Author: Hunter Bassler

Wildfire near Athens triggers evacuation warnings for +500,000 residents

The East Attica Fire burning near Greece’s capital city of Athens triggered the evacuation of thousands across the region.

The fire started burning Sunday near the northeast city of Marathon before rapidly spreading southward toward Athens overnight, according to the Hellenic Republic’s Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

In response to the spread, Ministry officials ordered all structures in the Eastern Attica region to prepare for possible evacuation. More than 500,000 people live in the region and are under the order.

“A total of 685 firefighters, supported by 27 forest commando teams, 190 vehicles, and volunteers, are operating with the assistance of all Civil Protection agencies,” Fire Colonel Vassilios Vathrakogiannis said early Monday morning. “Additionally, more than 40 flare-ups have been recorded within the perimeter of the fire since the early morning hours today.”

Any fighting against the fire is expected to be extremely difficult on Monday and Tuesday, the ministry said. Winds up to 38 mph have already gusted in the area, and forecasters warn of “very high” fire risk, the region’s second-highest warning level, on Tuesday.

The elevated wildfire danger isn’t unprecedented. Researchers previously warned Greece and other areas in Southern Europe earlier this year to prepare for an intense wildfire season. Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) showed elevated forest fire risk across the region caused by increased drought and rising global temperatures, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and increased animal agriculture land usage.

READ MORE: ‘Extreme’ Crete wildfire forces evacuations of villages

“The General Secretariat of Civil Protection recommends that citizens be especially careful and avoid actions in the open air that can cause a fire by negligence, such as burning dry grass and branches or cleaning residues, the use of machines that cause sparks such as circular saws, welding devices, the use of outdoor grills, smoking bees, throwing lit cigarettes, etc. Also, it is recalled that during the fire protection season burning of fields is prohibited,” the ministry said.

East Attica Fire Google Maps image — Google Maps

Oregon’s worst wildfire season ever: How many acres have burned so far in 2024?

Wildfires have burned more Oregon acreage in 2024 than ever before.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Daily Situation Report for Aug. 9 estimated 1,387,541 acres burned so far. Officials expect that acreage total to continue growing as the state’s wildfire season nears its usual peak in mid-August.

The total is higher than any other year since 1992, when reliable records started. The total exceeds the previous record holders of 2020, at 1.3 million acres, and 2012, at 1.29 million acres.

The state’s largest wildfire this year, the Durkee Fire, burned an estimated 294,265 acres near the Oregon-Idaho border after it started on July 17. The fire is 97% contained and management has since transitioned back to local authorities.

“Crews will continue patrolling for any residual heat, supporting suppression repair, and mapping dozer and handlines for future repair,” the fire’s daily update on Aug. 9 read. “Firefighters and aircraft are available for initial attack if needed.”

Oregon’s next highest-acreage fires so far this year are the Battle Mountain Complex, the Falls Fire, and the Lone Rock Fire which burned 182,808 acres, 147,320 acres, and 137,222 acres respectively.

Climate change, overgrown forests, and people are the top causes for Oregon’s worsening wildfire seasons, according to an Oregon Forest Resources Institute report. The high burned acreage totals aren’t unprecedented; fire experts previously warned massive wildfires in the state were a disaster waiting to happen and part of a larger trend in the Western U.S. Even though the total number of yearly Oregon wildfires have remained steady over the past decade, the total amount of acres burned per year have increased dramatically.

“Factors contributing to this explosion of ‘megafires’ include overgrown forests and the effects of climate change, which have led to extreme weather, drought and insect infestations that weaken and kill trees, making forests more prone to fire damage,” the report said.

“The good news is there are many actions homeowners and landowners can take to reduce the fuels wildfires need to spread … These include clearing flammable vegetation and debris around homes, pruning or thinning trees, and using controlled burns to reduce dry brush and other fuels in forests, rangelands and grasslands adjacent to homes.”

California’s Canyon Fire forces evacuation of Native American reservation

A 75-acre wildfire triggered early-morning evacuation orders for Tuolumne City and the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Friday, according to Tuolumne County officials. The fire is at 0% containment.

Deputies were first notified about a vegetation fire at 11:44 p.m. in a canyon near Tuolumne, the county’s sheriff’s department said. Five hours later, evacuation orders were issued for nearby communities.

