Glacier collapses, burying evacuated Swiss village
A huge chunk of a glacier in the Swiss Alps broke off, sending a surge of ice, mud and rock crashing down Blatten. Officials say the mountain village was evacuated at the time, but one person is missing.
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CTV News
29 minutes ago
- CTV News
Milky Way may not be destroyed in galactic smash-up after all
This photo illustration depicts a view of the night sky just before the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. (NASA) PARIS, France — The Milky Way may not have a catastrophic collision with another huge galaxy as has been predicted, computer simulations revealed Monday, giving our home galaxy a coin-flip chance of avoiding destruction. But don't worry either way: no galactic smash-up is expected for billions of years, long after our ageing Sun will have burnt away all life on Earth. The Milky Way and the even-larger galaxy Andromeda are speeding towards each other at 100 kilometres (60 miles) a second, and scientists have long predicted they will collide in around 4.5 billion years. That would be bad news for our neighbourhood. Previous research has suggested that the Sun - and our Earth - could wind up in the centre of this newly merged 'Milkomeda' galaxy and get sucked into its supermassive black hole. Alternatively, the Sun could be shot out into the emptiness of intergalactic space. However 'proclamations of the impending demise of our galaxy seem greatly exaggerated', according to a new study in the journal Nature Astronomy. There is only a roughly 50 per cent chance the Milky Way and Andromeda will smash into each other in the next 10 billion years, the international team of astrophysicists determined. 'It's basically a coin flip,' lead study author Till Sawala of the University of Helsinki told AFP. The researchers ran more than 100,000 computer simulations of our universe's future, using new observations from space telescopes. A galaxy merger in the next five billion years is 'extremely unlikely', Sawala said. Much more likely is that the galaxies will zoom relatively close to each other -- say, a little under 500,000 light years away. In only half of the simulations did dark matter then eventually drag the two galaxies together into a cataclysmic embrace. But this would likely only occur in around eight billion years -- long after our Sun has died, the researchers found. 'So it could be that our galaxy will end up destroyed,' Sawala said. 'But it's also possible that our galaxy and Andromeda will orbit one another for tens of billions of years -- we just don't know.' possible encounter scenarios between our Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. These galaxy images illustrate three possible encounter scenarios between our Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. Top left: Galaxies M81 and M82. Top right: NGC 6786, a pair of interacting galaxies. Bottom: NGC 520, two merging galaxies. (NASA) Galaxy's fate 'open' 'The fate of our galaxy is still completely open,' the study summarised. The researchers emphasised that their findings did not mean that previous calculations were incorrect, just that they had used newer observations and taken into account the effect of more satellite galaxies. Future data releases from Europe's recently retired Gaia space telescope as well as Hubble could provide a definitive answer to this question within the next decade, Sawala predicted. How much all this all matters to us is a matter of debate. The Sun is expected to make Earth inhospitable to life in around a billion years. 'We might have some emotional attachment' to what happens after we're gone, Sawala said. 'I might prefer the Milky Way not to collide with Andromeda, even though it has absolutely no relevance to my own life -- or the lives of my children or great-great grandchildren.' Article by Daniel Lawler.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
'Anguish is eating me up': Roaring fires, helping hands in northeast Saskatchewan
Article content SMEATON — Marlene Barzeele steps through the door of the Smeaton post office. It's a busy place on a Friday afternoon. She's in a hurry. Like most people around here, she has worry in her eyes. Her need to help others overrides her obvious exhaustion. The village along Highway 55 in northeast Saskatchewan is currently about 25 kilometres south of the largest wildfire raging in the province. This exceptionally fertile and picturesque region is where agricultural fields give way to dense boreal forest. The forest floor is dry, temperatures hot and the wind heavy. Ideal conditions for the spread of forest fires. Marlene left her home at Little Bear Lake a few days ago, as locals in that area were told to prepare for evacuation. Her husband Bill is still up at the lake, working around the clock to save their house and property from the surrounding wildfire. Others are doing the same, and many are engaged in an exhaustive effort to save the Little Bear Lake Resort and other businesses. Some sought refuge in their boats on the water over the weekend, fearing the worst. 'We lost our house to fire three years ago,' Marlene said. 