July 1, 2013

An entire squad of firefighters–19 men–was killed yesterday in Arizona’s Yarnell Hill Fire, northwest of Phoenix. The elite squad battled wildfires up close by erecting barriers to stop a fire’s spread. “Our entire crew was lost,” confirmed Prescott, Arizona, Fire Chief Dan Fraijo, speaking to the media. “We just lost 19 of some of the finest people you’ll ever meet. Right now, we’re in crisis.”

The team is believed to have deployed their fire shelters, described as aluminum blankets that protect against the flames and heat. However, use of the shelters must be carefully timed. If the shelters are deployed too soon, the heat inside becomes suffocating. If they are set up too late, they are useless.

Arizona officials believe the Yarnell Hill fire was started on the night of June 28 by lightening. In 48 hours, it had burned across more than 6,000 acres (2430 hectares) and destroyed at least 100 buildings. It is the deadliest wildfire since 1933, when 25 firefighters died battling a chaparral fire near Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The American Southwest is currently suffering through record high temperatures and extremely dry conditions.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urged area residents to follow evacuation orders, noting that Homeland Security and FEMA were working closely with the Forest Service and the Department of Interior to support state and local efforts.

The U.S. Fire Administration, a FEMA department, confirmed today that before the 19 deaths in Arizona, 43 firefighters had died so far in 2013. In 2012, a total of 83 firefighters died on duty.

May 29, 2013

A wildfire in Los Padres National Forest in California’s Santa Barbara County had by the afternoon of May 28 burned across some 1,800 acres (730 hectares) in less than 24 hours. More than 550 firefighters–from the county, area cities, and U.S. Forest Service–continued to battle the so-called White Fire, which was 65 percent contained as of late last night, reported officials at the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.

A smoke jumper parachutes into a burning wildland area (place with land in its natural state) to fight a fire. Such firefighters are able to reach fires in remote areas that would be difficult to access by other means. (© Mike McMillan, Spotfire Images)

Southern California is in the middle of a drought, and the vegetation that is fueling the fire is extremely dry. In addition, the fire is being driven by winds of between 20 and 30 miles (32 and 48 kilometers) per hour. The National Weather Service was predicting continuing gusts of from 45 to 65 miles (72 and 105 kilometers) per hour. Officials estimate that from 2,000 to 3,000 people have evacuated the area since the fire broke out on the afternoon of May 27.

Additional World Book articles:

• When the Rain Stops (a special report)
• Why Forests Need to Burn (a special report)

January 30, 2013

Winds approaching 62 miles (100 kilometers) per hour blasted Sydney, Australia’s largest city, yesterday, driving huge swells onto Bondi Beach and drenching the center of the city.

Days of high winds, torrential rains, and powerful ocean swells along Australia’s east coast have left at least four people dead and thousands more displaced in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, the storm–the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Oswald–has shattered records in various parts of New South Wales, triggering flooding along hundreds of miles from north of Brisbane south to Sydney. State officials estimate that at least 23,000 people remain cut off by floodwaters. Massive flooding north of Brisbane forced the evacuation by military helicopter of approximately 1,000 people from the town of Bundaberg, where rapidly moving floodwater threatened to carry away entire buildings. The highest rainfall was recorded some 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Brisbane, where 53.5 inches (136 centimeters) fell over the three-day period ending on January 27.

Massive flooding along Australia's eastern coast has extended from north of Brisbane south to Sydney. (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

The latest floods in Australia have come on top of a barrage of bizarre and destructive weather. Just two weeks ago, New South Wales and Queensland were in the grip of a searing heat wave that triggered dozens of enormous wildfires.

January 9, 2012

Temperatures in Australia topped 104 °F (40 °C) on January 8, and the mean national temperature climbed to the highest in history, breaking a record set just the day before, on January 7, reported the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The new record prompted meteorologists at the bureau to take the extraordinary step of adding two new colors to its temperature charts to extend their range to 129 °F (54 °C) from the previous cap of 122 °F (50 °C).

“If you look at yesterday, at Australia as a whole, it was the hottest day in our records going back to 1911,” noted David Jones, manager of climate monitoring prediction at the Bureau of Meteorology. “From this national perspective, one might say this is the largest heat event in the country’s recorded history.”

According to public safety officials, four months of record-breaking temperatures combined over the past week with widespread drought conditions and high winds have created “catastrophic” fire conditions along the heavily populated eastern and southeastern coasts of the country. These areas include Australia’s three largest cities, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as well as the capital, Canberra. Firefighters and emergency crews in the state of New South Wales are facing a highly dangerous situation battling 130 separate bushfires. (A bushfire is an uncontrolled fire in bush areas, especially the Australian bush.) Very similar conditions on Feb. 7, 2009, came to be known as Black Saturday, during which wildfires in Victoria state left 173 people dead and caused $4.4 billion in damage.

Additional World Book articles:

• Celsius scale
• Fahrenheit scale
• Why Fires Need to Burn (a special report)
• Australia 2009 (a Back in Time article)

January 7, 2013

Firefighters and emergency crews in the Australian state of New South Wales are facing a highly dangerous situation battling bushfires. (A bushfire is an uncontrolled fire in bush areas, especially the Australian bush.) With temperatures in Sydney expected to reach 110 °F (40 °C) today and severely dry, hot winds blowing from central Australia, fire departments, volunteer brigades, and emergency authorities were bracing for the worst. Very similar conditions on Feb. 7, 2009, came to be known as Black Saturday, during which wildfires in Victoria state left 173 people dead and caused $4.4 billion in damage.

