Two separate fires send smoke plumes over town
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is still working to put out the house fire in Bath Road, Devizes which was reported at 14:40 BST.
The second fire, in a shed in Mayenne Road, was reported at about 14:55 BST.
Resident Andrew MacLachlan said he saw the smoke go from a "thin plume to full-on massive thick black cloud" as he drove half a mile along Bath Road.
No casualties have been reported at either fire.
Crews from Trowbridge, Ludgershall, Calne and Corsham were called to the house fire with crews from Marlborough and Malmesbury sent to the shed fire.
Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Long Islander captures video of 'incredibly insane' lightning outside his home
It lit up the Long Island sky. A 10-mile long bolt of lightning caused quite a spectacle when it appeared in the sky over Bayport, Long Island Wednesday night. The natural wonder illuminated the sky behind the waterfront home of retired FDNY fireman Kenny Gunther — and luckily he caught it on camera. Advertisement Gunther told The Post he was watching TV when he felt the floor under his feet rumbling, and then saw a flash outside his window. 'I just grabbed my iPhone and I just stick it on the windowsill in my bedroom facing south with their widest angle, and I just had it record,' he recalled. A bolt of lightning appeared behind the Bayport, Long Island home of Kenny Gunther, who captured it on camera. Kenneth Gunther Advertisement 'I turn all the lights off and I'm just sitting there quiet. And then all of a sudden I saw that lightning and I said, 'Oh my God, I think I just got that!' And I went back and watched it and I said, 'Holy cow, that is freaking amazing.'' Gunther said what appeared in his video wasn't even the entire length of the lightning bolt. 'It actually went out of frame. That thing had to be 10 miles wide,' he said. 'And that one wasn't even that much of a clap of thunder. But the one before that was, that's the one that shook the house.' Advertisement Gunther said the house was ravaged by three feet of water during Hurricane Sandy before he bought it in 2018. Kenneth Gunther He sent the video to Islandwide Weather's Facebook page — run by two Long Island weather enthusiasts — who posted it that same night. The post garnered more than 100,000 views and over 170 comments marveling over the 'incredibly insane' sight. Advertisement 'I thought a nuke dropped. I didn't know what to do,' one person said. 'Mother Nature gave us a beautiful show,' another added. 'It's like from a movie,' someone else wrote, while another said, 'Not sure this is a good sign for Earth.'


New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Tropical Storm Erin set to become first hurricane of the season as US Virgin Islands prepare for the worst
Preparations for potential impacts from Tropical Storm Erin are underway in the U.S. Virgin Islands as the system continues to become better organized and remains on track to become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands said territory-wide sandbag distribution for hurricane season was set to begin in a matter of days, but with Tropical Storm Erin spinning across the Atlantic Ocean, those plans were accelerated. 'Due to the projected impact of Tropical Storm Erin on the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), in partnership with the Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Services, the Department of Public Works, the Office of ADA Coordinator, and the Department of Human Services, has accelerated the territory-wide sandbag distribution program,' officials said in a Facebook post. '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.

3 days 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.