Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

November 15, 2018: At least 72 people have been killed in wildfires across California including 66 civilians and 6 firefighters. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center, this is one of the most destructive wildfire seasons on record in California, with a total of 7,579 fires burning an area of 1,667,855 acres, the largest amount of burned acreage recorded in a fire season.

Recent forest fires in Uttarakhand, India's northern Himalayan state, have claimed lives of six people. Fires have burned more than 4,700 acres of forest. The forest fires which broke out a month ago has now intensified at 427 locations in a week including in states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

About 200 climbers have been trapped after forest fire in Selo district sector on Mount Merapi , Central Java, Indonesia. Fire erupted on a cliff near the Post 1 trekking route at around 9 a.m. on Sunday,  tempo.co reported.

Smoke from the forest fire, as seen from Beit Shemesh (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Haaretz) An extensive forest fire which broke out Friday afternoon in the Beit Shemesh area poses threat to the communities of Tarum, Ta'oz and Kfar Uriya. The forest fire in Ya'ar Ha'Nasi ("President's Forest") later grew at a tremendous rate due to strong winds, Haaretz reported.

Forest fire which began Saturday mid-morning has burned around 80 hectares land in Fars province of Iran. "A total of 80 people from various organizations including police force, department of environment and even locals are trying to control the fire, " Tehran Times has written quoting Saeed Hormozi, head of the local department of environment.

A forest fire emergency has been declared in Lac La Ronge Indian Band after lightning strikes sparked around 25 forest fires in the area Saturday. Around 100 people have been evacuated from the Sikichew Lake and Clam Lake Bridge communities to Prince Albert as a precaution, CBC News reported.

 Recent forest fire in China has claimed lives of at least five Dahei mountain climbers. More than 300 fire fighters were send to control the forest fire in Dahei Mountain in northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, state run Xinhua news agency quoted local fire safety officials as saying. 

An emergency has been declared following forest fire in Chile forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. Some 4,500 people have been evacuated from Valparaiso and neighboring Vina del Mar, Reuters reported.

Firefighters are battling a fire that has burned 350 acres of acres of rare native forest on Oahu. "The Kipapa drainage fire above Mililani Mauka is 30 percent contained", Hawaii News Now has written quoting The state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

A state of emergency has been declared following forest fire near Leavenworth, Washington which has threatened 1,200 homes, USA Today reported quoting emergency management spokeswoman. The Chiwaukum Creek Fire about 10 miles north of Leavenworth has raced across more than 1,200 acres by Wednesday evening.

Recent forest fires in Chile have claimed lives of at least 16 people and destroyed around 2,000 homes, Valparaiso's Emergency Committee said. Chile forest fires 2014 have destroyed some 756 hectares causing evacuations of 10,000 people, Valparaiso's Emergency Committee further added. According to the Associated Press, some 1,200 firefighters are struggling to control the forest fires in Chile. A state of emergency has been declared in Valparaiso. Related Post: Recent natural calamities in Chile Below are images of Chile forest fires 2014. This photo shows a helicopter assisting forest fire damage in Valparaiso, Chile (Reuters/Eliseo Fernandez). The fire forced thousands of residents to evacuate (Reuters). An apocalyptic scene as the flames covered the Valparaiso city(AFP). Below is a raw video of Chile forest fire 2014 (Associated Press). Original post: Natural Disasters List April 14, 2014

A red alert has been issued by China Forest Fire Management (CFFM) following the forest fire in southern areas of the country. Extremely dangerous situation is predicted in Jiangxi, southeastern areas of Hunan, southwestern part of Fujian and Sichuan, northern Guangdong and northwestern Yunnan in the next two to three days., Xinhua reported quoting China Forest Fire Management (CFFM) Center. Forest fires in China claimed lives of at least five people and injured seven others in January 2014. The State Headquarters for Forest Fire Control had issued a fourth-level emergency response plan. Original post: Natural Disasters List January 2, 2014

Forest fires in China have claimed lives of at least five people and injured seven others, Xinhua reported. Around 46 forest fires incidents have been recorded in Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong Provinces of China. The State Headquarters for Forest Fire Control has issued a fourth-level emergency response plan. Photo below shows rescuers putting out a forest fire near a village in Fuquan City of China (Xinhua/Zhang Yong). A RED ALERT was issued by Beijing authorities for the forest fire in March 2013 . Forest fires in China in 1987 (Black Dragon fire) had claimed lives of 211 people. Original post: Natural Disasters List January 24, 2014

