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TENERIFE, Spain, Oct 6, 2023 (AFP) – Thousands of residents evacuated for two days from the Spanish island of Tenerife because of a wildfire were allowed home on Friday after firefighters gained control over the blaze, officials said. Around 120 firefighters backed by nine helicopters were battling the blaze in an area of steep ravines in the northeast of the holiday island. The wildfire, which first broke out on August 15, was declared under control […]
SYDNEY, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – Emergency services warned people to flee floods threatening more than 130 homes in eastern Australia Thursday — in a region swept by bushfires just 48 hours earlier. Heavy rains had swollen the McAllister River in the eastern state of Victoria, threatening rural homes, said David Baker, deputy chief of the state’s emergency service. “We estimate up to around 130 properties may be impacted by this event, hence why we […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30, 2023 (AFP) – Hundreds of forest fires in Indonesia have caused haze to reach areas of Malaysia where it has worsened air quality, Kuala Lumpur’s top environment official has said. Outbreaks of smog-belching forest fires in 2019 caused Malaysia to say it would pressure Indonesia to combat the annual problem, which is often caused by blazes lit to clear agricultural land. Malaysia’s Department of Environment director-general Wan Abdul Latiff Wan […]
COTONOU, Sept 23, 2023 (AFP) – At least 34 people died in Benin near Nigeria’s border on Saturday when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames, sending up a black cloud of smoke into the sky and leaving dozens of charred bodies at the site, a government official and residents said. The blaze erupted at a warehouse for smuggled fuel in the southern Benin town of Seme Podji, where cars, motorbikes and tricycle taxis came […]
SYDNEY, Sept 22, 2023 (AFP) – Volunteer firefighters are scorching Australia’s forest undergrowth, reducing fuel for what is expected to be the fiercest fire season since the monster “Black Summer” blazes. Deadly wildfires have devastated forests in Canada, Greece, Hawaii and elsewhere around the world this year but unlike many other countries, Australia heavily relies on a 190,000-strong volunteer cohort to battle the flames. Their courage was on display during the “Black Summer” fires of […]
LOS ANGELES, Sept 16, 2023 (AFP) – The number of people thought to have died in the fast-moving wildfire that tore through part of Hawaii last month dropped Friday, as authorities revised their figures. The state’s governor, Josh Green, said scientists sorting through remains now believed that 97 people had perished in Lahaina, down from a previous official toll of 115. “That number dropped a little bit because the Department of Defense and all of […]
BRUSSELS, Aug 29, 2023 (AFP) – A forest blaze in Greece is “the largest wildfire ever recorded in the EU” and the bloc is mobilising nearly half its firefighting air wing to tackle it, a European Commission spokesman said Tuesday. Eleven planes and one helicopter from the EU fleet have been sent to help Greece counter the fire north of the city of Alexandroupoli, along with 407 firefighters, spokesman Balazs Ujvari said. The EU’s civil […]
Lahaina’s Devastation: Aerial Shot Reveals Wildfire-Destroyed Boat Amidst the Aftermath on August 11, 2023 in Hawaii. The town of Lahaina suffered immense loss and displacement as a wind-driven wildfire struck, resulting in numerous casualties and thousands displaced. Ongoing search operations are focused on locating missing individuals. AFP
Residents of Filipino descent residing in regions impacted by the Hurricane Dora-sparked wildfires are urged to prioritize safety. Stay vigilant, follow evacuation orders promptly, and stay informed through local updates. A recent declaration from the Office of the Governor, dated August 9, 2023, strongly advises against nonessential travel to Maui Island. For assistance, affected Filipino nationals can reach out to the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu via the emergency hotline: (808) 253-9446.
KAHULUI, United States, Aug 11, 2023 (AFP) – The death toll from a terrifying wildfire that razed a historic Hawaiian town hit 53 Thursday, making it one of the deadliest disasters to strike the islands since they became a US state. Brushfires on the west coast of Hawaii’s Maui island — fueled by high winds from a nearby hurricane — broke out Tuesday and rapidly engulfed the seaside town of Lahaina. The flames moved so […]
The death toll from a wildfire that turned a historic Hawaiian town to ashes has risen to 36 people, officials said Wednesday. “As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire,” the Maui county government said in a statement. The fires began burning early Tuesday, putting homes, businesses and utilities at risk, as well as more than 35,000 people on the island of Maui, the Hawaii Emergency […]