'It was devastating and agonizing. The community helped us so much at that time. Now, I can't sit by and do nothing. I have to help. All the people around here feel the same way. Anguish is eating me up. I have to do something. I want to cook for everyone.' Once Marlene left her home in the forest, she was not allowed to return to Little Bear. There is no public access to the area being consumed by SHOE, a monster of a fire that has been out of control since early May. It began as a single fire, but merged with another. The merged entity has become progressively larger in recent days. Marlene gathered up important papers and photographs before leaving Little Bear. Family pictures are special and must be preserved. She drove through 'smoky and fiery' areas on her way out of Little Bear and through Narrow Hills Provincial Park. 'Trees were ablaze,' she said. 'Leaving my husband there is almost overtaking me. I had to find a way to help. I am doing what I can to get food and supplies to those who need it up there.' Her daughter, Heather Arsenie, and a friend, Constance Roussel, pitched in. The women are using their phones and social media to call for donations. The response has taken their breath away. 'The donations just exploded,' Marlene said. 'We were astonished by the response. They came in from campers, homeowners, people in the towns and on farms, dedicated cottage owners, even the grandchildren of cottage owners.' Due to road-blocks there was no way to drive the supplies from Smeaton up to Little Bear. But Barzeele and her helpers were able to convince authorities to help out. Many heavy boxes of food and other supplies were transported by a Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency helicopter to the lake community. 'The SPSA was also very helpful with bringing in the equipment Bill and others needed, the pumps, sprinklers and hoses,' she said. 'Bill helped set things up on the docks, got the pumps and hoses connected and working.' To date, the SHOE fire has reduced cabins and camper trailers to ashes, torched several campgrounds and left local people scrambling to save assets. Last week, the fire spread with such ferocity that it took down an SPSA command station, and forced the evacuation of 280 people involved in firefighting efforts. Barzeele and others said a number of cabin owners remain with their property, water pumps and sprinkler systems trained on buildings and surrounding trees. Reports posted on the Little Bear Lake Facebook site tell of a Saturday evening of extreme tension for those working to protect property and beat back fire. But over the weekend there was some good news. In the early hours Sunday morning, Wally Knorr, owner/operator of Siberian Outfitters at Little Bear Lake, reported: 'It was a scary night, but all is good, actually very good.' He said the 'fire came in roaring' and narrowly missed his property. His business and the Moose Horn Lodge are safe. The fire was 'burning insanely' and winds were 'insanely strong' throughout the night, he reported. 'We'll see what happens next,' Knorr added in his note. 'Those fires which crossed the road went to the lake, but a western wind might bring them toward us. And if it does, we will just meet it and have a serious conversation.' By early Sunday morning there was good news from Bill Barzeele, who reported that contractors worked through the night attacking flare ups and managing spot fires, fighting threats with great precision. 'The wind is now in our favour, so they are hoping they can just continue to monitor things for the next little bit,' he reported to his daughter, Heather Arsenie, who posted on Facebook. Arsenie said in the post: 'I believe I finally heard an ounce of relief in my dad's voice.' In a briefing on Saturday, the SPSA reported that the SHOE fire had grown from roughly 216,000 hectares a few day ago, to 305,343. Roberta Strickland runs the post office in Smeaton. She cried as she expressed the 'pressure and stress' people in her community are under. 'I worry about my neighbours,' she said. 'My dad is 85 and in the care home. I worry about everyone in there.' Strickland's job keeps her in touch with many in the area. Residents of Little Bear Lake, Pickerel Lake and Lower Fishing Lake get their mail in Smeaton. 'I'm afraid people will lose their homes,' she said. 'But we are supporting each other, coming together. At the lakes, people are really pulling together. Business owners and farmers in the area are taking their own equipment out to help.' Strickland and others in Smeaton and Choiceland said the fires started suddenly in early May and were driven by 70 km/hr winds. Little could be done to prevent them. It took time to mobilize firefighting efforts, but it now appears that more resources are being amassed to attack the SHOE fire. Cheri Kosowan, owner of Torch River Tavern in Choiceland with her husband, Doug, said the town's highly dedicated fire crew is among those fighting the blaze. She added that SPSA is in the process of setting up a camp for fire personnel at the sports grounds on the town's southeast corner. A drive by the location shows it to be in the early stages of set-up. A number of people in Choiceland and Smeaton, some with grey hair, said they have never seen the fire season as destructive as it here in 2025. 'The fires are huge,' said a Choiceland resident who did not want to be named. 