Wildfires

Global fire outbreaks hit record high as ‘unprecedented’ heat extremes loom

Climate change has driven record-breaking outbreaks of fire in Africa, Asia and elsewhere this year, with conditions expected to get worse as ‌the northern hemisphere's summer approaches and El Nino…

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EU wildfires hit new record as flames scorch area larger than Cyprus

The European Union is suffering its worst wildfire season on record, surpassing 1 million hectares burned on Thursday. Fires have burned 1,016,000 hectares — an area larger than Cyprus or around…

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Europe’s wildfires hit tourism spots and forests

Firefighters across Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans are battling wildfires, with another heatwave pushing temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of Europe. Global warming…

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Wildfires Rage Across Mediterranean as Heatwave Fuels Widespread Evacuations

Wildfires fueled by scorching heat and strong winds swept through large swaths of southern Europe over the weekend, forcing thousands to evacuate from coastal resorts, mountain villages, and farmland across…

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Biden cancels Italy trip due to California wildfires

U.S. President Joe Biden canceled an upcoming trip to Italy due to the wildfires in California, the White House said on Wednesday, adding that he wanted to focus on directing…

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Wildfire rages on Greece’s Crete island, settlements evacuated

ATHENS, April 6 (Reuters) - A wildfire raged out of control on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, with authorities ordering the evacuation of four residential settlements, the fire…

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Europe’s firefighters call for reinforcements as wildfires worsen

By Joanna Gill Unions want more investment in personnel and equipment Climate change increases workloads and health risks As EU invests in fire planes, more cooperation urged BRUSSELS - As…

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Sicily bears the largest brunt due to wildfires

Some 51,386 hectares of crops, woodland and other vegetation have gone up in smoke in Italy due to mainly arson-caused wildfires since the start of the year, environmental group Legambiente…

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EU plans to buy new firefighting planes as climate crises worsen

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - The European Union wants to sign contracts this year for up to 12 firefighting planes, the first it would fully own, to improve its…

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UPDATED: Jet2, TUI cancel flights to Rhodes because of wildfire

Jet2 cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes on Sunday and holiday group TUI has cancelled all outbound flights to the Greek island up to and including on Tuesday because…

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Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires

Europe is battling the effects of scorching weather, with June having been the hottest month on record in the 174-year history of temperature monitoring. #Last year, heatwaves resulted in over…

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Canadian wildfire emissions hit record high as smoke reaches Europe

Wildfires burning through large swathes of eastern and western Canada have released a record 160 million tonnes of carbon, the EU's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service said on Tuesday. This year's wildfire…

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Wildfire smoke from Canada disrupts New York, Philadelphia flights

(Reuters) - Some flights into the New York City area and Philadelphia on Wednesday were delayed and others briefly halted because of reduced visibility from wildfire smoke from Canada. The…

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Smoke from Canadian wildfires sets off health alerts in New York, Ottawa

By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) - Authorities in New York, Toronto and Ottawa warned residents about the health risks from air polluted by smoke from unprecedented early summer wildfires in…

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Wildfires spread in eastern Canada, forcing evacuations in coastal Quebec

By Allison Lampert and Ismail Shakil MONTREAL, (Reuters) - Some 10,000 residents in coastal Quebec were forced to evacuate homes as wildfires engulf more Canadian provinces, in what is emerging…

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Wildfire ravages 3,700 acres in western Spain, 550 people evacuated

MADRID, May 19 (Reuters) - A wildfire in the western Spanish region of Extremadura has ravaged up to 3,700 acres and forced 550 people from their homes with windy weather…

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Fire and floods across western Canada force evacuations

By Nia Williams (Reuters) - A week of record hot weather in western Canada has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, as wildfires rage in parts of Alberta…

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Spanish authorities blame ‘terrorist’ arsonists for Asturias fires

By Vincent West SETIENES, Spain (Reuters) - The lush region of Asturias in northern Spain was ravaged by more than 90 wildfires on Friday, most of them believed to have…

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As victims from Chile wildfires increase, many flee to safety

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Firefighters battled dozens of raging wildfires in Chile, seeking to gain control of one of the country's worst natural disasters in years as the death toll rose…

