Latest news with #GregMullins
Gulf Today
10-03-2025
- Climate
- Gulf Today
Japan brings huge wildfire under control, says mayor
Japan's worst wildfire in more than half a century, which killed at least one person, has been brought under control, the mayor of the northern city of Ofunato said on Sunday. The fire had raged in the mountains around the rural region since Feb.26, killing at least one person, damaging at least 210 buildings and forcing more than 4,200 residents to flee their homes, local officials said. 'Following an aerial survey, we assessed that the fire no longer posed the risk of further spread. I declare that the fire is now under control,' Ofunato Mayor Kiyoshi Fuchigami told a news conference. The fire engulfed about 2,900 hectares -- around half the size of Manhattan -- making it Japan's largest in more than 50 years. It surpassed the 2,700 hectares burnt by a 1975 fire on Hokkaido island. Japan endured its hottest summer on record last year as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. Ofunato received just 2.5 millimetres of rainfall in February, breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimetres in 1967 and far below the average of 41 millimetres. At least 78 buildings are believed to have been damaged, although details are still being assessed, according to the fire agency. The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since a peak in the 1970s. Wildfires in Japan tend to occur between February and May, when the air dries out and winds pick up. However, there were about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in the period from February to April. A rain, which began falling on Wednesday following a record dry period, had helped firefighting efforts. 'Thanks in part to the rain, the situation has subsided to an extent,' Ofunato Mayor Kiyoshi Fuchigami told a regular briefing. 'We realise many residents are aching to return home,' he said. Greg Mullins, a former fire and rescue commissioner for the Australian state of New South Wales, said this fire as well as the recent ones in Los Angeles were 'highly unusual' because they took place in the cooler winter months. Agence France-Presse
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rain checks spread of Japan wildfire
Rain appears to have halted the spread of Japan's worst wildfire in more than half a century, officials said Thursday, as residents expressed relief the smoke was gone. The blaze had raged around the northern city of Ofunato for more than a week, killing one person and forcing more than 4,500 residents to evacuate their homes. The rain, which began falling Wednesday following a record dry period, had helped firefighting efforts, a local fire official said. "Thanks in part to the rain, the situation has subsided to an extent," Ofunato Mayor Kiyoshi Fuchigami told a regular briefing. "We realise many residents are aching to return home," he said, adding that evacuation orders would be lifted when safety was confirmed. Several columns of white smoke and fire sources persisted during the day, officials said. "The fires haven't been fully put out yet," another Ofunato official told the briefing. Residents were more positive, however. "I'm relieved to see no smoke", one elderly woman told public broadcaster NHK, while a man said he was "very happy that we had rain yesterday". The wildfire burnt about 2,900 hectares (7,170 acres) -- around half the size of Manhattan -- making it Japan's largest in more than 50 years, surpassing the 2,700 hectares engulfed by a 1975 fire on Hokkaido island. Japan endured its hottest summer on record last year as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. Then in February, Ofunato received just 2.5 millimetres (0.1 inches) of rainfall -- breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimetres in 1967 and well below the average of 41 millimetres. At least 78 buildings are believed to have been damaged, although details are still being assessed, according to the fire agency. The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since a 1970s peak. However, there were about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in the period from February to April when the air dries out and winds pick up. Greg Mullins, a former fire and rescue commissioner for the Australian state of New South Wales, told AFP this fire as well as the recent ones in Los Angeles were "highly unusual" because they took place in the cooler winter months. "In both cases the fires were preceded by hot summers, which increased evaporation and drying of vegetation, followed by large rainfall deficits that parched the landscape," he said. "This is a common by-product of climate change," said Mullins, a founder of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action group. kh-tmo/sco
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Australian town destroyed by fire offers lessons for Los Angeles: LAT
As the Los Angeles area works to clean up the devastation left by the Palisades, Eaton and other fires of last month, focus has turned to rebuilding. On the other side of the world, one Australian town went through a similar situation 15 years ago; however, residents there believe only so much can be done to prevent wildfires, making rebuilding an inherently risky proposition. As the Los Angeles Times details, Marysville, Australia, burned down in 2009 as a result of a fast-moving brush fire fed by hurricane-force winds. A total of 173 people were killed by the blaze, including 39 in the small community of Marysville, where only 14 of its 550 structures survived what became known as Black Saturday. As the town's residents began the rebuilding process, a panel of experts assembled by the government found hurdles like the dense forest nearby and few escape routes from the town meant it could never be safe. 'Some towns you can never protect from another Black Saturday-style fire,' said Roz Hansen, a planning expert on the panel, as reported by the Times. 'Marysville is one such town.' The city was ultimately rebuilt with updated fire codes and many protective measures in place, such as the use of fire-resistant cladding on many buildings. Those measures, many of which are likely to be put in place in California as the rebuilding effort continues, can only do so much. Southern California residents should be cognizant that no matter how many changes are made, humanity is limited in our ability to control fires such as these. As Greg Mullins, a former fire commissioner in Australia, told the Times, there's no stopping the brutal winds and dry conditions that allowed Black Saturday to happen — and likely will again in the future, especially as climate change accelerates. 'They shouldn't have built [Marysville] back. No question,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
