Latest news with #VolunteerFirefighters
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Two firefighters are dead and three left fighting for their lives after truck crashed while rushing to battle blaze
Two firefighters have been killed and three are fighting for their lives after their truck crashed into a ravine. The tragic incident occurred in Portugal around 7pm on Sunday in the village of São Francisco de Assis as the crew rushed to tackle a blaze in Quinta do Campo, Fundão. The vehicle veered off the road and plunged into the steep valley. One injured firefighter was airlifted by a helicopter. A total of 26 operators rushed to the scene and were supported by nine vehicles and an aircraft, according to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC). Teams from the Covilhã and Fundão Volunteer Firefighters, the National Republican Guard and the National Institute of Medical Emergency were also deployed. AENPC paid tribute to the firefighters: 'It is never enough to emphasize the commitment, altruism and professionalism with which, every day, thousands of firefighters across the country dedicate themselves, with courage and dedication, to defending the population and the forest against fires.' They also offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished for a speedy recovery to the injured. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also spoke of on 'the tragic death' of the firefighters 'while serving the community'. For numerous days now, several thousand firefighters have been battling fires in various parts of the country. Carlos Damaso, the former mayor of the Portuguese town Guarda, died this week after trying to fight dramatic wildfires which have ravaged Europe including Spain and Greece. Nearly 4,000 firefighters are battling seven major fires across the country, in Tabuaço, Trancos, Sirarelhos, Sátão, Arganil, Vilarinho do Monte and Ermidas do Sado. Apocalyptic scenes show the countryside bathed in sickly red and orange. One horrifying photo taken in the Sernancelhe district of Viseu, Portugal, shows a raging inferno and dark clouds of smoke threatening to completely submerge a house in flames. Firefighters in Spain and Greece continued to battle Friday on a public holiday in all three countries as persistent hot, dry conditions challenged efforts to contain the blazes.
CBC
12-08-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Air and ground crews fighting new fire in Spaniard's Bay
The fire started near the Anglican cemetery on Maul Tree Hill, according to Spaniard's Bay Mayor Paul Brazil. Volunteer firefighters, already stretched thin fighting a separate 6,000-hectare fire in Conception Bay North, are there with a helicopter and water bomber, according to Brazil.
ABC News
12-08-2025
- General
- ABC News
Waste in NT bush hampers controlled burns for rangers, firefighters
Volunteer firefighters and Indigenous rangers in the Northern Territory say an unprecedented and "shocking" amount of illegally dumped fridges, couches, mattresses and tyres in the bush is complicating controlled burns. While dumped waste has always been a problem, the workers say it has reached a new level in the Top End regional centre of Katherine. Mr Slater's team has been responsible for hazard reduction burning on blocks of vacant Crown land. "Our goal is to get a good, clear burn in this burning we do in town," he said. The team spends hours on each burning day identifying rubbish in the bush and wetting it down, or building fire breaks around it. Tyres emit columns of toxic black smoke when they catch and can burn for a long time. "It's bad for the nature as well. We need to look after country [and] country will look after you." Rod Usher, captain of the Katherine Volunteer Bushfire Brigade, said there was a "shocking amount of rubbish in the scrub", especially to the south of Katherine towards the Indigenous community of Binjari. "In the last few years, it's escalated hugely. Markedly. It's getting to be a problem," Mr Usher said. "We're trying to control fires and you come across gas cylinders, fridges, freezers — tyres are a big one." Mr Usher said accidentally burnt mattresses were hard to spot in the bush and their internal wires became "the best vehicle traps". "Getting a … mattress out from under your vehicle once it's all curled up and rolled around under the tailshaft and everything is not fun," he said. While most residential rubbish is free to take to the tip in Katherine, items like couches, tyres and mattresses do come with individual charges. Mr Usher said it was no coincidence these were also the items showing up in the bush. "I understand why the dumps are charging and everything, but that's why people are dumping," Mr Usher said. Regular passenger vehicle tyres are $35.10 each at the Katherine tip, so 26 tyres would cost $912.60 to dump. Internet archives show the council was only charging $12 each for passenger tyres in 2020-21, or about $15 in today's money. Katherine's outgoing Mayor Lis Clarke said the council's tip fees were reasonable and were constrained by limited recycling capabilities in the town. Local government elections are being held across most of the NT later this month.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- General
- ABC News
Fitzroy Crossing cemetery graves burnt again in suspicious fires
A suspiciously lit fire has burned through a remote cemetery in Western Australia's far north for the second time this year. Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island readers are advised that this story contains references to people who have died. Fitzroy Crossing resident Patsy McGinty visited the local cemetery, 2,400km north of Perth, with a family member on Monday. She said she saw "up to 20" burned grave sites, including damaged crosses and decorative tributes. It was the second fire at the cemetery since October. "We thought it was probably from the previous burn, but when we approached and looked closer, you could tell it was quite recent," Ms McGinty said. Authorities said multiple fires were reported in the region on Saturday. Volunteer firefighters responded to several scrub fires in the Fitzroy Crossing town site along Flynn Drive, Poole Court and Henwood Close just after 10:30am. It took crews less than an hour to extinguish a blaze that burned through more than 2,700 hectares of bushland. The Shire of Derby-West Kimberley said another fire broke out the same morning between the Buruwa and Junjuwa communities north of the town. Ms McGinty said she was not aware of the fire before her visit and said the size of the blaze was significant. "The fire has come from one end to another, pretty much," Ms McGinty said. She said many overgrown graves were burnt. "There are several others [graves] that aren't maintained and families aren't able to go and clean," Ms McGinty said. "A lot of overgrowth, and I think those were the main ones affected." The burial site is the resting place of many Aboriginal people from the region. After the initial fire in October, residents with families buried at the cemetery told the ABC they had concerns about the maintenance of the site. They called for better fencing, fire breaks and the installation of an on-site water system. In a statement, the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley said firebreaks and emergency access routes were in place. "These preparations helped crews respond quickly," a spokesperson said. Ms McGinty said the site, which was the responsibility of the shire, needed to be better maintained. "I know they said they did a fire break, but it just makes you think, how effective was the fire break?" she said. The council statement said the shire was "working closely with emergency services". "Damage assessments are now underway, including to the airport fence and cemetery," it said. Police said anyone with information should contact CrimeStoppers.
CTV News
29-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Cleanup underway in Saskatchewan village devastated by wildfire in June
Volunteer firefighters from Davidson, Sask., load up their truck at the Provincial Wildfire Center in Prince Albert, Sask., on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards PRINCE ALBERT — Saskatchewan's government says recovery teams have been clearing out charred properties in a village that was ravaged by wildfire last month. The province says cleanup efforts began last week in Denare Beach, which lost 218 homes to wildfire in June. It also says crews have removed 230 destroyed vehicles in the village, 545 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says it has helped more than 70 people seeking information on insurance at its resource centre. The province has also extended the deadline by one year for residents and businesses to submit claim costs to the disaster assistance program. Saskatchewan is reporting 60 active wildfires as of Monday, including 12 uncontained and about 3,000 people remain out of their homes. 'After a disaster, households have a lot to manage and take care of as they work through recovery,' said Marlo Pritchard of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency in a news release Monday. 'The recovery task team will continue to look for ways to support and take some of that pressure off of the communities and their residents.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
