Family of a helicopter pilot killed in a California wildfire reaches a $15 million settlement
Michael Fournier was making water drops on Aug. 19, 2020 over hilly, rugged terrain when his bright red Bell UH-1H copter suddenly plunged into a hillside as he was helping battle the Hills Fire burning 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the small Central Valley town of Coalinga.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A fire is burning one of the world's tallest trees near the Oregon coast
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities in Oregon are trying to extinguish a fire that is burning in one of the world's tallest trees near the state's southern coast. The Doerner Fir, a coastal Douglas Fir tree over 325 feet (99 meters) tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has been burning since Saturday in Coos County in Oregon's Coast Range. An infrared drone flight on Tuesday showed no active flames or smoke at the top of the tree, but it detected heat within a cavity in the tree trunk some 280 feet high, federal Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Megan Harper said. Figuring out how to approach the tree from the side to douse the cavity with water has been a challenge, Harper said. Various options have been discussed, including building scaffolding or climbing adjacent trees for better positioning, or letting it smolder and monitoring to see if it reignites. Crews remained onsite Tuesday and a helicopter was on standby in case of needed water drops, she added. The Coos Forest Protective Association said Monday that helicopter bucket drops had reduced fire activity near the top of the tree. It added that sprinklers were placed at the base of the tree, where containment lines were also constructed to prevent further fire spread. The fire may impact the tree's standing in global height rankings, Harper said. 'We've lost about 50 feet of it, just from fire and pieces falling out,' she said, noting that the 50 feet (15 meters) were lost through the top burning. 'So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree.' The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation. It is the only tree on fire in the immediate vicinity, and investigators are looking at lightning data to see if there were any recent strikes in the area, Harper said. For now, the tree is not at risk of fully burning down, according to Harper. 'Right now, that is not a danger,' she said. 'The tree is so big, it's got so much mass that it would take a while for it to burn all the way through the tree.' Meanwhile, those involved in the firefighting efforts want to do everything possible to save the historic tree, Harper said. 'I think people really love it,' she said of the tree. 'There's a lot of history there, and so we don't want to lose it.'
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
This Swedish church is being moved down the road before a mine swallows its town
KIRUNA, Sweden (AP) — How do you move one of Sweden's most beloved wooden churches down the road? With a little engineering, a lot of prayer — and some Eurovision for good luck. The Kiruna Church — called Kiruna Kyrka in Swedish — and its belfry are being moved this week along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) route east as part of the town's relocation. It's happening because the world's largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening to swallow the town.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Explosion on cargo ship closes Baltimore shipping channel near site of 2024 bridge collapse
BALTIMORE (AP) — Investigators on Tuesday were trying to determine what caused an explosion aboard a cargo ship laden with coal as it departed Baltimore's harbor for East Africa. Officials said no one was injured in the blast Monday evening, which prompted a mayday call when it was reported near the site of last year's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Video of the explosion showed flames shooting high into the air, followed by a large plume of dark smoke billowing over the Patapsco River. The Port of Baltimore's main shipping channel was closed Tuesday morning. 'The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency in the response and will determine when the channel can safely reopen, as well as the timing of vessel arrivals and departures,' port officials said in a news release. The 751-foot (229-meter) merchant vessel W-Sapphire was en route from Baltimore to East Africa, according to marine tracking websites. It was expected to arrive in the Port of Mauritius in about a month. Built in 2012, the ship is currently sailing under a Liberian flag. Officials said it was transporting coal. There were 23 crewmembers and two pilots aboard at the time of the explosion, according to Coast Guard officials. Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson John Marsh said the agency responded to a fire below deck. There were no reports of property damage beyond the ship, according to the Maryland Department of Emergency Management. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said his office was closely monitoring the situation. The Coast Guard established a 2,000-yard (1,829-meter) safety zone around the site of the explosion. 'Reports state the fire has been extinguished and plans for the vessel are being formulated,' the agency said in a statement. Officials didn't provide a timeline for when the federal shipping channel was expected to reopen. It was closed for months after the deadly bridge collapse in March 2024, which killed six members of a roadwork crew and effectively brought port operations to a standstill. The bridge was destroyed when the container ship Dali lost power and crashed into one of its supporting columns.
