Brush fire closes Brunswick road, threatens homes
Multiple units are on the scene of the blaze, which has prompted the closure of Rock Creek Road, according to a Facebook post from the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office.
Fire engines are protecting homes as of Thursday evening, according to a Facebook post from the Winnabow Volunteer Fire Department.
It's the second such fire to impact Brunswick County in May. The first, which started on May 2, burned more than 1,300 acres in the Boiling Spring Lakes area. On Thursday, officials said there are still hot spots with the fire at 83 percent containment.
Bobby Lowery, 28, of Nebo, N.C., has been charged with not keeping a person in charge of a brush fire in relation to the wildfire in Boiling Spring Lakes.
"Drought conditions have persisted this spring in southeastern North Carolina, keeping vegetation primed for catching fire," the North Carolina Forest Service stated in a May 12 news release.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Fire in Brunswick County, NC, closes Rock Creek Road, threatens homes
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New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Tropical Storm Erin set to become first hurricane of the season as US Virgin Islands prepare for the worst
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'While the exact impact of Tropical Storm Erin remains uncertain at this time, VITEMA is taking proactive measures to ensure all residents have access to critical hurricane preparedness resources before the storm's arrival.' Officials said this accelerated distribution represents the only sandbag distribution for the 2025 hurricane season. 6 This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical Storm Erin on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. AP 'We strongly encourage all residents to take advantage of this opportunity to protect their homes and property,' officials said. Hurricane Hunters are set to fly into Tropical Storm Erin on Thursday to try and get a better understanding of the organizing storm, which forecasters say could become a major hurricane (Category 3 or greater) over the weekend. This comes after the storm, which was first dubbed Invest 97L, caused several deaths in the Cabo Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. 6 The US Virgin Islands are accelerating their sandbag distribution because of Tropical Storm Erin. Mario Hoesel – The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tropical Storm Erin had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, and strengthening was set to begin later on Wednesday afternoon or on Wednesday night. It's expected to become a hurricane by Friday. Tropical Storm Erin is located more than 1,300 miles to the east of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving off to the west at 17 mph. 6 Major strengthening is likely with Tropical Storm Erin. FOX Weather The NHC said that general motion was expected to continue into Thursday, with a west-northwestward motion starting on Thursday night and continuing into the weekend. On that track, the NHC said the center of Tropical Storm Erin is likely to move near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands over the weekend. 'Interests in the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico should monitor the progress of Erin,' the NHC said. 6 Jack Beven, Senior Hurricane Specialist, tracks Tropical Storm Erin on August 13, 2025 at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Getty Images Swells generated by Tropical Storm Erin are expected to begin impacting portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by this weekend. Those swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions at local beaches. At least 7 dead in Cabo Verde islands Before becoming Tropical Storm Erin, the system brought torrential rain and thunderstorms to the Cabo Verde, or Cape Verde, islands when it was Invest 97L. 6 Swells generated by Tropical Storm Erin are expected to begin impacting portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by this weekend. John – Local officials said at least seven people, including children, were killed. 'The Ministry of Education expresses its deepest sorrow for the tragic loss of seven lives, including four children, on the island of São Vincent,' the Ministry of Education said in a translated Facebook post. The Ministry went on to say 'in this time of mourning and dismay, the pain of the bereaved families is the pain of the entire nation.' 6 Lisa Bucci, Hurricane Specialist, works near screens showing Tropical Storm Erin as they continue to track its progress on August 13, 2025 at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Getty Images Government officials said they declared two days of national mourning due to the loss of human lives and significant material damage caused by the passage of the system. National Hurricane Center monitoring two other areas across the basin Forecasters at the NHC have also highlighted a disturbance in the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea for development, but chances for further organization remain low. The disturbance in the North Atlantic is heading away from the U.S. while the disturbance in parts of the Caribbean and the Gulf will see a significant amount of land interaction, limiting its organization. Over the weekend, a few scattered showers may make it into the Brownsville, Texas region, but accumulations are expected to remain below one inch.
a day ago
Glacier lake outburst at Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier causes record-breaking flooding
One of Alaska's most populated cities is bracing for potentially catastrophic flooding as a basin dammed within the Mendenhall Glacier has started to release rainwater and snowmelt downstream, according to officials. Suicide Basin, a side basin within the Mendenhall Glacier that sits above the city of Juneau, regularly releases glacier lake outburst floods, according to the National Weather Service. But recent measurements of water within the basement suggest the basin could release enough water to overwhelm the Mendenhall River and Mendenhall Lake, according to officials. By 7 a.m. local time, the Mendenhall River had reached a major flood stage at 16.51 feet and was continuing to rise -- surpassing the record flood stage set in 2024 of 15.99 feet, according to the NWS. Flood warnings have been issued for the lake and river due to the release. Residents along the flood zones have been urged to evacuate the area, with the peak flooding expected Wednesday around 8 a.m. local time. "Don't Wait. Evacuate TONIGHT," the City of Juneau wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday night. City officials were warning residents early Wednesday to avoid driving on roads within the flood zone already inundated by water. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski posted to X on Wednesday, warning of how dire the situation could become. "This is likely to become a life-threatening situation," Murkowski said. "If you are told to evacuate, stop what you are doing and immediately go to an emergency shelter or another safe location." Floodwaters are expected to fall below the flood stage through Thursday, according to the NWS. Mendenhall is a popular tourist attraction in Alaska, but the retreating glacier -- which acts as a dam for Suicide Basin -- has caused flooding in the region every summer in recent years after it refills with water from rain and melting snow in the spring. In 2023, a glacier lake outburst at Mendenhall's Suicide Basin destroyed several structures along the Mendenhall River as the water rushed downstream. The record flooding prompted city officials in Juneau to issue an emergency declaration. The outburst, which caused a decade's worth of erosion in one weekend, would not have happened without climate change, NOAA said in 2023. Alaska has warmed twice as fast as any U.S. state over the last several decades, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Suicide Basin has been releasing glacier lake outburst floods since 2011, so the National Weather Service in Juneau's monitoring program has a camera pointed directly at the basin to see how much water levels are rising and falling. Record-breaking flooding from Suicide Basin also occurred in 2024, which damaged nearly 300 homes, The Associated Press reported. Glaciers in Alaska have been experiencing a steep decline since the late 1980s, according to the state's Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Globally, glaciers are at risk of significant ice loss due to climate change, scientists say. Glaciers around the world lost an estimated 7,211 billion tons of ice between 2000 and 2023, equating to an average annual loss of 301 billion tons, according to a Nature study published in February. The rate of ice loss has increased by about 36% in the past two decades, the researchers found. Even if warming were to stabilize at current levels, the world's glaciers would still likely lose at least 39% of mass, according to the World Economic Forum.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
A glacier outburst is underway in Alaska. It's sending a surge of water downstream toward Juneau
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