Bushfires are currently burning in 5 of Australia’s 6 states, with 90 fires currently out of control in New South Wales and in the mountain forests around the capital, Canberra. “Any fire that burns under the predicted conditions–110 °F (40 °C ) temperatures, below 10 percent humidity, winds gusting over  43 miles (70 kilometers) per hour–those conditions are by any measure horrendous,” Rob Rogers, deputy commissioner of the New South Wales rural fire service, told NBC News. Speaking on NBC News, New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell warned, “Tomorrow [January 8] is not going to be just another ordinary day. Tomorrow will be perhaps the worst fire danger day this state has ever faced.”

Australia's current bushfires are being made worse by unusually hot temperatures, e.g., 110 °F (40 °C) in Sydney. The average January temperature in Sydney is 65 to 75 °F (18 to 24 °C). (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

After touring the island state of Tasmania yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised emergency aid for fire victims, who told of exploding trees and fireballs that engulfed whole communities on January 5. A number of people remain accounted for.

Additional World Book articles:

• Celsius scale
• Fahrenheit scale
• Why Fires Need to Burn (a special report)
• Australia 2009 (a Back in Time article)

June 29, 2012

President Barack Obama has declared Colorado, currently being ravaged by wildfires, a national disaster area. The declaration releases federal funds for people affected by the two worst fires of the eight or so raging in the state: the High Park Fire in the north and the Waldo Canyon Fire in the center of the state.

The High Park Fire–the second-largest fire in Colorado’s history–began June 9 with a lightning spark in the Fort Collins area. By June 29, the blaze had consumed more than 87,000 acres, destroyed 259 homes, and caused the death of one person. Fire officials stated that as of Friday, the fire had not grown for two days and was considered 85 percent contained.

The Waldo Canyon Fire, raging since June 23, is smaller. However, extremely dry, hot, and windy conditions have made this fire fiercer, faster-moving, and more difficult to restrain. The blaze began near Waldo Canyon in the Pike National Forest. It quickly reached the northwestern outskirts of Colorado Springs–the state’s second most populous city–and doubled in size. By Friday, the fire had destroyed at least 346 houses, forced more than 36,000 people to evacuate their homes, and killed at least one person. The charred remains of the victim were discovered late Thursday in the Mountain Shadows subdivision, one of the areas hardest hit. Some 20,000 homes and the U.S. Air Force Academy remain under threat of the fire, which has burned more than 18,500 acres. According to local fire officials, the blaze is only 15 percent contained.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, reports that 32 large, active fires also continue to rage in 7 other western states: Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Additional World Book articles:

• Forest
• Forest Service
• Weather 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Why Forests Need to Burn (a special report)

June 27, 2012

A growing wildfire in Colorado has breached perimeter lines and moved into the city of Colorado Springs, forcing more than 32,000 people to evacuate, including residents of the nearby U.S Air Force Academy. Driven by winds of up to 65 miles (104 kilometers) per hour, the fire has burned across some 6,200 acres (2,509 hectares). Officials do not know how many houses have been destroyed. Heat and flames are far too intense to fully assess the damage. The fire began on June 23 near Waldo Canyon in the Pike National Forest. At least 1,000 firefighters are battling the wildfire, which is only 5 percent contained. Colorado Springs Fire Chief Richard Brown described the blaze as a “firestorm of epic proportions.”

Smoke obscures the horizon as the High Park Fire in Colorado continues to burn acres of forest, June 2012. Copyright NOAA.

Throughout the western United States, firefighters have worked for days in record high temperatures, battling fires fueled by high winds and years of drought. Much of Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming are under official warning of extreme fire danger. A wildfire in Utah–the 60-square-mile (155-square-kilometer) Wood Hollow Fire near Indianola–has destroyed at least 56 structures and left 1 person dead. A second fire in Colorado–the 136-square-mile (352-square-kilometer) High Park Fire–has destroyed more than 250 structures and killed a 62-year-old woman. Over the last 24 hours, a wildfire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming has grown from about 300 acres (120 hectares) to 2,000 acres (809 hectares).

(World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, reports that there are 29 large active wildfires being fought in 7 western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The nation is experiencing “a super-heated spike on top of a decades-long warming trend,” announced Derek Arndt, head of climate monitoring at the Asheville, North Carolina-based National Climatic Data Center.

Additional World Book articles:

• Forest
• Forest Service
• Weather 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Why Forests Need to Burn (a special report)

Two people have died in the massive Bastrop wildfire burning out of control about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Austin, the Texas capital. More than 700 homes have been destroyed in what is currently the largest of dozens of wildfires burning throughout the drought-stricken state. On September 4, a fire in east Texas killed a 20-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter trapped in their burning home.

At least 57 separate wildfires in Texas have burned across more than 100,000 acres (40,470 hectares) over the past week, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced at a September 6 news conference. According to the Texas Forest Service, one of the fires, the Bastrop fire, has burned across an estimated 30,000 acres (12, 140 hectares) in Bastrop County, forcing thousands of people to evacuate. A separate, smaller wildfire south of Austin has moved unchecked for at least 16 miles (25 kilometers) and has twice jumped the Colorado River.

Additional World Book article:

• When the Rain Stops (special report)