Latest news with #EuropeanForestInstitute
Dubai Eye
5 days ago
- Climate
- Dubai Eye
Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds continued to rage across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning houses, farms and factories and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists. Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic on the outskirts of the Greek city of Patras, west of Athens. Authorities ordered residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras to evacuate on Tuesday and issued new alerts on Wednesday, advising residents of two nearby villages to leave. On the Greek islands of Chios, in the east, and Cephalonia, in the west, both popular with tourists, authorities told people to move to safety as fires spread. In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as state weather agency AEMET warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire. The 35-year-old man had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he was trapped in the blaze, regional officials said. He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Others include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services. Working in unprepared landscapes puts firefighters' lives at risk, said Alexander Held, a senior expert in fire management at the European Forest Institute. Authorities should make more effort to anticipate and prevent wildfires by creating buffer zones and clearing combustible vegetation, he said. "Take an industrial building and imagine there would be no fire detectors, no sprinkler systems, no fire protection doors and no escape routes – firefighters would just refuse to go in, but in our landscape we expect them to do this," Held said. Investing 1 billion euros a year in forest management could save 9.9 million hectares - an area the size of Portugal - and 99 billion euros spent on fighting fires and restoration work afterwards, according to Greenpeace. The group estimated the cost so far of fires in Spain at 615 million euros. SUSPECTED ARSON Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told the SER radio station that many fires across the country were thought to be the work of arsonists due to their "virulence". A male firefighter was arrested on Tuesday for fires started in the Avila area north of Madrid two weeks ago, while police said on Tuesday they were investigating a 63-year-old woman for allegedly starting fires in Galicia's Muxia area in August. Police have also identified a suspect who is believed to have suffered burns to his hands after starting a small fire in a beachfront development in the southern coastal Cadiz area, Europa Press reported. Thunderstorms have caused other fires. On Tuesday, shortly after 5 pm, Andalusia's fire department was flooded with calls by residents reporting a fire caused by a lightning strike on a chestnut and oak forest in Los Romeros, north of the city of Huelva. The fire prompted the evacuation of around 250 residents but was largely controlled by Wednesday morning. A blaze in Trancoso in Portugal that has been burning since Saturday got worse during the night as a lightning reignited an area that was thought safe, the civil protection service said. In Albania, Defence Minister Pirro Vengu said it was a "critical week", with several major wildfires burning across the country. Some 10,000 firefighters, soldiers and police emergency units struggled with a total of 24 wildfires on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. Flames reached two villages in the centre of the country, forcing villagers to flee, taking their livestock with them. Spain was in its 10th day of a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and which AEMET expected to last until Monday, making it one of the longest on record. Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter's Square to an indoor venue in the Vatican, "to stay a little bit out of the sun and the extreme heat" as Italy's health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 16 cities on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 39C in Florence.
The Star
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe, burning houses and factories
PATRAS, Greece,/MADRID (Reuters) -Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds continued to rage across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning houses, farms and factories and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists. Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic on the outskirts of the Greek city of Patras, in the northern Peloponnese west of Athens. "What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here,' said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help. Authorities ordered residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras to evacuate on Tuesday and issued new alerts on Wednesday, advising residents of two nearby villages to leave their homes. On the Greek islands of Chios, in the east, and Cephalonia, in the west, both popular with tourists, authorities told people to move to safety as fires spread. In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as state weather agency AEMET warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire. The 35-year-old man had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he was trapped in the blaze, regional officials said. He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Other victims include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services. Working in unprepared landscapes puts firefighters lives at risk, said said Alexander Held, a senior expert in fire management at the European Forest Institute. Authorities needed to make more effort to anticipate and prevent wildfires by creating buffer zones and clearing combustible vegetation, he said. "Take an industrial building and imagine there would be no fire detectors, no sprinkler systems, no fire protection doors and no escape routes – firefighters would just refuse to go in, but in our landscape we expect them to do this," Held said. The leader of the Galicia region in the northwest, Alfonso Rueda, called the situation there "complicated" and said the weather was not helping. Six active fires were affecting a combined 10,000 hectares (38 square miles) in Galicia's Ourense province. SUSPECTED ARSON Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told SER radio station that many fires across the country were suspected to be intentionally caused by arsonists due to their "virulence". A male firefighter was arrested on Tuesday for fires started in the Avila area north of Madrid two weeks ago, while police said late on Tuesday they were investigating a 63-year-old woman for