Residents living in Ponderosa Hills, the Tuolumne Rancheria area, and the Tuolumne Mira Monte area are under evacuation as of Friday morning. The northeast portion of Tuolumne City was initially under evacuation, but that order has since been lifted.

Nearly the entire Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Reservation is under an evacuation order. The tribe is one of the original unratified treaties of California and purchased the reservation’s land on Oct. 26, 1910, land that is now home to 200 residents and another 200 non-resident members of the tribe. The tribe is one of many that practice cultural and prescribed burning which benefits both ecological and cultural resources.

There were initially multiple evacuation centers set up after the fire was reported, but those centers have since consolidated into a single site at the Sonora Senior Center at 540 Greenley Road. The evacuation center also accepts small animals.

“CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, Stanislaus National Forest, and Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office are in unified command of the Canyon Fire,” officials said. “Firefighters continue to construct fireline with direct attack, steep terrain and dense fuels are contributing to the fires growth.”

‘Extreme’ Crete wildfire forces evacuations of villages

A rapidly spreading wildfire triggered evacuations in central Crete Wednesday afternoon, according to the European Union’s Space Program.

The program’s Earth observation satellite, Copernicus, was activated on Thursday to assist emergency management services on the fire. An initial rough estimation, fire extent, and damage assessment will reportedly be published on Friday.

Police are conducting door-to-door checks in the village of Agia Paraskevi with a focus on evacuating elderly residents, according to Copernicus’ situational report.

“The fire in Rethymno, Crete, which started around noon, has spread to three fronts,” the report read. “The fire spread rapidly due to strong winds and threatened the village of Agia Paraskevi. The residents of Agia Paraskevi had to be evacuated and a 112 message was sent out. 61 vehicles with 110 firefighters, 85 ground personnel, 6 helicopters, and 4 airplanes were used to fight the fire, supported by municipal vehicles/machinery and volunteer organizations.”

Numerous other 112 evacuation alerts were sent to other communities near Agia Paraskevi Thursday morning, including Rizikas, Sata, Apodoulou, Platanos, and Vathiakou.

Fire officials told the Athens daily newspaper Kathimerini that the wildfire is difficult to control after spreading into ravines, and because local firefighting services are strained from battling 28 other active wildfires on the island.

Researchers warned Greece and other areas in Southern Europe to prepare for an intense wildfire season at the beginning of July. Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) showed elevated forest fire risk across the region caused by increased drought and rising global temperatures, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and increased animal agriculture land usage.

“According to the seasonal forecast from EFFIS, the Balkans, Greece, and southern France will likely have a hot summer with relatively little precipitation,” said Dr Johannes Kaiser from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research’s Department of Atmosphere and Climate. “What is certain is that human, ecologic and economic costs from wildfires only can be reduced if adequate emergency prevention, response, and recovery measures are implemented in a sustainable and regionally adapted manner.”

Town Gulch Fire triggers Emergency Conflagration Act, evacuations near Oregon/Idaho border

Update: Aug. 9

The fire has burned an estimated 19,250 acres as of Friday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center’s infrared map.

Light to moderate winds contributed to reduced fire behavior in many areas around the fire’s perimeter, fire officials said Thursday night. The most active areas remain on the north and northeastern sides of the fire. Threats to the nearby communities of Halfway and Richland appear minimal as the fire progresses into Whitman National Forest.

Update: Aug. 8

Officials created the “Town Gulch Fire Information 2024” Facebook page to share updates on the fire.

The fire has so far burned an estimated 18,500 acres after crews established a perimeter. Division Alpha section of the perimeter, near a firebreak close to the city of Richland, remained cold overnight while the Division Mike area’s direct dozer line near the community of Halfway held strong while structure crews remain in the area for structure triage.

Click here to watch the deputy operations chief’s update.

Update: Aug. 7

The Baker County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for Oregon residents near the Town Gulch Fire, which has burned nearly 18,000 acres as of Wednesday morning.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the wildfire, which allows the state fire marshal to mobilize state resources to wildfires that threaten life, safety, and property while exceeding the capabilities of local firefighting personnel. Kotek has invoked the act nine times since the start of 2024.

The wildfire is burning around eight miles northwest of Richland. Communities under Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders include areas south of McBride Campground to Carson Creek and west of Carson Creek to Valley View Lane then west of Lee Creek to Foothill Ditch, and areas west of Foothill Ditch to Orr Hill Lane and Lone Fir Road intersection then following along the base of the hill to north of Highway 86, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. Multiple other areas are under “Set” and “Ready” orders.

