Wildfires burned more than 10 million acres in the United States during the 2020 season. It was the worst season on record. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/us-2020-wildfire-season-record-bad…
Tag: firefighters
Northern Hemisphere just had its hottest summer on record
Not only was August 2020 the 2nd-warmest August on record, but the Northern Hemisphere had its warmest summer on record, and the globe as a whole had its 3rd-hottest 3-month season. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/northern-hemisphere-2020-hottest-summer-on-record…
With Wildfires, California Experiences a ‘Cascading’ of Climate Disasters
“Multiple mega fires burning more than three million acres. Millions of residents smothered in toxic air. Rolling blackouts and triple-digit heat waves. “Climate change, in the words of one scientist, is smacking California in the face,” reports the New York Times. (Alternate URL here.) The crisis in the nation’s most populous state is more than just an accumulation of individual catastrophes….
‘Apocalyptic’ skies across U.S. West this week
Video of the weirdly orange skies across the U.S. West this week, created by massive wildfires that incinerated several communities in Oregon in the past 2 days and blotted out the sun in San Francisco yesterday. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/apocalyptic-red-skies-u-s-west-early-sept-2020…
Apple Puts $400 Million Toward Affordable Housing
Apple announced Monday that it is allocating $400 million toward affordable housing and homeowner assistance programs in California this year, as part of the $2.5 billion commitment announced in November. From a report: The housing crisis has worsened in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing states and cities to pause spending on affordable housing projects. Big Tech’s wealth has been…
Dogs Are Now Being Trained To Sniff Out Coronavirus
New Slashdot submitter Joe2020 shares a report from the BBC: Firefighters in Corsica, France, are aiming to teach canines how to sniff out coronavirus, as they can other conditions. It’s hoped that detection dogs could be used to identify people with the virus at public places like airports. Their trial is one of several experiments being undertaken in countries including the…
Officials In Australia’s New South Wales Celebrate: ‘All Fires Are Now Contained’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Fire officials in Australia are celebrating a landmark moment, saying that for the first time in what has been a horrendous wildfire season, every fire in hard-hit New South Wales is now under control. Bushfires have destroyed more than 2,400 homes and burned 5.4 million hectares of land — or about 13.3 million…
Massive Building Fire Threatens Worldwide Vinyl Record Production
Apollo Masters, one of two plants in the world that manufacture lacquers that are imperative to the process of making vinyl records, sustained a major fire yesterday and burned down. Loudwire reports: The Desert Sun confirmed that the fire began in the 15,000-square-foot building at 8am Feb. 6. There were multiple explosions reported, and 82 firefighters responded to the scene. The…
Aussie Firefighters Save World’s Only Groves Of Prehistoric Wollemi Pines
As wildfires tear through Australia, a specialized team of firefighters has managed to save hidden groves of the Wollemi pine — a rare prehistoric tree that outlived the dinosaurs. The trees are so rare, they were thought to be extinct until 1994. From a report: It was a lifesaving mission as dramatic as any in the months-long battle against the wildfires…
‘Angry’ tortoise sets owner’s house on fire
A tortoise with a rather irate expression recently ended up having to be rescued from a burning house. Firefighters were called out to a house in the … Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/333290/angry-tortoise-sets-owners-house-on-fire…