fire, are seen at a memorial at the Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade in Horsley Park, NSW, December 20, 2019. AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi/via REUTERS
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a rare public apology on Friday and cut short a Hawaiian vacation in response to mounting public anger after two volunteer firefighters were killed battling bushfires sweeping the country's east coast.

Australian waterbomber helicopter dwarfed by huge wildfire
Firefighters battling huge bushfires in Australia used a waterbombing helicopter to try and douse a blaze on the outskirts of Sydney on Thursday, with aerial footage showing the aircraft dwarfed by thick black and grey billowing smoke.

Ring of fire: Australian state declares emergency as wildfires approach Sydney
Australia's most populous state declared its second emergency in as many months on Thursday as extreme heat and strong winds stoked more than 100 bushfires, including three major blazes on Sydney's doorstep.

Australian firefighters warn of uncontrollable blazes as conditions worsen
FILE PHOTO: A fire blazes across bush as seen from Mount Tomah in New South Wales, Australia December 15, 2019 in this still image obtained from social media video. NSW RFS – TERRY HILLS BRIGADE/via REUTERS
Firefighters in Australia warned on Tuesday they would not be able to contain some of the 100 fires still ablaze in the country before conditions are expected to deteriorate later this week.

Australian boy, 12, drives brother's truck to flee fires with dog
A 12-year-old boy in Australia and his dog have escaped a fire that was lapping his family's farm house by grabbing the keys to his brother's pick-up truck and driving to safety.

Australia firefighters accidentally spread blaze ahead of heatwave
Firefighters work at the scene of a bushfires in Bilpin, New South Wales, Australia in this still image from a social media video December 15, 2019. Andrew Mitchell/Cottage Point Rural Fire Brigade via REUTERS
A backburning operation intended to contain a massive wildfire in eastern Australia sparked out of control, damaging buildings and cutting off major roads, authorities said, as the country heads into another heatwave that may topple temperature records.
 
Firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze that burned two empty passenger buses near a rideshare lot at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, temporarily snarling traffic on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

The fire erupted about 9 p.m. and fully engulfed the liquid propane-powered buses near the new “LAXit” rideshare pickup area, Los Angeles fire officials said. The flames also caused some damage to a third bus parked nearby.



 
A fire in a poor neighborhood of the coastal Chilean city of Valparaíso destroyed dozens of houses on Tuesday and firefighters struggled to control the blaze, authorities said.

Fire in Chilean city of Valparaíso destroys about 50 homes: firefighters
A house burns following the spread of wildfires in Valparaiso, Chile, December 24, 2019. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

Dec. 15, 2019 -
Fire in Chilean city of Valparaíso destroys about 50 homes -firefighters | Reuters Video (Video)

Australian firefighters spend Christmas Day containing blazes; temperatures to soar
Australian firefighters used cooler conditions on Christmas Day to try and contain bushfires ahead of hot, dry weather later in the week, as leaders and communities thanked them for sacrificing time with their families over the holidays.

Australia's wildlife carers set to work around the clock over Christmas
A koala drinks water offered from a bottle by a firefighter during bushfires in Cudlee Creek, south Australia, December 22, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken December 22, 2019.  Mandatory credit OAKBANK BALHANNAH CFS/via REUTERS
Wildlife carers in Australia are ready to work around the clock over Christmas, preparing for more admissions particularly for baby animals stressed by hot weather, bushfires and drought.

Australian PM under pressure as bushfires fuel climate debate
FILE PHOTO: Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison greets a volunteer during a visit to the Wollondilly Emergency Control Centre in Sydney, Australia, December 22, 2019. AAP Image/Joel Carrett/via REUTERS
Calls for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to resign have littered social media platforms after it was revealed he was holidaying in Hawaii while the country battled a bushfire emergency and his return has failed to douse the criticism.
 
Australian's are having a difficult time with wild fires, including a devastating impact on the wildlife due to drought and high temps.

Residents, vacationers urged to leave Australian region as fire conditions worsen
FILE PHOTO: Firefighters work at the scene of a bushfires in Bilpin, New South Wales, Australia in this still image from a social media video December 15, 2019. Andrew Mitchell/Cottage Point Rural Fire Brigade via REUTERS/File Photo
Residents and vacationers in part of the Australian state of Victoria were urged to leave on Sunday ahead of what is expected to be a day of extreme fire danger.

Australian wildfires threaten Sydney water supplies
FILE PHOTO: Dick Pearson from the Sydney Catchment Authority stands in front of Sydney's Warragamba Dam to show the lowest level the dam has ever been.  REUTERS/David Gray
Australian authorities said on Friday they are focused on protecting water plants, pumping stations, pipes and other infrastructure from intense bushfires surrounding Sydney, the country's largest city.

Wildfire in Chilean port city of Valparaiso leaves 700 homeless
A Chilean flag hangs off the remains of a house, after it was destroyed by fire, following the spread of wildfires in Valparaiso, Chile  December 26, 2019. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
More than 245 homes have been destroyed and 700 people left destitute after a forest fire tore through a low-income area of the Chilean seaside city of Valparaiso on Christmas Eve.
 
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