“Although overnight fire growth and activity was minimal, hot, dry, windy conditions on Tuesday contributed to the Town Gulch Fire being extremely active,” the USFS Wallowa Whitman National Forest said. “Fifteen aircraft assisted the suppression effort Tuesday, conducting both water and retardant drops. Additional ground resources arrived Tuesday morning, bringing total personnel to 112. Intense fire behavior Tuesday afternoon resulted in all resources focusing on structure protection.”

The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Incident Management Team was sent to fight the fire, along with four structural task forces.

The fire was first reported to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center at around 9:30 a.m. Monday, USFS said. The fire spread to around 350 acres by late afternoon Monday and burned an estimated 800 acres as of Tuesday afternoon. The fire then topped the West Wall and started burning downslope in heavy timber toward Pine Valley, growing to 10,000 acres Tuesday night.

The American Red Cross of Idaho and East Oregon opened an evacuation shelter at the Lions Club in Halfway for those affected by the fire.

Residents are urged to follow the Baker County Sheriff’s Office for updates on the wildfire.

U.S. Forest Service – Wallowa Whitman National Forest

Record emissions from wildfires across the Americas in 2024

Wildfires in regions across North and South America released more emissions in July than any other July in recorded history — specifically in Alberta, California, Bolivia, and the the tropical forest zone of the Amazon River basin — according to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

“CAMS estimates emissions from wildfires and vegetation fires around the world based on satellite observations of fire radiative power in its Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS), combining FRP observations from different satellite sensors to estimate a number of emissions related to wildfires,” according to the Service.

Alberta’s total estimated carbon emissions in July are the highest of any July in the CAMS Global Fire Assimilation System dataset, which has recorded emissions for the past 21 years. Canada as a whole recorded increased emissions through July and is approaching the highest annual totals estimated for any year before 2023, which had by far the highest emissions ever recorded in the country. Fire intensity s in British Columbia and Saskatchewan has also increased throughout July, while more wildfires developed in the Yukon and Northwest Territories in mid-July.

California’s Park Fire, the state’s fourth-largest wildfire on record, made July the most emissions-heavy July on CAMS’ record. Oregon’s emissions are near the highest of July totals after fires burned nearly 500,000 hectares (1,235,527 acres) across the state, which local officials say is four times the seasonal average. Notable fires and emissions in Alaska persisted through late June and early July, but have since greatly reduced. CAMS has also recorded increased wildfire emissions in Washington, Montana, and Colorado.

Wildfires in South America increased in both intensity and frequency through the second half of July. Amazonas’ total estimated emissions in July were much higher than any other recorded year — three times higher than in 2023 and 2022. The neighboring state of Rondonia also recorded the highest in the CAMS dataset.

South America’s highest wildfire activity was in Bolivia and areas of the Brazilian Amazon. Bolivian government officials said a record 11,576 active fires burned in the region on July 24, with 165,999 fires detected since the start of July. Brazilian authorities also estimated this was the worst July in two decades with more than 22,000 active wildfires. Wildfire increases occurred around two weeks earlier than usual during fire season in the region, which historically has peaked in August and September.

Brazil’s above-average emissions are caused in part by wildfires burning across the Pantanal wetlands. The world’s largest tropical wetland and biodiversity haven has marked record-breaking wildfires this year, just four years after similar fires burned 13,300 acres of the preserve.

India records lowest number of wildfires since 2020

The Forest Service of India (FSI) recently reported a record-low number of wildfires in the country this year.

The country’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said a total of 203,544 forest fires burned in the country between November 2023 and June 2024, the lowest number of wildfires in the same period over the past four years. The ministry made the announcement at a recent session of Parliament.

“Forest fires in India are detected using satellite-based sensors called the SNPP-VIIRS (Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership – Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite),” according to The Print. “Along with that, the FSI also has a monitoring and alert system in place that sends SMSes and emails to registered users in the event of a fire.”

Past numbers mark a steady decline from a historic high wildfire total of 345,989 between November 2020 and June 2021. The ministry also released state-by-state data, which showed Uttarakhand to have the highest number of wildfires this year at 21,033 — followed by Odisha at 20,973.

MoEFCC attributed the declining wildfire totals to India’s National Disaster Management Authority’s training of three disaster relief battalions to specifically deal with forest fires. There are 150 people spread across the three teams’ locations who are sent to fight forest fires.

