North America

Raging wildfires engulf western Canada: Kelowna and beyond face unprecedented threats

KELOWNA, Canada, Aug 21, 2023 (AFP) – Fires ravaging western Canada gained more ground on Sunday as two blazes merged and residents continued to evacuate. Rapidly evolving wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna, British Columbia. The situation in the popular boating and hiking destination was “highly dynamic,” said Bowinn Ma, the province’s minister of emergency management. “Do not travel to fire-affected areas of the province for tourism,” […]

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Major hurricane heads toward northwest Mexico, California

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico, Aug 18, 2023 (AFP) – Mexico braced Friday for a powerful Pacific hurricane that triggered a warning of “potentially catastrophic” flooding in a northwestern tourist region and the neighboring US state of California. Hurricane Hilary threatened to bring strong winds, flash floods and “life-threatening” surf and rip current conditions, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “We are a little scared and trying to stay positive,” Katrina Morgan, a tourist from […]

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Maui emergency manager resigns after wildfire warning criticism

LOS ANGELES, Aug 18, 2023 (AFP) – The embattled head of Maui’s emergency management agency, who had come under fire for sirens not being sounded as a wildfire tore through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina, resigned Thursday, a statement said. “Today Mayor Richard Bissen accepted the resignation of Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Administrator Herman Andaya,” a Maui County release said. “Citing health reasons, Andaya submitted his resignation effective immediately.” Andaya on Wednesday told a […]

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Mass evacuations underway as wildfires threaten Canada’s northern metropolis

Thousands ordered to flee wildfires advancing on one of the largest cities in Canada’s far north started leaving on emergency evacuation flights Thursday, as convoys snaked south to safety on the only open highway. The order late Wednesday to evacuate Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories marked the latest chapter of a terrible summer for wildfires in Canada, with tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes and vast swaths of land scorched. Tiffany […]

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Invasive firestarter: How non-native grasses turned Hawaii into a tinderbox

WASHINGTON, Aug 18, 2023 (AFP) – After a catastrophic wildfire that killed more than 100 people in Hawaii, eyes have turned toward an unexpected culprit: invasive grass species that have spread massively over the archipelago for decades, serving as the perfect fuel. Drought-resistant, capable of invading difficult terrain, and gradually muscling out local species, they are also a growing threat in the western United States, where devastating fires are increasing. “Invasive grasses are very ignitable. […]

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Canada far north city ordered to evacuate as wildfires advance

By Michel COMTE OTTAWA, Aug 17, 2023 (AFP) – Residents of one of the largest cities in Canada’s far north were ordered Wednesday to flee amid warnings that raging wildfires could reach it by the weekend. The crisis in the town of Yellowknife is the newest chapter of a terrible summer for wildfires in Canada, as flames spread quickly across the country, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and charring vast swathes of […]

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Trump indicted for racketeering over 2020 election interference

ATLANTA, Aug 15, 2023 (AFP) – Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia. The case — relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters — is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised […]

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The deadliest wildfires

PARIS, Aug 14, 2023 (AFP) – The US wildfire in which almost 100 have died in Hawaii is among the most deadly of the 21st century. Some previous wildfires: – Australia – In “Black Saturday” in Australia’s Victoria state, 173 people were killed, in Australia’s worst bushfire on February 7, 2009. Whole towns and more than 2,000 homes were destroyed. – Greece in 2007 and 2018 – In Greece’s worst-ever fire disaster, 103 people died […]

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Another Trump indictment looms as grand jury hears election case

ATLANTA, Aug 14, 2023 (AFP) – Prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the US state of Georgia presented evidence to a grand jury Monday for what could be a sprawling, multi-defendant indictment. The case would be the fourth brought against the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to the first televised trial of a former president — a watershed moment in US history — featuring charges typically used to […]

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Hawaii fire death toll hits 99, may double, warns governor

KAHULUI, United States, Aug 14, 2023 (AFP) – The death toll in Hawaii’s wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state’s governor said Monday, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. Last week’s inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century. But Governor Josh Green said more fatalities are certain, as emergency responders with cadaver dogs work […]

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Unveiling the devastation: Aftermath of Hawaii’s wildfire and questions over alerts

In this video we follow Joshua Galang’s report on the most recent developments and aftermath surrounding the catastrophic Maui wildfire. No sirens sounded, and a number of Lahaina residents reported becoming aware of the fire through neighbors urgently passing down the street or witnessing the situation firsthand. We listen to the proclamation made by Governor Joshua Green, who has categorized this incident as the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

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