France's biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading
About 2,000 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area that is home to wineries.
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Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Firefighters battle to prevent reignition of France's largest wildfire as residents return home
PARIS (AP) — About 1,400 firefighters were deployed on Saturday in France's southern Aude region to prevent the country's largest wildfire in decades from reigniting, as all residents were allowed to return to their homes. Aude prefect Christian Pouget said the fire has been contained since Thursday after burning this week more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in the wooded region, known for its wineries. All roads have been reopened but authorities issued a strict ban on accessing the forest, Pouget said at a news conference on Saturday. 'The fight is continuing, firefighters are still working on (fire) re-ignition,' he said. The blaze left one person dead and 25 people have been injured, including 19 firefighters, Pouget said. High temperatures in the coming days are expected to complicate firefighters' efforts. 'The fire won't be extinguished for several weeks,' Col. Christophe Magny, director of Aude firefighters department, said, pointing to several 'hot spots' that are being closely monitored. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. France's national weather agency Meteo France placed the southern half of France under 'high vigilance' alert for heat wave, with temperatures expected in the Aude region of up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday. Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.
Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Residents in Alaska's capital city prepare for possible glacial flooding
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Residents and officials in Alaska's capital city prepared Friday for the possibility of glacial flooding that in past years has swept away houses, swamped several hundred homes and eroded the river fed by the popular Mendenhall Glacier. The state, federal, city and tribal officials who would run an incident command center during any flooding held a briefing to outline steps and to issue pleas to the public to be prepared. The threat of so-called glacier outburst flooding has become an annual concern in parts of Juneau since 2011. The Mendenhall Glacier — a thinning, retreating glacier that is a major tourist attraction in southeast Alaska — acts as a dam for a basin that fills each spring and summer with rainwater and snowmelt. The basin itself was left behind when a smaller, nearby glacier retreated. When the water in the basin creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam created by the Mendenhall Glacier, entering Mendenhall Lake and eventually the Mendenhall River. The water level in the basin as of Friday stood at 1,353 feet (412 meters) and continues to rise, said Nicole Ferrin with the National Weather Service. It's just 15 feet (1.5 meters) from topping the ice dam. The basin has been rising at an unpredictable rate, so there is no way to pinpoint when water would go over the top, she said. 'Some days when there's no rain, it only rises by a foot (0.30 meters),' she said. 'Other days when there is heavy rain or a lot of sunshine, it rises by 4 feet (1.22 meters), so it's a variable.' In some years, there has been limited flooding of streets or properties near the lake or river. But 2023 and 2024 marked successive years of record flooding, with the river last August cresting at 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), about 1 foot (0.3 meters) over the prior record set a year earlier, and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. Last year, nearly 300 residences were damaged in the flooding. Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge warned people to stay away during flood stages because logs and other debris in the river can put would-be rescuers 'at extreme peril.' Once the water tops the dam, the city will set up a hotline where people can get information. A large flood event can release up to 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. That's the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During last year's flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers say. City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The installation of about 10,000, four-foot (1.2-meter) tall barriers is intended to protect more than 460 properties from flood levels similar to last year, said Nate Rumsey, deputy director with the city's engineering and public works department. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at the start of what's expected to be a yearslong process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it's unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25 to 60 years, according to the university and science center researchers.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
Firefighters make progress against blaze that forced thousands to flee north of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles made good progress overnight in their battle against a brush fire that has forced thousands of people to evacuate, an official said Friday. The Canyon Fire ignited Thursday afternoon and spread rapidly in the dry, steep terrain in Ventura and Los Angeles counties to more than 7.6 square miles (19.7 square kilometers) with no containment by 11 p.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department. At least 400 personnel battled the blaze along with several planes and helicopters. No further growth was reported Friday morning, though the fire remained uncontained, county fire department public information officer Andrew Dowd said by telephone.