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Algeria’s wildfires death toll rises to 37

The death toll from wildfires in Algeria has risen to 37, the local Ennahar TV reported, citing the Algerian Civil Protection Directorate. The number of injured also increased to 183…

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Portuguese wildfire envelops Madrid skyscrapers in smoke 400 km away

MADRID, (Reuters) - Smoke from a huge wildfire in central Portugal enveloped skyscrapers known as the "Four Towers" in Madrid 400 km (250 miles) away, and residents of the Spanish…

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Europe on course for new wildfire record this year: EU monitor

The European Union is on track for a record wildfire season, the bloc's fire monitoring service warned. Successive heat waves — part of a warming trend driven by climate change — and…

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Rainfall raises hopes for respite from French wildfires

A forest fire that flared anew in southern France sent 1,000 more people fleeing while overnight rain brought blazes elsewhere in the country under control, officials said. France has been…

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Risk of new wildfires in southwestern France as heatwave persists

SAINT-MAGNE, France, Aug 11 (Reuters) - High temperatures and a worsening drought brought a high risk of new fires breaking out in southwestern France, officials said on Friday, even after…

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Wildfires burn, farmers struggle as another heatwave bakes western Europe

HOSTENS, France, (Reuters) - European nations sent firefighting teams to help France tackle a "monster" wildfire, while forest blazes also raged in Spain and Portugal. More than 1,000 firefighters, backed…

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UPDATED: France battles ‘monster’ wildfire as heatwaves scorch Europe

HOSTENS, France, Aug 11 (Reuters) - A "monster" wildfire raged for a third day near France's wine-growing heartland of Bordeaux on Thursday, with no let-up in blistering temperatures likely before…

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Wildfires rage in southwestern France amid new heatwave

PARIS, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Wildfires raged in southwestern France, destroying sixteen houses, burning 6,000 hectares and forcing the evacuation of almost 6,000 people in an area already hit last…

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Factbox: Wildfires breaking out across the world

(Reuters) - Extreme fires have swallowed up huge swathes of land, destroyed homes and threatened livelihoods across the world in the first half of 2022. Below is a list of…

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Wildfires in Europe burn second-biggest area on record

Wildfires raging through Europe this summer have burned the second-largest area on record, even though the region is only halfway through its typical fire season, according to data from the…

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Europe’s heatwave reaches Poland, Greece as it moves eastwards, brings wildfires

ATHENS/MILAN, (Reuters) - The vast heatwave covering swathes of Europe moved steadily eastwards, forcing countries including Italy, Poland and Slovenia to issue their highest heatwave alerts as firefighters battled wildfires…

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UPDATED: France, Spain, Portugal battle wildfires amid intense heat

LISBON, July 17 (Reuters) - Authorities across southern Europe battled on Sunday to control huge wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece and France, where thousands of people have been evacuated in soaring…

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Wildfire in southern Spain stabilised, people allowed back home

BENAHAVIS, Spain, June 10 (Reuters) - Firefighters managed to stabilise a wildfire that ravaged 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) of woods and bushes in southern Spain, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Felix Bolanos…

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From Siberia to the U.S, wildfires broke emissions records this year

Wildfires produced a record amount of carbon emissions in parts of Siberia, the United States and Turkey this year, as climate change fanned unusually intense blazes, the European Union's Copernicus…

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Planes, fire crews tackling wildfire near Reagan ranch in California

California firefighters took advantage of a break in strong winds to get aircraft aloft and dump retardant on a fast-moving wildfire that was within a half mile of former President…

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Warning for increased risk of fire danger issued for Northern California counties

A "Red Flag Warning" was issued for several Northern California counties, implying an increased risk of fire danger, the U.S. National Weather Service said. A Red Flag Warning means that…

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Wildfire raging in Spain forces more than 900 to flee, a firefighter dies

A wildfire has forced the evacuation of more than 900 people from around the southern Spanish resort of Estepona, local authorities said. A 44-year-old firefighter died while working on the…

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Biden declares emergency in California over Caldor fire

U.S. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in California and ordered federal assistance to boost local responders' efforts to battle the Caldor fire, the White House said. The fire has…