The country’s government earlier faced criticism from experts regarding its wildfire response and its attempt to pivot blame away from systemic issues and solely toward forest duff and pine litter.

MoEFCC did not cite estimates on the loss of forest or wildlife caused by wildfires in the country, data that has been previously asked for by experts.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi published a study in 2023 outlining how climate change will negatively affect future fire weather danger in Indian forests. The study projected then that India would see a 60 percent increase in fire weather danger in dry forests with a 40 percent reduction in humid forests. The fire season is also estimated to be longer (by 3 to 61 days) across the country and pre-monsoon fire season is predicted to become more intense in over 55 percent of forests. The study’s findings led researchers to call specifically for changes in how wildfires are tracked and fought at the regional level.

“India is a known biodiversity hotspot, and this biodiversity is affected by forest fires that play a critical role in ecosystem dynamics,” researchers said. “This study clearly demonstrates that there is considerable heterogeneity in the fire danger between and even within forest zones. Hence, a national uniform threshold for fire danger is not advisable. Fire management and mitigation policies must be based on local-regional level metrics.”

India NOAA satellite

Australian and New Zealand firefighters head to Canada as part of years-long partnership

The British Columbia Wildfire Service recently welcomed a group of 60 IMT members and specialized personnel from Australia and New Zealand to assist throughout the province. Another 30 went to Alberta.

The firefighters arrived in Canada as part of a years-long partnership through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

“The relationship between the B.C. Wildfire Service and Australia is longstanding, extending more than 15 years of mutual aid, support, and knowledge transfer,” they said. “The first instances of support started during the 2007 wildfire season in Australia, when B.C. assisted by sending more than 60 personnel to support fire suppression efforts.”

CIFFC is a not-for-profit group operated by Canadian wildland fire management partners and shares resources and mutual aid throughout the nation and internationally using the Canadian Interagency Mutual Aid Resource Sharing (MARS) Agreement — and the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council during wildfire seasons. CIFFC has a similar agreement with the U.S.

During the catastrophic 2021 season in British Columbia, the B.C. Wildfire Service was able to rely on these arrangements to request support from other Canadian provinces, the federal government, Mexico and Australia. CIFFC supports this coordination of resources.

Fire officials attribute the strong relationship between the nations to a shared understanding of how to approach emergency management.

“The agencies operate similarly in terms of warning systems, collaboration, and information sharing. We share a lot in common when it comes to fire behavior as well. Large bushfires and wildfires that can cause significant impact to close-by communities and property, hot dry and windy conditions, and fires with ability to grow quickly are not uncommon for the two nations.”

Nine of the 90 total firefighters came from the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), according to the South Australian government; the deployment could last up to 40 days.

“I feel humbled and honored to have this opportunity to travel to Canada to support their firefighters in a time of need and to deploy the skills I have learned over the years and to learn some new ones,” CFS Divisional Commander Phil Tapscott said. “These opportunities always reaffirm that what we do here in the CFS is of a very high quality.”

Around 883 wildfires have burned in British Columbia since the beginning of the year, according to the BC Wildfire Service list. Of those, 349 are still burning and 211 are considered out of control; 16 evacuation orders in 2024 have been issued.

Alberta has recorded 927 wildfires this year, 161 of which are labeled “active” and 53 of which are “out of control,” according to the province’s wildfire status dashboard.

Briefing on working in B.C., topics from radio communications to safety around wildlife. ~BC Wildfire Service

in wildfire management

Alberta Australia BC Canada CIFFC New Zealand

Russia declares multiple states of emergency as wildfires threaten thousands, government inaction continues

Multiple wildfires across Russia have caused officials to issue multiple states of emergency and evacuate thousands, while government officials are accused of largely ignoring the problem.

The latest state of emergency was issued by Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko on July 14, according to the Kyiv Independent. The city in southern Russia was forced to evacuate around 500 people from the fire that burned at least 153 acres as of July 15. More than 300 people, including workers from the Emergency Situations Ministry, were fighting the fire.

Two other regions declared wildfire-driven states of emergency at the beginning of July, a Reuters article reported. The Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, declared a federal state of emergency for wildfires on July 1. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported more than 107 registered wildfires burned more than 331,000 hectares (~818,000 acres) in the region.

The governor of the remote Siberian region of Tuva made the declaration on the same day as Sakha after a wildfire burned around 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) driven by intense heat, strong winds, and dry thunderstorms.