'It's getting hotter and hotter. It's like Earth is regenerating itself.' The economic impact to the region is disastrous, Roberta Strickland indicated. 'The tourist industry is basically a write-off.' In this region of Saskatchewan, where agricultural lands meet the boreal forest, the bush — its lakes, streams, campsites, trails, fish and game — is woven into the life of communities. The forest and all it provides in recreation, employment, food and fun, is fundamental to the culture and lifestyle of thousands living here. People in First Nations, on farms, in villages and towns, have a deep attachment to the forest lands that are now going up in smoke. The destruction of the heart and soul of the region by fire is devastating. It shows on the faces of those who depend on it for their well-being.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Wildfires prompt air quality statements across northwestern Ontario as evacuations continue
A number of special air quality statements are in effect across northwestern Ontario, as wildfire activity remains rampant throughout the region. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued the statements early Monday morning for well over a dozen communities, including several First Nations: Big Trout Lake – Kasabonika. Dryden – Vermilion Bay. Ear Falls – Perrault Falls – Western Lac Seul. Fort Frances – Emo – Rainy River. Kenora – Grassy Narrows – Whitedog. Pickle Lake – Cat Lake. Pikangikum – Poplar Hill – MacDowell. Red Lake – Woodland Caribou Park. Sachigo Lake – Bearskin Lake. Sandy Lake – Weagamow Lake – Deer Lake. Sioux Lookout – Eastern Lac Seul. Sioux Narrows – Nestor Falls - Morson. Summer Beaver – Wunnummin Lake – Kingfisher Lake. Webequie. "Wildfire smoke is expected to move into the area early this morning and may remain in place for the next several days for some areas," the statements say. "As smoke levels increase, health risks increase. Limit time outdoors. Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events." Community evacuations are continuing in Deer Lake First Nation and Webequie First Nation due to nearby wildfires. Meanwhile, members of Wabaseemoong Independent Nations have been under an evacuation order since mid-May. Webequie First Nation first declared a state of emergency on Thursday. Chief Cornelius Wabasse said high demands for aircraft in other communities affected by wildfires delayed his community's evacuation. "There is a shortage of planes and also other resources," Wabasse told CBC News in an interview on Monday morning. He said the first planes were expected to arrive in Webequie on Monday to bring the most vulnerable community members to Barrie, which is about a one-hour drive north of Toronto. While Nipigon 5 is a few kilometres from the remote Ojibway community, Wabasse said, "the wind has shifted from the south, so it's coming towards the community now." It's been a few years since Webequie First Nation went through a community evacuation, he said, which signifies the need to do more to prepare for emergencies going forward. "There needs to be a lot of awareness of fires that we have in nearby communities and how we react. I think we just need to be prepared for any disasters in our community." 'Ontario stands with our northern communities' "Ontario stands with our northern communities and neighbouring provinces as they face the devastating impact of ongoing wildfires," said the province's minister of emergency preparedness and response, Jill Dunlop, in an emailed statement to CBC News on Sunday. "The Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response is actively working with Indigenous leadership, federal and local partners to support evacuation efforts and with the delivery of essential services in northern Ontario." There are 12 active wildfires in northwestern Ontario, including four of note: Red Lake 12, which is near Deer Lake First Nation, is more than 17,900 hectares large. Nipigon 5, which is near Webequie First Nation, is more than 7,500 hectares large. It is not under control. Kenora 20, which is near Ingolf and Wabaseemoong, is more than 35,000 hectares large. It is not under control. Kenora 14, which is near Wabaseemoong, is more than 1,600 hectares large. It is currently being held. "The priority of our response is the protection of public safety including the protection of critical infrastructure and property. Efforts have been concentrated on structure protection and crews will be deployed as conditions allow," said minister of natural resources Mike Harris in an emailed statement to CBC News on Sunday. "Ontario is currently receiving support from our mutual aid partners through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Equipment and personnel from British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta and New Brunswick [have] been deployed." A restricted fire zone — which means no open air burning is allowed — remains in effect for much of the region. Evacuees have been sent to a number of different communities: Up to 1,300 community members from Deer Lake First Nation are being relocated to Sioux Lookout and the Toronto region. Up to 400 community members from Webequie First Nation are being sent to Simcoe County; Wabasse said the community is starting with an evacuation of 200 people. About 450 community members from Wabaseemoong are staying in the Niagara region.
