EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING > Blog > Natural Disaster > Wild Fires Burning in the US and Canada
Wild Fires Burning in the US and Canada
Fire season is just getting started in North America. What’s the worst that can happen?
Currently fires are burning in California, Colorado, Georgia and British Columbia. Thousands have been evacuated.
Large Wildfires Force Evacuations In California; 5,000 Firefighters Deployed.
Noah Berger/AP
“The Whittier Fire, which is burning in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, is especially concerning for firefighters because it’s near hundreds of homes,” reports Debra Greene from member station KCLU. “It has already destroyed some structures, and mandatory evacuations are in place.”
Canada declares state of emergency in British Columbia as 138 ‘extraordinary’ wildfires spread over province
Reuters
Dry weather and lightning strikes stoke the worst forest fires in over a decade.
One firefighter said: “I’ve been in this business for 17 years… and I haven’t experienced a day like we experienced yesterday.”
Weather conditions are further fueling the conflagration. The Weather Network said that a ridge of high pressure was keeping up temperatures, pushing hot, dry desert air through the Prairies. Lighting storms also lit up the skies in many parts of the province.
Firefighters were contending with more than 200 wildfires burning in British Columbia that had destroyed dozens of buildings, including several homes and two airport hangars. The three biggest fires, which ranged in size from 5 to 8 square miles, had forced thousands of people to flee.
“We are just, in many ways, at the beginning of the worst part of the fire season and we watch the weather, we watch the wind, and we pray for rain,” outgoing Premier Christy Clark told reporters in Kamloops.
This Georgia wildfire may not be extinguished until November, official says
Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Mark Davis via Reuters
A wildfire in southern Georgia is burning so violently, it might not be extinguished until November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
The West Mims fire started April 6, when a lightning strike sparked a flame in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, the fire has expanded to cover over 100,000 acres of the refuge. As of May 1, the blaze has destroyed 25 percent of the refuge, and only 8 percent of the fire has been contained.
Wildfires Basic Safety Tips
ready.gov
https://www.ready.gov/wildfires
If you see a wildfire and haven’t received evacuation orders yet, call 9-1-1. Don’t assume that someone else has already called.
If ordered to evacuate during a wildfire, do it immediately make sure and tell someone where you are going and when you have arrived.
Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications. To find out what alerts are available in your area, search the Internet with your town, city, or county name and the word “alerts.”
If you or someone you are with has been burned, call 9-1-1 or seek help immediately; cool and cover burns to reduce chance of further injury or infection.
How To Prepare For A Wildfire
Link to How to Prepare for a Wildfire PDF – FEMA.gov
Till next time
“Be Safe”