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Wildfire menaces California’s Lake Tahoe area after chasing away thousands

Firefighters waged an all-out battle in heavy winds to protect homes on the fringe of tinder-dry forests near Lake Tahoe from a wildfire that has chased thousands of people from…

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Dry, heavy winds stoke growing California wildfires

An incendiary mix of strong, shifting winds and drought-parched vegetation stoked two of California's largest wildfires on Wednesday, with thousands of people chased from their foothill and forest homes in…

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Wildfires outside Jerusalem contained

Wildfires in wooded hills near Jerusalem were contained, the Israeli fire brigade said, after crews waged a three-day battle joined by Palestinian firefighters and the Israeli Air Force. No serious…

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California wildfire crisis escalates amid extreme winds

California's wildfire crisis escalated as resurgent strong winds fanned the state's biggest conflagration, drove flames from a separate, smaller blaze into a rural mountain community and prompted widespread precautionary power…

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UPDATED: One person found dead in French wildfire near Saint Tropez

One person has been found dead as French firefighters battled throug the night to contain a wildfire in the hills behind the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez, the regional government said…

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Wildfires burn outside Athens, villages evacuated

Strong winds fanned two wildfires outside Athens on Monday, threatening homes and forcing the evacuation of villages. More than 500 wildfires have broken out in recent weeks across Greece, which,…

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Wildfire in Jerusalem hills sends smoke clouds over city

Wildfires in wooded hills outside Jerusalem sent smoke clouds billowing over the city on Sunday as planes and crews on the ground fought flames that forced the evacuation of several…

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Spain continues to tackle wildfires

At least 800 people were evacuated in Spain as forest fires blazed Sunday in two regions, with extremely dry conditions worsening the risk of more wildfires during the hottest weekend…

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Wildfires continue to ravage the American West

The U.S. Forest Service said it's operating in crisis mode, fully deploying firefighters and maxing out its support system as wildfires continue to break out across the U.S. West, threatening…

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North Africa Fires Spread to Libya and Tunisia

As unusually hot weather persists over parts of Northern Africa, new forest fires reportedly have broken out in Tunisia and Libya during the past 24 hours, in addition to many…

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Wildfire breaks out east of Rome, locals evacuated

Locals were evacuated from small communities around 40 km (25 miles) east of Rome on Friday when a wildfire broke out as the Italian capital faced temperatures of around 37…

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Italian wildfires rage on after 49 degree heat record

Fires stoked by hot winds swept through southern Italy on Thursday, a day after a monitoring station in Sicily reported temperatures of 48.8 Celsius (119.84°F) which some scientists believe could…

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California wildfire wreaks more destruction as temperatures rise

An enormous wildfire raging across Northern California for nearly a month has burned down another 550 homes, fire officials said, becoming one of the most destructive in state history. The…

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Greek villagers mount vigil to save homes as wildfires burn for eighth day

Residents mounted a round-the-clock watch on Tuesday to try to save their homes from wildfires ravaging the Greek island of Evia as the government defended its handling of the crisis. Greek fire crews,…

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Greek PM approves 500 million euro budget for wildfire relief, reforestation

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday he had approved a supplemental budget of 500 million euros ($587 million) to fund relief and compensation for people who have lost…

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Blaze ravages Greek island of Evia, Firefighting plane crashes in Zakynthos

Thousands of people have fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day on Sunday, and ferries were on standby for more…

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#HelpTurkey under investigation for ‘spreading fear’ about wildfires

Prosecutors in Turkey have launched an investigation into a social media hastag critical of the government’s allegedly bungled response to the country’s devastating wildfires, accusing it of spreading “anxiety and…

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Blaze ravages Evia island on sixth day of Greek wildfires

housands of people have fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day on Sunday, and ferries were on standby for more…

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Eight missing as massive Dixie fire rages in northern California

At least eight people were missing as one of the worst wildfires in the nation scorched through Northern California communities, forest and tinder dry scrub in the Sierra Nevada mountains,…

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Thousands flee Greece blazes as wildfires sweep through Mediterranean

Thousands of people fled their homes on the outskirts of Athens on Friday and hundreds were evacuated by boat from the nearby island of Evia as Greece faced a fourth…

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