Tag: Huge

  • US firefighters begin to slow huge California wildfire | Environment News

    US firefighters begin to slow huge California wildfire | Environment News

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    Firefighters have begun to slow the spread of the largest wildfire so far this year in California, after the Oak Fire threatened the famed Yosemite National Park and forced thousands of residents to evacuate their communities.

    The massive blaze expanded rapidly since it began on Friday, overwhelming the initial deployment of firefighters as scorching and dry weather fuelled its galloping pace through dry forest and underbrush.

    Several officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said the fire initially behaved unlike any other they had seen, with burning embers sparking smaller fires up to 3km (2 miles) in front of the main conflagration.

    But firefighters have not seen more of that so-called spotting, Cal Fire spokesperson Natasha Fouts said on Monday from the incident command centre in Merced, about 210km (130 miles) inland from San Francisco.

    The absence of other major fires in the region enabled Cal Fire to concentrate 2,500 firefighters on the blaze, and the lack of wind allowed for the continuous use of aircraft to drop water and fire retardant, officials said.

    “We have concentrated all our crews throughout the state here. So if there’s a silver lining, it’s that we’re throwing everything at this fire right now,” Joseph Amador, a Cal Fire spokesperson, told Al Jazeera.

    The Oak Fire has engulfed 6,795 hectares (16,791 acres) and is 10 percent contained, Cal Fire said on Monday.

    It is the most destructive blaze so far this fire season, destroying more than three times in area than the nearby Washburn Fire, which has been nearly 90 percent contained. But it pales in comparison with last year’s Dixie Fire, which burned nearly 405,000 hectares (1 million acres).

    “What we’re seeing on this [Oak Fire] is very indicative of what we’ve seen in fires throughout California, in the West over the last two years,” Jon Heggie, a Cal Fire battalion chief, told CNN.

    “These fires are burning with just such a velocity and intensity it makes it extremely challenging and extremely dangerous for both the public and the firefighters,” Heggie said.

    “It’s moving so quickly it’s not giving people a lot of time and they sometimes are just going to have to evacuate with just the shirts on their back,” he said.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Mariposa County on Saturday, citing “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property”.

    In recent years, California and other parts of the western United States have been ravaged by huge and fast-moving wildfires, driven by years of drought and a warming climate.

    A US firefighter stands on top of a fire engine as crews battle the Oak Fire in California.
    Several officials with Cal Fire said the fire initially behaved unlike any other they had seen [File: Noah Berger/AP Photo]

    Experts have said climate change is driving heatwaves, drought and other extreme weather conditions around the world. Virtually every part of the US has experienced above-normal temperatures in the past week, and more dangerously-hot weather is expected.

    “Whatever it is, the conditions seem to be getting worse every year,” Amador at Cal Fire told Al Jazeera. “And every year we talk about record-setting years and here we are again. But we’re up to the task and we’re going to continue to do our best.”

    In California, evacuations were in place Monday for more than 6,000 people living across the sparsely populated Oak Fire zone in the Sierra Nevada foothills, though a handful of residents defied the orders and stayed behind, said Adrienne Freeman, a US Forest Service spokesperson.

    “We urge people to evacuate when told,” she said.

    Lynda Reynolds-Brown and her husband, Aubrey, awaited news about the fate of their home from an evacuation centre at a primary school. They fled as ash rained down and the fire descended a hill towards their property.

    “It just seemed like it was above our house and coming our way really quickly,” Reynolds-Brown told KCRA-TV.

    High temperatures in the area on Monday were expected to reach 37C (98F) with a slight breeze throughout the day. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms was in the forecast on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said, but otherwise, the area could expect similar hot weather much of the week.

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  • Huge update in South Africa club mass poisoning case as blood tests show mystery chemical in 21 teens found dead in bar

    Huge update in South Africa club mass poisoning case as blood tests show mystery chemical in 21 teens found dead in bar

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    TRACES of methanol have been discovered in the blood of 21 teens found dead in a club in South Africa last month.

    Officials said they are still probing if the levels of the toxic chemical in the bodies of the teenagers – aged between 13 and 17 – were enough to kill them.

    Detectives work at the scene of the mass poisoning at the Enyobeni Tavern

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    Detectives work at the scene of the mass poisoning at the Enyobeni TavernCredit: Reuters
    Family members weep at the coffins of the 21 teenage victims

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    Family members weep at the coffins of the 21 teenage victimsCredit: EPA

    Cops launched an investigation into the mysterious deaths after an end-of-exams party ended in tragedy at the Enyobeni Tavern on June 26.

    Lifeless bodies were found slumped across tables and couches and collapsed on the dance floor at the popular venue with 21 reported dead with “no visible injuries”.

    Authorities investigating the horror deaths have now confirmed traces of methanol were found in the bodies of the victims.

    Dr. Litha Matiwane, Eastern Cape provincial deputy director for clinical service, said: “Methanol has been detected in all the 21 individuals that were there.

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    “However, there is still progressive analysis of the quantitative levels of methanol and whether it could have been the final cause of death.”

    Methanol is a poisonous, odourless liquid often found in illegally produced alcohol – and overexposure can cause death.

    It is yet not known how the youngsters ingested the methanol.

    Police Minister General Bheki Cele said officials are waiting for the final toxicology reports to decide if they will press criminal charges.

    Matiwane said alcohol poisoning and inhalation of carbon monoxide have both been ruled out as possible causes of death – although traces of both were detected in the bodies of all the victims.

    The owner of Enyobeni tavern and some employees were arrested.

    They were released on bail as facing charges related to the violation of alcohol trading laws – including the sale of alcohol to children.

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke at a mass funeral for the teens and vowed to take action to stop alcohol being served to children under the age of 18.

    Devastated locals have called for the tavern to be closed down.

    A 17-year-old girl living nearby, who only gave her name as “Lolly”, said: “Everyone wants it closed down because they sell alcohol to under-age children.

    “Everyone is angry, everyone is sad because of what happened.”

    The incident shares eerie similarities with the Throb nightclub disaster that happened in March 2000.

    A detonation of a teargas canister at the Throb nightclub in Chatsworth, South Africa, resulted in a stampede which subsequently led to the death of 13 children.

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    Another 100 were injured while the youngest victim was 11 years old.

    The club was filled with 600 children aged 11-14 celebrating the end of term.



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