Category: California Wildfires

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California’s Woolsey Fire has left a burn scar so big you can see it from space

sudshr47 November 21, 2018

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While the Woolsey Fire burning in Southern California has been 98 percent contained as of Tuesday night, it’s left a huge mark on the landscape.

According to the state’s fire services, the wildfire has burned almost 97,000 acres, an area so vast you can see it from space.

NASA shared an image of the “burn scar” taken on Nov. 18 using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) that sits on on the space agency’s Terra satellite.

Burned vegetation in the area appears brown, while green indicates unburned vegetation. Buildings and roads are light gray and white. According to NASA, the colors have been altered to look more natural. Read more…

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Harrowing video shows helicopter rescue of several people and their dogs from California wildfire

sudshr47 November 20, 2018

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While the Woolsey Fire in southern California, is largely contained (96% as of Monday night) some of the terrifying images from the last several weeks are continuing to trickle out, including the above video of an absolutely incredible rescue. 

The footage is harrowing, taken from a helmet cam, as rescuers navigate a helicopter among the wind, smoke, and fire to land safely and rescue three people — and two dogs — on Castro Peak near Malibu. 

It also offers up a rare perspective of what it takes to make these rescues, how complicated and dangerous they are and the risks taken by first responders in dire situations — in this case LAFD Air Operations pilots David Nordquist and Joel Smith.  Read more…

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Finns troll Trump with photos of themselves raking leaves

sudshr47 November 19, 2018

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Donald Trump’s comment about raking leaves has left some Finns scratching their heads.

It comes after a visit to the fire-ravaged Paradise in California on Saturday, where Trump suggested people could be cleaning up leaves to prevent blazes.

“You look at other countries where they do it differently and it’s a whole different story. I was with the President of Finland and he said we are a forest nation. He called it a forest nation,” Trump told reporters. 

“And they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don’t have any problem.” Read more…

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California cities now have the worst air pollution on Earth as smoke blows into town

sudshr47 November 17, 2018

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Oakland, a Northern California city with a population of over 425,000, had the worst air quality in the world Saturday morning.

Wildfire smoke wafting over from the still-growing Camp Fire — by far the deadliest wildfire in state history — had inundated many heavily-populated California cities and towns with small bits of pollution thinner than the width of a human hair, called Particulate Matter 2.5, or PM 2.5.

Berkeley Earth, a scientific climate organization, keeps tabs on air pollution around the globe. As of Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m. ET, Oakland topped the global list with particle concentrations of 167 μg/m3  (meaning micrograms per cubic meter) — which are levels deemed “Very Unhealthy” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Coming in a distant second is Kanpur, India with particulate levels of 132.  Read more…

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Stephen Colbert slams Donald Trump’s tweet blaming wildfires on ‘poor’ forest management

sudshr47 November 13, 2018

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The deadliest wildfire in California history has ravaged the town of Paradise, claiming the lives of at least 42 people. 

Stephen Colbert talked about the President’s response to these wildfires — and the contrast to that of most . “I’m gonna start out tonight by saying to the people of California, our thoughts are with you because the golden state is being ravaged by three deadly wildfires in Malibu and northern California,” said Colbert. “There’s been a tragic loss of life and an unprecedented loss of property.” 

“At a time like this, it’s hard to know the right thing to say. But for the wrong thing to say, let’s check the president’s Twitter feed,” he added. Read more…

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California’s Camp Fire becomes deadliest in state history, and numbers may grow

sudshr47 November 13, 2018

After transforming the once tranquil town of Paradise, California into charred automobiles and tales of horror, the Camp Fire takes its infamous spot as the deadliest wildfire in California history. 
At a multi-agency press conference Monday nig…

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How you can help the victims of California’s potent wildfires

sudshr47 November 11, 2018

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The California fire season should be winding down by autumn, but it’s alive and well. The Camp Fire largely turned Paradise — a town of over 26,000 — to ash while burning fleeing victims alive in their cars. On the other side of the state, in palm tree-laden Malibu, the city posted an urgent, ominous message on Nov. 9 as the Woosley Fire approached: 

“Fire is burning out of control, heading into populated areas of Malibu. All residents evacuate now.”

These late-season fall fires — stoked by weather but enhanced by global warming — have taken at least 23 lives. Below are 3 reputable, vetted ways to help those who have fled or are combating the nation’s latest environmental catastrophe.  Read more…

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Elon Musk is playing superhero again. This time with the California wildfires.

sudshr47 November 10, 2018

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As California’s deadly wildfires rage on, none other than billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk has come forth to offer help once again.

Just after midnight (ET) on Saturday morning, Musk took to Twitter (where else?) to offer help from his electric vehicle company Tesla, which is based in the state.

“If Tesla can help people in California wildfire, please let us know,” he tweeted. “Model S & X have hospital grade HEPA filters. Maybe helpful for transporting people.”

If Tesla can help people in California wildfire, please let us know. Model S & X have hospital grade HEPA filters. Maybe helpful for transporting people.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2018 Read more…

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California Wildfires Culture Donald Trump Science

Donald Trump’s first tweet about the California wildfires blamed the victims

sudshr47 November 10, 2018

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More than 100,000 acres of land have been consumed by wildfires in California since Thursday night. Donald Trump would have you believe it’s all the state’s fault.

There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2018

California’s “forest management” is to blame. Not the confluence of environmental factors that most experts have pointed out. In Trump’s view, California isn’t using federal funds correctly. He even threatens to cut the state off from that money in the future if something doesn’t change. Read more…

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How California erupted in flames overnight

sudshr47 November 9, 2018

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Newly-born fires torched bone-dry Northern and Southern California throughout the night of November 8. One deadly blaze in particular, the Camp Fire, ripped through 70,000 acres in just 24 hours. 

“It’s incredible,” Michael Gollner, a fire scientist at the University of Maryland, said of the uncontrollable Northern California wildfire. “I don’t know if I want to say unprecedented — but it’s getting close to that. It’s incredibly rare.” 

“That blows your mind,” Brenda Belongie, lead meteorologist of the U.S. Forest Service’s Predictive Services in Northern California, said in an interview. “That impresses us in the industry.”  Read more…

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