allegedly starting a series of fires in Galicia's Muxia area in August. Police have also identified a suspect who is believed to have suffered burns to his hands after starting a small fire in a beachfront development in the southern coastal Cadiz area, Europa Press reported. Thunderstorms have caused other fires. On Tuesday, shortly after 5 p.m., Andalucia's fire department was flooded with calls by residents alerting of a fire caused by a lightning strike on a chestnut and oak forest in Los Romeros, north of the city of Huelva. The fire prompted the evacuation of around 250 residents but was largely controlled by Wednesday morning. A blaze in Trancoso in Portugal that has been burning since Saturday took a turn for the worse during the night as a lightning reignited an area that was thought safe, the civil protection service said. In Albania, Defence Minister Pirro Vengu said it was a "critical week", with several major wildfires burning across the country. Some 10,000 firefighters, soldiers and police emergency units struggled with a total of 24 wildfires across the country on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. Flames reached homes in two villages in the centre of the country, forcing villagers to flee, taking their livestock with them. "We are going in the middle of two rivers because the fire has arrived," said Hajri Dragoti, 68, from Narte, who fled with his wife taking a cow, a donkey and a dog. "We can't do anything, it is like gun powder." Spain was in its 10th day of a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and which AEMET expected to last until Monday, making it one of the longest on record. Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter's Square to an indoor venue in the Vatican, "to stay a little bit out of the sun and the extreme heat" as Italy's health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 16 cities on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 39C (102F) in Florence. (Reporting by Louiza Vradi, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Ivana Sekularac, Andrei Khalip and Gavin Jones; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Climate
- Business Standard
Wildfires fanned by heatwave rage across Europe, burning houses, factories
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds continued to rage across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning houses, farms and factories and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists. Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic on the outskirts of the Greek city of Patras, in the northern Peloponnese west of Athens. "What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here," said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help. Authorities ordered residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras to evacuate on Tuesday and issued new alerts on Wednesday, advising residents of two nearby villages to leave their homes. On the Greek islands of Chios, in the east, and Cephalonia, in the west, both popular with tourists, authorities told people to move to safety as fires spread. In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as state weather agency AEMET warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire. The 35-year-old man had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he was trapped in the blaze, regional officials said. He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Other victims include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services. Working in unprepared landscapes puts firefighters lives at risk, said said Alexander Held, a senior expert in fire management at the European Forest Institute. Authorities needed to make more effort to anticipate and prevent wildfires by creating buffer zones and clearing combustible vegetation, he said. "Take an industrial building and imagine there would be no fire detectors, no sprinkler systems, no fire protection doors and no escape routes ' firefighters would just refuse to go in, but in our landscape we expect them to do this," Held said. The leader of the Galicia region in the northwest, Alfonso Rueda, called the situation there "complicated" and said the weather was not helping. Six active fires were affecting a combined 10,000 hectares (38 square miles) in Galicia's Ourense province. Suspected Arson Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told SER radio station that many fires across the country were suspected to be intentionally caused by arsonists due to their "virulence". A male firefighter was arrested on Tuesday for fires started in the Avila area north of Madrid two weeks ago, while police said late on Tuesday they were investigating a 63-year-old woman for allegedly starting a series of fires in Galicia's Muxia area in August. Police have also identified a suspect who is believed to have suffered burns to his hands after starting a small fire in a beachfront development in the southern coastal Cadiz area, Europa Press reported. Thunderstorms have caused other fires. On Tuesday, shortly after 5 p.m., Andalucia's fire department was flooded with calls by residents alerting of a fire caused by a lightning strike on a chestnut and oak forest in Los Romeros, north of the city of Huelva. The fire prompted the evacuation of around 250 residents but was largely controlled by Wednesday morning. A blaze in Trancoso in Portugal that has been burning since Saturday took a turn for the worse during the night as a lightning reignited an area that was thought safe, the civil protection service said. In Albania, Defence Minister Pirro Vengu said it was a "critical week", with several major wildfires burning across the country. Some 10,000 firefighters, soldiers and police emergency units struggled with a total of 24 wildfires across the country on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. Flames reached homes in two villages in the centre of the country, forcing villagers to flee, taking their livestock with them. "We are going in the middle of two rivers because the fire has arrived," said Hajri Dragoti, 68, from Narte, who fled with his wife taking a cow, a donkey and a dog. "We can't do anything, it is like gun powder." Spain was in its 10th day of a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and which AEMET expected to last until Monday, making it one of the longest on record. Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter's Square to an indoor venue in the Vatican, "to stay a little bit out of the sun and the extreme heat" as Italy's health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 16 cities on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 39C (102F) in Florence.
