An uncontrolled wildfire sends a cloud of smoke over Spain's capital
MADRID (AP) — An uncontrolled wildfire burned outside Madrid on Thursday, sending a giant cloud of smoke over the Spanish capital.
The fire broke out in the town of Mentrida in central Spain's Castile-La Mancha region about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital. Local authorities urged residents to stay home and close their windows.
Spanish authorities said the blaze had burned around 3,000 hectares (roughly 7,400 acres) by the late evening.
Firefighters deployed on the ground and in the air were working to extinguish the fire that began around 3 pm.
Wind blew the smoke over Madrid, where in the afternoon skies turned orange and thick with smoke.
Large parts of Spain are under heat and fire warnings, with temperatures on Thursday reaching 37 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in Madrid.
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, which makes places more vulnerable to wildfires.
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Musgrave Harbour remains under evacuation order, wildfire now 2 km away from town
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"Updates on conditions, resources and assistance will be made available continuously throughout this evolving situation," says the advisory. In the meantime, an evacuation order remains for Musgrave Harbour and Banting Memorial Park. In a provincial update provided at noon Sunday, Jamie Chippett, the deputy minister of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, said that when the fire was detected at 8 p.m. Saturday evening, it was eight kilometres from the community. "It is at a very high rank, a Rank 5 in technical terms; [that means it's] 'very active,'" said Chippett. Newfoundland and Labrador uses the international ranking scale for fire behaviour, meaning a Rank 5 indicates an extremely vigorous surface fire. That scale only goes to 6. "The community would be seeing lots of smoke," said Chippett. "We do have weather conditions with a wind that is 40 gusting to 50 west-southwest, which unfortunately puts the community directly in the line of the fire." While tomorrow's winds are supposed to be slightly lighter, Chippett said they'll still be in the direction of the community. Forecasts are also saying that there may be some precipitation during the evening. "The first real relief is on Tuesday when we expect cooler temperatures, different wind direction and potentially some significant precipitation," said Chippett. Evacuees registering with Red Cross Musgrave Harbour evacuees were advised to go to a reception centre in Gander at the Steele Memorial Centre on 155 Airport Boulevard, where the Canadian Red Cross will be registering people. WATCH | Musgrave Harbour evacuees register with the Red Cross in Gander Minister of Justice and Public Safety John Haggie asked that everyone affected by the evacuation order register with the Red Cross. And if they are not intending to go to the centre in Gander, evacuees should still call 709-729-0921 to register. "It's important that we have that information so we can help you out even if you don't use the Steel Centre itself," said Haggie. There is also now a road block at the entrance to Aspen Cove and Banting Memorial Park stationed by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Ground Search and Rescue. The province says that Route 330 may need to be closed on short notice but that it will provide an update if required. The minister also asked that people not fly drones, as they would prevent water bombers from flying in the area. "Drones in the air means no water bombers in the air," said Haggie. "That is our main weapon during the daylight hours of containing forest fires like this. So unauthorized drone use is actually a criminal offence." Residents attempting to evacuate without vehicles were advised to go to the Musgrave Harbour fire department to avail of busing transportation, and to be brought to Gander, said Town Clerk Amber Littlejohn, Sunday morning. Littlejohn is also asked that residents drive safely, and tell friends and family where they are. She also told CBC that the community was "drenched with smoke." The town fire department worked on putting out the fire overnight, said Littlejohn, who added that while they couldn't see the fire from the town, she could see the crews working to fight it. "We have a water bomber going back and forth. He's picking up water from a designated area in the ocean there, off our beach," she said. Musgrave Harbour's town council declared a state of emergency Sunday morning, according to a letter released on social media. The letter states that the council has determined that the wildfire poses a serious safety risk to residents and property within the town. Health supports in place Environment Canada has an air quality warning in place for Musgrave Harbour and the vicinity due to high levels of smoke from the fire. 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Yahoo
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Kashmir's growing heat crisis hits health and harvests
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The signs of damage were visible everywhere. In Bandipore district, rows of wilted apple trees dot Ali Mohammad's 15-acre field. Twenty years ago, he decided to turn land, where he grew paddy, into an apple orchard because he felt the weather and water supplies had become too unreliable for growing rice. But now, even his apple crop - which typically requires less water - is struggling to survive. "The orchards need water at least three times a month, but for the last two months there was no rain and the irrigation canals dried up," he said. The scorching heat has also taken a toll on residents, who are unaccustomed to living in such high temperatures. "I have never witnessed such an intense heatwave in my life," said 63-year-old Parveez Ahmad, who lives in northern Kashmir. A few days ago, Mr Ahmad had to be rushed to the hospital after he complained of severe breathlessness. "The doctors told me it was caused by the heat and humidity," he said. 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Smoke hampers firefighting in Manitoba, but rain in forecast for early this week
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