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