Local Germany
03-04-2025
- Business
- Local Germany
How AI-powered drones are tracking down fires in German forests
Inside a green orb planted in the German countryside is a high-tech aid to prevent wildfires that have grown more common and destructive with rising global temperatures. The installation, resembling a giant golf ball covered in solar panels, is the hangar for an AI-powered drone that its developer hopes one day will be able to sniff out and extinguish new blazes in minutes. "Fires are spreading much faster and more aggressively than in the past. That also means we have to react more quickly," Carsten Brinkschulte, the CEO of the German firm Dryad, told AFP at a demonstration of the technology outside Berlin. Once a rarity, the German capital has to get used to more wildfires. Flames ripped through a forest on the city's western edge in the midst of a 2022 heatwave that saw several wildfires spring up in Germany. The sort of tinderbox conditions which promote blazes -- where heat, drought and strong winds dry out the landscape -- have increased with climate change. READ ALSO: Germany says 2024 has been its hottest year on record Wildfires have reached the point where they were "basically unstoppable", said Lindon Pronto, senior wildfire management expert at the European Forest Institute. Advertisement That is why action is needed to develop tools to "address fire in the prevention phase, during the operational phase, and also post-fire", said Pronto. 'Prevent a disaster' Dryad is in the running with 29 other teams from around the globe for a multi-million-dollar prize to develop the ability to autonomously put out fires within 10 minutes. During Dryad's demonstration on Thursday -- the first for a computer-steered wildfire detection drone, according to the company -- chemicals in smoke from burning wood were picked up by sensors distributed in the forest. The signal was relayed back to the company's platform which released the drone from the orb. The unit rose above the trees, charting a zig-zag course to track down the precise location and extent of the fire. A drone of an AI-based drone system is pictured during a presentation of 'Silvaguard' the first autonomous, AI-based drone system by sensors technology company Dryad for early forest fire detection in Eberswalde. Photo: Ralf Hirschberger / AFP Firefighters using the information collected by the drone would be able "to respond much more efficiently and quickly and prevent a disaster", Brinkschulte said. Dryad eventually hopes to have the drone descend below the canopy and put out the fire using a novel technology: a "sonic cannon" blasting low-frequency sound waves at the right pressure to suppress small fires. An experimental acoustic suppression method, if it can be created, would save the drone from carrying "large amounts of heavy water", making the unit more nimble and effective, according to Brinkschulte. READ ALSO: Should you get Germany's extreme weather emergency warning app? 'Civilisation meets nature' Technologies like Dryad's are a step towards putting out fires "without putting people's lives in danger", said Pronto, a native of California, where recent wildfires have had a devastating impact. Huge blazes in Los Angeles in January killed 29 people, razed more than 10,000 homes and caused some $250 billion (€231 billion) in damage, according to estimates by the private meteorological firm AccuWeather. The greatest benefits of an autonomous fire prevention system would be in areas where "civilisation meets nature", Brinkschulte said. Such crossover zones are the most vulnerable to man-made wildfires, "where the risk to life and limb is naturally highest". Advertisement The company hopes to bring the drone to market in 2026, with the first deployment likely to be outside Europe. "These systems still need to have the regulatory framework to be able to operate commercially," Brinkschulte said, adding that Dryad was aiming for deployment in Europe in the "coming years". A couple of kinks need to be worked out before then, however. The first attempt to respond to the dummy fire last week was held up by a faulty GPS signal.
Local Germany
30-03-2025
- Science
- Local Germany
AI-powered drones track down fires in German forests
The installation, resembling a giant golf ball covered in solar panels, is the hangar for an AI-powered drone that its developer hopes one day will be able to sniff out and extinguish new blazes in minutes. "Fires are spreading much faster and more aggressively than in the past. That also means we have to react more quickly," Carsten Brinkschulte, the CEO of the German firm Dryad, told AFP at a demonstration of the technology outside Berlin. Once a rarity, the German capital has to get used to more wildfires. Flames ripped through a forest on the city's western edge in the midst of a 2022 heatwave that saw several wildfires spring up in Germany. The sort of tinderbox conditions which promote blazes -- where heat, drought and strong winds dry out the landscape -- have increased with climate change. Wildfires have reached the point where they were "basically unstoppable", said Lindon Pronto, senior wildfire management expert at the European Forest Institute. That is why action is needed to develop tools to "address fire in the prevention phase, during the operational phase, and also post-fire", said Pronto. Advertisement 'Prevent a disaster' Dryad is in the running with 29 other teams from around the globe for a multi-million-dollar prize to develop the ability to autonomously put out fires within 10 minutes. During Dryad's demonstration on Thursday -- the first for a computer-steered wildfire detection drone according to the company -- chemicals in smoke from burning wood were picked up by sensors distributed in the forest. The signal was relayed back to the company's platform which released the drone from the orb. The unit rose above the trees, charting a zig-zag course to track down the precise location and extent of the fire. Firefighters using the information collected by the drone would be able "to respond much more efficiently and quickly and prevent a disaster", Brinkschulte said. Dryad eventually hopes to have the drone descend below the canopy and put out the fire using a novel technology: a "sonic cannon" blasting low-frequency sound waves at the right pressure to suppress small fires. An experimental acoustic suppression method, if it can be realised, would save the drone from carrying "large amounts of heavy water", making the unit more nimble and effective, according to Brinkschulte. Advertisement 'Civilisation meets nature' Technologies like Dryad's are a step towards putting out fires "without putting people's lives in danger", said Pronto, a native of California, where recent wildfires have had a devastating impact. Huge blazes in Los Angeles in January killed 29 people, razed more than 10,000 homes and caused some $250 billion (€231 billion) in damage, according to estimates by the private meteorological firm AccuWeather. The greatest benefits of an autonomous fire prevention system would be in areas where "civilisation meets nature", Brinkschulte said. Such crossover zones are the most vulnerable to man-made wildfires and "where the risk to life and limb is naturally highest". The company hopes to bring the drone to market in 2026, with the first deployment likely to be outside Europe. "These systems still need to have the regulatory framework to be able to operate commercially," Brinkschulte said, adding that Dryad was aiming for deployment in Europe in the "coming years" A couple of kinks need to be worked out before then, however. The first attempt to respond to the dummy fire on Thursday was held up by a faulty GPS signal.
