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Fire in the USA: 500,000 people fleeing forest fires - smoke reaches Europe

2020-09-14T04:35:11.948Z


In the USA, the forest fires claim numerous lives again. Hundreds of thousands are fleeing the flames on the west coast. But there is hope.


In the USA, the forest fires claim numerous lives again.

Hundreds of thousands are fleeing the flames on the west coast.

But there is hope.

  • The

    forest fires

    on the west coast of the USA have already left numerous

    deaths

    .

  • Hundreds of thousands of people

    are on the run from the

    flames

    .

  • Many areas are

    cut off

    from the outside world

    .

    The number of victims continues to rise.

Update from September 13th, 9:28 pm:

The situation on the

west coast of the USA

is still tense.

Forest fires

have so far

claimed

29 lives

.

The American television station NBC reports that since mid-August there have been 20 deaths in

California

, eight in

Oregon

and one in

Washington

.

Dozens of people were reported missing.

The authorities therefore assume that the actual

number of victims is

much higher.

In addition, tens of thousands of

Americans have been

forced to leave

their homes and are now homeless.

In addition to the direct threat posed by the

fires

,

air pollution is

becoming an increasing problem for people.

In

San Francisco

the Save-The-Air Alert has already been proclaimed, reports

RTL.de

.

The

air

in the city has

reached harmful levels.

The

smoke

can cause asthma, lung and chest pain in people, and worsen existing respiratory diseases.

The

lungs

can also be permanently damaged.

The smoke from the forest fires on the US west coast is already in Europe.

We explain the effects of this here.

#waldbraende #california #fire #weather #weatherde https://t.co/xUU97b6pgA pic.twitter.com/Qjp61t5g3v

- Wetter.de (@ Wetterde1) September 13, 2020

The

smoke from

the numerous fires has now reached the

atmosphere

.

It is now moving across the Atlantic to

Europe

.

The concentration of the particles is so low that it is no longer dangerous.

The RTL meteorologist Björn Alexander says: “The

smoke

and

ash particles from

the large fires in the

west of the USA

are distributed with the atmospheric circulation first in

North America

and then across the Atlantic to us in

Europe

.

The concentration here is of course very low, but it can certainly have an impact.

When the

weather is

nice and clear,

as we currently have, the finest particles, for example, make the sunrises and sunsets appear much more intensely colored. "

Forest fires on the US west coast: area the size of Mallorca burned

Update from September 12, 8:35 a.m.:

At

least

16 people

died in

the

forest fires

on the

west coast of the USA

.

Many fatalities would be feared, said Andrew Phelps of the civil protection agency.

The full extent of the destruction is not yet known.

But in the state of

Oregon

alone

, according to Governor Kate Brown, more than 3,600 square kilometers of land were on fire - an area the size of Mallorca.

In

Oregon,

more than

500,000 residents have

already had to leave their homes on the instructions of the authorities and thus escape the fires.

"We have never seen so many uncontrolled fires in our state," said Brown.

In

California,

on the other hand, more than ten thousand square kilometers of land had been burned by Friday morning.

On Thursday, multiple fires had combined to create the largest forest and bush fire the state has ever seen.

But Governor Gavin Newsom gave hope to the people affected and the 20,000 firefighters deployed on the west coast, as the weather began to “cooperate”.

It is forecast that the wind will decrease and some rain in the coming days.

Forest fires on the US west coast: Ex-President Obama calls for votes

Update from September 11th, 10:54 a.m

.:

California

,

Oregon

and

Washington are

fighting the worst forest fires in history.

Around 14,000 firefighters are trying to put out 29 forest and bush fires on the US west coast.

The number of victims is increasing.

Ash darkens the sky.

Photos like from a disaster film can be found on social networks.

In the US state of Oregon, half a million people had to escape the fires.

Five cities there have already been destroyed by the flames.

In Oregon, the fire brigade is currently focusing on protecting lives in the fight against the fires, local authorities said.

In Oregon alone there is currently a fire on 3,642 square kilometers, an area the size of Mallorca.

Bush and forest fires have risen sharply in recent years, for which experts believe global warming is partly responsible.

Donald Trump made fun of climate change only recently.

Ex-President Barack Obama is

now taking

this terrible situation as an opportunity to motivate Americans to vote in the US.

The 59-year-old has so far been

reluctant

to criticize

Donald Trump

.

But since the party congress, Obama has become clearer.

“The fires on the west coast are just the latest examples of how much our climate is changing in our communities.

The protection of our planet is on the ballot.

Vote how your life depends on it - because it is, "Obama tweeted.

The fires across the West Coast are just the latest examples of the very real ways our changing climate is changing our communities.