Wildfires in Perth, Australia have claimed lives of at least one people an destroyed around 40 homes, Western Australia state's fire and emergency services department said. Around 275 firefighters are battling the wildfires in Perth, Australia. Original post: Natural Disasters List January 13, 2014

Nearly 100 wildfires across Australia have claimed life of a person and destroyed at least 80 houses. A 63-year-old man died from a heart attack from a fire at Lake Munmorah, north of Sydney, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. According to the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), nearly 100 fires are still burning in New South Wales state in Australia's east and more than 30 of those fires are not contained. Emergency warnings remained in place for fires in the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast, just north of Sydney. Related post: Australia natural calamities list Below is a photo of a burnt car in front of a house destroyed by bushfires in Winmalee in Sydney's Blue Mountains (AFP). Roads and schools in the worst-hit areas have been closed and fire assessment teams and police are searching the survivors and victims.  More than 1500 firefighters are struggling to control the wildfire in 91,000 hectares of land. Original post: Natural Disasters List October 18, 20

A forest fire in Lebanon prompted a nearby school to evacuate students injuring a firefighter, The Daily Star reported. Forest fire hit the southern Sidon town of Maghdouche causing the evacuation of students and teachers at the nearby Al-Aila School. One rescue soldier was injured. The Army along with a helicopter have been dispatched to the area. In August 2013, forest fire affected al-Bira and Sendyaneh areas of Lebanon . History biggest forest fire hit Lebanon's Akkar region in July 2013. Photo below shows the Lebanon soldiers trying to put out a forest fire in the southern town of Maghdouche (The Daily Star/Mohammed Zaatari).   Original post: Natural Disasters List October 8, 2013

About 700 people have been evacuated due to forest fire in Mallorca, Spain. Mallorca fire has burned around 1,800 hectares, most of them of either pine forest or low-lying woodland, Xinhua reported quoting government official of the Balearic islands. Mallorca forest fire has affected Es Grau, Ses Tanquetes and Estellenc. About 370 firefighter, civil defense members and the military emergency unit are struggling to control the fire with the help of 24 planes and helicopters. The fire started on Friday just east of the leisure port of Andratx. This is believed to the worst fire in Spanish Mallorca for 15 years. Original post: Natural Disasters List July 28, 2013

Around 4,000 people have been evacuated following wildfire in Southern California today. According to The U.S. Forest Service, the so-called White fire first broke out in the Los Padres National Forest on May 27th, 2013. Los Padres National Forest is located 15 miles north of Santa Barbara. Evacuation orders have been issued for all of Paradise Rd. And Boy Scout camp in the area following the wildfire in Southern California today. The White Fire covers 1,200 acres and is 10% contained. Fire after causing minor damage to a ranger station moved away from the homes and entered deeper into Los Padres National Forest. Related post: List of wildfires in 2013 Around 700 fire fighters including from US Forest Service, Santa Barbara County, San Marcos Volunteer Fire Department, American Red Cross are struggling to control the wildfire in Southern California today. This Southern California wildfire is predicted to be fully contained by Monday June 03 rd, 2013 No injuries or fata

Update Around 200 people have been evacuated due to wildfire near Beit Shemesh. About twenty firefighting crews are struggling to control the blaze. A new forest fire has broke out near Kfar Uriya located near Beit Shemesh, Israel, Jerusalem Post mentions. Residents have been evacuated early morning following the forest fire in Israel today. At least two hikers were injured in the forest fire in Ben Shemen, near Modiin yesterday. They were immediately dispatched to Asaf Harofeh Hospital with minor burns. A heat wave has caused several forest fire incidents across Israel. Related post: Forest fire in Israel 2013 Israeli firefighters have urged residents to take caution during lighting bonfires in Lag B’Omer celebration. The Mount Carmel forest fire in Israel in 2010 claimed 44 lives. It is the deadliest forest fire in Israel's history. Original post: Natural Disasters List April 28, 2013

Recent forest fire in Valparaiso, Chile has destroyed at least 60 homes, The Telegraph mentions. Around 150 families have been evacuated from the fire zone. Fire is burning on the La Cruz and Mariposas hills in the Chilean city of Valparaiso. According to the National Office of Emergencies, fire has burned an area of 60 hectares between the two hills among eucalyptus forests and pastureland. Related post: Valparaiso, Chile natural disasters 2013 Firefighters from the National Forestry Corporation, or Conaf, and Valparaiso are struggling to control the forest fire in Valparaiso.   Planes and helicopters have been continuously dropping water over the fires. No injury has been reported. Below is a you tube video of forest fire in Valparaiso by ITN. Original post: Natural Disasters List April 24, 2013