Climate change is increasing the size, frequency, intensity and seasonality of wildfires that are raging around the globe. Canada, the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the South Pacific – it seems no continent is immune to the havoc and destruction wrought by unrelenting fires.
According to the website, climatesignals.org, “All fire needs to burn is an ignition source and plenty of fuel. While climate change might not ignite the fire, it is giving fires the chance to turn into catastrophic blazes by creating warmer temperatures, increasing the amount of fuel (dried vegetation) available, and reducing water availability through earlier snowmelt and higher evaporation. Climate scientists have already identified the telltale fingerprint of climate change on wildfire activity in the past decade.’
Here are just three current examples:
Canada
Smoke from British Columbia wildfires has resulted in flight cancellations and delays at airports in Kelowna and Kamloops. Kelowna International Airport says flights in and out are being cancelled due to thick wildfire smoke and fly zone restrictions in the area.
A statement posted on the airport’s website says a wildfire northwest of Vernon has moved toward Okanagan Lake and a no-fly zone is posted above the fire, impeding planes trying to land in Kelowna.
The airport says operations are expected to resume by mid-afternoon Tuesday, while passengers at Kamloops International Airport are being told to check their flights as air quality and airspace restrictions could cause delays or cancellations.
About 250 wildfires are burning in the province, almost three dozen of those are considered fires of note, meaning they are highly visible or are a danger to the public.
Kelowna Airport’s senior operations manager posted a statement reminding passengers to check with their airline for up-to-date fight information during this period of adverse conditions.
“(Kelowna airport), working with the BC Wildfire Service, NavCanada and Transport Canada, have established interim measures to allow instrument approaches and departures to resume,” Phillip Elchitz says in the statement.
“We expect aircraft operations to restart service later this afternoon, around 3.pm. We appreciate travellers’ patience with this evolving situation.”
USA
California’s largest wildfire exploded again after burning for nearly three weeks in remote mountains and officials warned Tuesday that hot, dry weather would increase the risk of new fires across much of the state.
Firefighters saved homes Monday in the small northern California community of Greenville near the Plumas National Forest as strong winds stoked the Dixie Fire, which grew to nearly 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers) across Plumas and Butte counties.
“Engines, crews and heavy equipment shifted from other areas to increase structure protection and direct line construction as the fire moved toward Greenville,” the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said Tuesday morning.
The community of about 1,000 people was under a mandatory evacuation order. About 3,000 homes were threatened by the blaze that has destroyed 67 houses and other buildings since breaking out July 14. It was 35% contained.
Crews contended with dry, hot and windy conditions “and the forecast calls for the return of active fire behavior,” Cal Fire said.
Similar weather was expected across Southern California, where heat advisories and warnings were issued for interior valleys, mountains and deserts for much of the week.
California’s Bootleg Fire, the nation’s largest at 647 square miles (1,676 square kilometers), was 84% contained and is not expected to be fully under control until Oct. 1.
Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.
More than 20,000 firefighters and support personnel were battling 97 large, active wildfires covering 2,919 square miles (7,560 square kilometers) in 13 US states on Tuesday, the National Interagency Fire Center said.
Dry conditions and powerful winds made for dangerous fire conditions again on Tuesday in Hawaii.
Firefighters gained control over the 62-square-mile (160-square-kilometer) Nation Fire that forced thousands of people to evacuate over the weekend and destroyed at least two homes on the Big Island.
In southern Oregon, lightning struck parched forests hundreds of times in a 24 hour-period, igniting 50 new wildfires as the nation’s largest blaze burned less than 100 miles (161 kilometers) away, officials said Monday.
Firefighters and aircraft attacked the new fires before they could spread out of control. No homes were immediately threatened.
Greece
More than 500 firefighters struggled into the night Tuesday to contain a large forest blaze on the outskirts of Athens, which raced into residential areas, forcing thousands to flee. It was the worst of 81 wildfires that broke out in Greece over the past 24 hours, amid one of the country’s worst heatwaves in decades.
Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said the fire north of Athens was “very dangerous,” and had been exacerbated by strong winds and tinder-dry conditions due to the heat.
No severe injuries were reported, and authorities said several buildings had been damaged.
“We continue to fight hour by hour, with our top priority being to save human lives,” Hardalias said. “We will do so all night.”
“These are crucial hours,” Hardalias said. “Our country is undergoing one of the worst heatwaves of the past 40 years.”
The blaze sent a huge cloud of smoke over Athens, prompting multiple evacuations near Tatoi, 20 kilometers to the north and forcing the partial closure of Greece’s main north-south highway. Residents left their homes in cars and on motorcycles, often clutching pets, heading toward the capital amid a blanket of smoke.
As the flames approached their homes, residents were seen running to their cars, faces covered with dampened cloths to protect them from the heavy smoke. One group stopped to help staff from a riding school push their horses into trucks to escape the flames.
Fire crews went house to house to ensure that evacuation orders were carried out. Authorities said nobody was listed as missing, and Greek media said six people required treatment for light breathing complaints.
As the heat wave scorching the eastern Mediterranean intensified, temperatures reached 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in parts of the Greek capital. The extreme weather has fueled deadly wildfires in Turkey and blazes in Italy, Greece, Albania and across the region.
Hardalias said the temperature reached a maximum 45 Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Tatoi area.
Wildfires also raged in other parts of Greece, prompting evacuations of villages in Mani and Vassilitsa in the southern Peloponnese region, as well as on the islands of Evia and Kos, authorities said. A total 40 blazes were raging late Tuesday.
Authorities closed the Acropolis and other ancient sites during afternoon hours. The site, which is normally open in the summer from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., will have reduced hours through Friday, closing between midday and 5 p.m.
The extreme heat, described by authorities as the worst in Greece since 1987, has strained the national power supply and fueled the wildfires.
The national grid operator said the power supply to part of the capital was “endangered” after part of the transmission system, damaged and threatened by the fires, was shut down.
Five water-dropping planes and five helicopters were involved in the firefighting effort near Athens, including a Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft leased from Russia. They ceased operations after dark for safety reasons.
The blaze damaged electricity pylons, adding further strain on the electricity network already under pressure due to the widespread use of air conditioning.
The Greek Fire Service maintained an alert for most of the country for Tuesday and Wednesday, while public and some private services shifted operating hours to allow for afternoon closures.
Hardalias appealed to the public for high vigilance.
“Because the heatwave will continue in coming days, please avoid any activity that could spark a fire,” he said.