Protecting our planet is on the ballot.

Vote like your life depends on it — because it does.

pic.twitter.com/gKGegXWxQu

- Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 10, 2020

Meanwhile,

climate activist Greta Thunberg also

speaks out - with an urgent appeal.

Fire in California: Worst Wildfire In History

Update from September 11th, 2020

: Due to the devastating

forest fires

in

California

, the

number

of

deaths

has increased again.

Seven bodies

were found in a

fire area

in

Butte County

.

The sheriff in charge confirmed this at a press conference on Thursday evening (local time).

Accordingly, the

emergency services

had

found

three more charred bodies

the day before

.

But the fire could have killed even more people, which is why more victims are feared.

Butte County was hit by violent fires back in 2018.

The

village of Paradise

was almost completely

destroyed

by the so-called

Camp Fire

.

Tens of thousands of people

lost their homes and became

homeless

,

85 residents were killed

.

Fire in California: "Apocalyptic" images from the Golden Gate Bridge

First report from September 10, 2020

: San Francisco - The devastating

bush and forest fires

on the west coast of the USA have devastated entire towns and killed at least

six other people

.

Five cities in the state of Oregon were "largely destroyed," as

Governor Kate Brown described

on Wednesday.

The authorities warned that the

number of victims

could increase in the next few days as many areas are completely

cut off

from the outside world

.

Evacuation areas for #TwoFourTwoFire, as of Sept. 9, 2020 (from this evenings town hall meeting).

For a downloadable, printable version of this map, click here - https://t.co/PA5YLEknd6 pic.twitter.com/FKQauR72Eb

- SCOFMP Fire Info (@scofmpfireinfo) September 10, 2020

Pretty much all of her customers have "an apocalypse on their mind," said San Francisco cafe clerk Leah Lozano, the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday.

"It's a metaphor for our current plight."

Forest fires in California / USA: One year old baby dies

According to media reports, a

one-year-old child was

killed in

Washington state

and his parents were rushed to hospital with severe burns.

As the broadcaster

ABC reported

, citing the sheriff of the Okanogan district, the family had

left their property by car

on the run from the so-called

Cold Springs Fire

.

Relatives reported the three as missing on Tuesday.

The family was found on Wednesday on the banks of the Columbia River and they left their car, which later burned out.

The fire has now destroyed an area of ​​around 660 square kilometers there.

In the entire state, an area of ​​almost 2,000 square kilometers is affected.

+

Forest fires in California: The Golden Gate Bridge in the glow of shimmering red smoke.

© Harold POSTIC / AFP

Three fatalities were also found in Northern California.

Previously, at least eight people in California had been killed in the wildly raging bush and forest fires there for weeks.

Only "smoking ruins" remain of large parts of the city of Talent in Oregon, as resident Sandra Spelliscy told the

AFP

news

agency

: "There are several districts where there is no single building, only the skeletons of chimneys or charred household appliances."

Forest fires in California: Hundreds of homes destroyed

The renewed massive spread of the fires is

facilitated

by a

heat wave

and

dry wind

.

Hundreds more houses have been destroyed since the weekend, tens of thousands of people had to flee from the flames.

The catastrophe could become

"the greatest loss of human life and property"

to bush and forest fires in Oregon's history, warned Governor Brown.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee also called the extent of the fire

"unprecedented and heartbreaking

.

"

He blamed climate change for the fires.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that in the face of the fires, he had no sympathy for climate change deniers: "It has absolutely nothing to do with the reality on the ground."

In California, the flames have already destroyed a record area of ​​more than

8,000 square kilometers

.

The so-called Bear Fire recently spread at breakneck speed around 240 kilometers north of San Francisco.

It combined with older fires and threatened the city of Oroville.

Forest fires in California: Glowing flames over San Francisco

+

Orange smoke over San Francisco: In the US state of California, the forest fires are causing devastating damage.

© Brittany Hosea-Small / AFP

San Francisco

and other California regions awoke to an orange sky on Wednesday.

The phenomenon was created by the smoke from the fires, which mixed with fog and blocked the sunlight - this created a surreal-looking scene like in a

disaster film

.

More than

170,000 households

in California were without electricity because the utility company PG&E shut down the power grid in large parts of the state due to the extreme risk of forest fires.

According to the fire department, more than 3,000 buildings in California have been destroyed by the fire.

Bush and forest fires have risen sharply in California in recent years, for which experts believe global warming is partly responsible.

In November 2018, 86 people died in the north of the state in the most momentous forest fire in California's history.

(AFP / frs)

* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editorial network.

List of rubric lists: © Marcio Jose Sanchez

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-09-14

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