Wildfires Briefly Shut Dardanelles as Europe Battles Infernos
The Dardanelles — a vital maritime chokepoint for oil and gas from the Black Sea and Central Asia — was quickly reopened after being closed to allow firefighting aircraft to scoop up water from the sea to tackle nearby blazes. Turkish firefighters contained wildfires ravaging its north Aegean coast, but towns and pine forests in Canakkale province are still threatened, and almost 2,900 residents have been evacuated, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Evacuations ordered as wildfire roars near Newfoundland's largest city
ST. JOHN'S — Residents near Newfoundland and Labrador's largest city were ordered to flee a wildfire Tuesday, as thousands of other people across the province faced the prospect of leaving or losing their homes to flames. Officials ordered evacuations in some parts of Paradise, a suburb of the capital St. John's. The news came barely an hour after Premier John Hogan said a fire had ignited in Spaniard's Bay, N.L., adding to a seemingly relentless series of wildfires erupting amid a spate of dry, sweltering heat. Sharlene Johnson, a 48-year-old single mother living near St. John's in Conception Bay South, said the fire situation in the province is unlike anything she has ever seen. Her home was part of a sweeping evacuation alert announced Monday, which expanded to include roughly 20,000 people on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm kind of just a sitting duck right now, waiting to see and reading news updates,' she said in an interview Tuesday. "I do worry about things like if I have to leave here or if my home was to burn down. It's something that is now very real to me and it's terrifying." Much of Atlantic Canada has been gripped by unusually hot and dry weather this summer, stoking the conditions for extreme wildfire risk. There were at least four out-of-control fires burning across Newfoundland and Labrador Tuesday, including a wildfire near Kingston, N.L., along the northeastern shore of Conception Bay, which encompassed 64 square kilometres. The Kingston fire had driven about 3,000 people from their homes as of Monday and destroyed an unknown number of houses. The fire that prompted the evacuations in Paradise ignited on Monday afternoon, roughly 15 kilometres south of St. John's, near Paddy's Pond. It had grown to about two square kilometres by Monday evening. Water bombers will share the firefighting work between the Kingston and Paddy's Pond fires, which are fewer than 100 km apart, Hogan told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Four additional helicopters were en route, including two Blackhawk helicopters from Utah to help with nighttime operations, he said. It wasn't long before he had to make a post on social media to confirm the fire in Spaniard's Bay, which was burning roughly 25 km southwest of the ferocious Kingston wildfire. "Crews are responding," Hogan wrote. "If you are in the area, please monitor official channels and stay safe." In a separate Facebook post, the town of Spaniard's Bay issued an urgent alert imploring residents of a wooded road to evacuate. Meanwhile, in Nova Scotia, crews were called to a fire that broke out in woodlands on the western edge of Halifax on Tuesday afternoon, not far from the Bayers Lake business park. Local authorities said a Nova Scotia Health outpatient clinic in the area was being evacuated, as was a commercial building nearby. In New Brunswick, firefighters were battling two out-of-control wildfires. Residents north of Moncton were told to prepare for evacuation. Despite parched conditions in much of the province, there were no evacuations as of Tuesday, and no homes or other structures had been lost. Environment Canada extended heat warnings across Atlantic Canada until at least Wednesday, with the exception of the southern reaches of Newfoundland. In eastern Newfoundland, the humidity was expected to make temperature feel like 41 C in some areas. Agriculture Canada said Tuesday that 56 per cent of Atlantic Canada was classified as abnormally dry, with 90 per cent of Nova Scotia in a moderate drought. The statistics also show that St John's has received only one-third of the rain it usually gets between April and July. In Halifax, the figure is about 40 per cent. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025. — With files from Michael MacDonald and Keith Doucette in Halifax. Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Crews make progress on Elk Fire burning in Colorado while Lee Fire continues to be challenging