“At the moment, 23 forest fires have been registered on the territory of the republic,” said Vladislav Khovalyg, head of the Tuva region. “Most of them are in inaccessible mountainous areas. July as a whole promises to be the most difficult month in terms of the fire situation, and we have to fight for every hectare of forest.”

Experts warned that the nation was unprepared for an alarming wildfire season. The Moscow Times reported that limited state capacity for fire prevention and control, along with ongoing dry grass burning practices, worried experts of the potential for the season to turn into an annual crisis.

The “official indifference” was seen in real-time during the Siberia wildfires, which have burned an area the size of Normandy since the beginning of the year, French newspaper Le Monde reported. While the Russian government is preoccupied with its incursion into Ukraine, officials are neglecting necessary resources to fight wildfires burning throughout the nation.

“The problem is not just in the forest and its poor management,” an Irkutsk resident told Le Monde. “It’s largely in the heads of the people and the authorities, who don’t want to see it or fight it.”

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported more than 107 registered wildfires burned more than 331,000 hectares (~818,000 acres) in the region.

Russia’s wildfire problem is exacerbated by Earth’s changing climate. Recent research has shown wildfires will worsen in the coming years, even in areas where wildfires are currently rare, such as Russia’s alpine regions. Smoke from the worsening wildfires, e.g. in Siberia, is projected to cause thousands of deaths and billions in costs for East Asia.

The colors on the Russian Hydrometeorological Center’s map below represent the number of days of predicted “high” and “extreme” fire danger in April, according to the Moscow Times. The purple indicates less than one day, the yellow between one and three days, pink between four and six days, red between seven and nine days, and dark red over ten days.

climate change Russia Ukraine invasion wildfires

Indigenous knowledge to be used in future Australian bushfire research

Australia’s National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week started on July 7 with a commitment from bushfire researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Canberra City.

The university has previously published numerous articles of landmark research on bushfires, including creating the world’s first extreme bushfire warning system, developing the first fire-retardant paint that passes the stringent BAL-40 test, and studying the long-lasting impacts of Australia’s “Black Summer” Bushfires.

University researchers have made a new commitment to future bushfire projects, vowing to incorporate more Indigenous practices.

“UNSW Canberra researchers are working to better incorporate Indigenous practices and understandings of fire in bushfire management, to better prepare for an increasingly uncertain future thanks to climate change,” a press release from the university said.

Similar to the practices of various Native American tribes, fire played an intrinsic role in the lives of Australia’s Indigenous communities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for countless generations, and is still in use today.

Small controlled fires help them hunt, clear pathways through bush, and regenerate vegetation, according to The Nature Conservancy. “Cool Burns” have recently made a comeback after centuries of Euro-Australian suppression diminished the practice, caused by early colonizers’ view of fire as only a threat rather than a land-management practice. The loss of managed fire on Australia’s landscape, along with climate change, is a direct contributor to the severe bushfires that have burned the country since.

UNSW Bushfire Director Jason Sharples, a member of the Aboriginal Bundjalung people, said Indigenous fire knowledge adds needed depth to modern bushfire research.

“Local Indigenous people would know the land was ready for a burn when certain environmental indicators aligned, for example, when wattle flowers fell and when certain cloud formations were observed over prominent mountains,” Sharples said.

“Essentially, Country told them the right time to burn, and the people would offer fire as a gift back to Country. From a Western scientific perspective, this aligns with selecting the correct season based on the native flora, and only burning on a day when temperature and relative humidity conditions are within an acceptable range, as indicated by the cloud formations.”

UNSW is already working on two projects with the commitment to Indigenous practices in mind. One of the projects is studying how ridgelines, which correspond closely with Indigenous Songlines, cause unique wind patterns and influence fire spread. The other project compares modern bushfire regimes in southeast Australia with traditional fire regimes, Indigenous calendars, and cultural fire lore to better understand how climate change will affect future bushfires.

The university’s commitment pairs well with this year’s NAIDOC theme: “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.” The theme conveys the strength and vitality of the nation’s Indigenous cultures which have stayed alive for generations despite historic and ongoing oppression and persecution.

“NAIDOC Week is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of promoting the cultural practices and learnings of Indigenous Australians and this will remain central to the work we do within UNSW Bushfire,” Sharples said.

Australia bushfire indigenous NSW research