Crews continue to make progress on two large wildfires burning in Western Colorado, although fire officials said one continues to be challenging. Fire officials with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 provided an update on the Elk and Lee fires burning near Meeker. The Lee Fire continues to grow, according to fire officials, and has burned 116,859 acres as of Tuesday afternoon with 6% containment. The Lee Fire is the fifth-largest single wildfire in Colorado history. According to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3, the drought with severe and extreme weather conditions, along with multiple days of red flag warnings and heightened fire activity, caused the Lee fire to grow over 100,000 acres in eight days. Fire crews have been working to find areas of opportunity in the southern area of the fire to reduce its spread. "Around the town of Meeker, we have that pretty locked in and secured, that's where our containment for the fire is showing that, that was a priority for us," said Tyler Nathy, Operations Section Chief with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3. The Elk Fire has burned 14,549 acres with a 30% containment. Officials said there are 1,234 personnel on the fire with combined resources of helicopters, drones, fixed wing, hand crews, engines and heavy equipment. "Crews are making progress getting around that fire, securing the line and making sure the homes at risk over there are no longer threatened," said Nathy. "A lot of good work is going in out there." The Elk and Lee fires were caused by lightning on Aug. 2.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
‘We're being cooked alive:' Europe burns as temperatures soar above 100 degrees
Wildfires Extreme temperatures FacebookTweetLink Europe is on track for its worst wildfire season on record as swaths of the continent — including France, Spain, Albania, Portugal and Greece — battle raging, deadly fires as temperature soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Wildfires are not unusual in Europe but the climate crisis is driving hotter, drier weather, which is setting the stage for fiercer fire seasons. Blazes on the continent have burned through more acres so far this year than any of the last 19 years, according to a CNN analysis of data from the European Forest Fire Information System. Nearly 2.4 million acres have been consumed by fires to date, more than double the average amount of land burned — which would normally be just over 865,000 acres by early August — putting 2025 on pace to be the most expansive European wildfire season to date. In Spain, nearly 1,000 firefighters have been deployed across the country and the fires have led to thousands being put under evacuation orders. A large fire broke out in Tres Cantos near Madrid Monday, burning through around 2,500 acres and killing one man, who died in hospital after suffering burns over 98% of his body, according to a Reuters report. The fire had largely been contained by Tuesday but dozens of fires raged elsewhere, including in the northwest region of Castille and Leon. In southern Spain, around 2,000 people, including tourists, have been evacuated from the popular town of Tarifa as a wildfire blazed in view of the beaches. Celebrity chef José Andrés posted images Tuesday from the area showing flames burning across the hillsides. There may be little respite from fire risk in Spain as temperatures in parts of the country push above 110 degrees Fahrenheit this week. 'The danger is extraordinary,' warned the Spanish weather agency AEMET Tuesday of the heat. Fires are also burning across Portugal. A large fire near Trancoso in central Portugal has burned through more than 7,500 acres, according to Europe's Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Around 1,200 firefighters and 400 vehicles have been mobilized to battle the blaze. Fires in the district of Vila Real in north Portugal have been burning for 10 days. 'We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue,' said Alexandre Favaios, the mayor, according to a Reuters report. Temperatures are expected to exceed 104 degrees in many parts of the country Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the country's weather agency, IPMA. Blazes have spread across southern Europe in recent days. Dozens of fires ignited near Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy on Sunday, closing mountain trails. The country's health ministry has issued red heat alerts for 16 cities. In France, a huge wildfire in the southern region of Aude — the country's largest since 1949, officials said — is now mostly contained, but officials are concerned it could reignite as a punishing heat wave continues. The fire claimed at least one life last week. Many Balkans countries have also been battling to bring fires under control. Dozens of blazes are raging across Albania, including near the 'Blue Eye,' a water spring and protected nature park popular with tourists. In neighboring Montenegro, fires burning near the capital Podgorica sent plumes of smoke over the city, and in Croatia, firefighters managed to contain a fire that blazed near the city of Split Monday. Europe is the world's fastest warming continent and record heat and drought have helped fuel this summer's fires. Scientists warn that as the human-caused climate crisis escalates, wildfires will only become more frequent and more severe. CNN Lead Meteorologist Brandon Miller contributed to this report.
