wildfires Archives

Act now on wildfires, global climate change, Human health, study says

October 9, 2020

Immediate actions are needed to limit the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change that helps fuel wildfires, a Monash University study says.

A special report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, led by Professor Yuming Guo and Dr Shanshan Li from the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, summarises the enormous impacts of climate change on wildfire seasons and the sequential increased morbidity, mortality, and mental health impacts.

The report, which analysed numerous studies on wildfires over the past 20 years, says global climate change is fueling the three essential conditions for wildfires – fuel, oxygen and an ignition source. The world is seeing inconsistent rainfall, increased drought and hotter temperatures, leading to more flammable vegetation.

It says the global mean carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from wildfires accounted for about 22 per cent of the carbon emission from burning fossil fuels between 1997-2016. The

Impact of wildfires affecting residents’ mental health

October 4, 2020

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Paulie Hawthorne is used to fire. She grew up in southeastern Oregon, long a hotbed for wildfires.

“I can remember, even as a kid, there were fires. I mean, it was just kind of a thing that happened,” Hawthorne, 47, said. Hawthorne and her husband had to evacuate in 2017 from their old home in Brookings, Oregon, during the 2017 Chetco Bar wildfire, which burned through more than 190,000 acres, including about 80,000 acres in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Today she lives in Klamath Falls, Oregon, a small city about 280 miles south of Portland that has seen frequent, low-intensity fires over the years. While her current exposure has been mild, when she smells smoke in the air or simply sees ashy skies, it pulls her back.

“The hardest part about evacuating is you just think it’s gonna be like a couple days, and we were out for almost a month,”

After Wildfires Stop Burning, a Danger in the Drinking Water

October 2, 2020

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Two months after a wildfire burned through Paradise, Calif., in 2018, Kevin Phillips, then a manager for town’s irrigation district, walked from one destroyed home to another.

Burned out cars, the occasional chimney and the melted skeletons of washers and dryers were the only recognizable shapes.

“You started to actually be shocked when you saw a standing structure,” he said.

Mr. Phillips, now Paradise’s town manager, was following the team taking samples from intact water meters connected to homes that were now reduced to gray ash. He knew from the Tubbs Fire in 2017 that harmful toxins were likely in the water distribution system: Rapid action would be needed to protect people returning to the community from the dangers of toxins like benzene, which can cause nausea and vomiting in the short-term, or even cancer over time.

Wildfires, which turned skies a dim orange over cities from Seattle to Santa

A family of 7 lost their home in Washington’s wildfires. Then they all got Covid-19

October 1, 2020

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They have now quarantined themselves in two hotel rooms in Spokane Valley, where they’re recovering and trying to plan their futures.

The Grahams lost their home, a barn and outbuildings where they stored things they weren’t using, special baby clothes and other family mementos. Their dog was OK and their chicken coop was also spared, though some of the birds’ feathers may have been singed.

“We were planning to come back that night, so we didn’t pack a single thing,” Jessica said.

They stayed with family after the fire and think that’s how they were exposed to the coronavirus — Jessica’s dad had flu-like symptoms and Matthew’s mom tested positive on September 20 after she’d babysat the children.

“We were starting to experience symptoms at that time that we were hoping was just due to hazardous air quality,” Jessica said. “But then that had gone away and we were getting

Wildfires, climate change and the air we breathe

September 29, 2020

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Air quality monitoring apps are becoming a favorite among Americans. Tragically, they are growing in popularity thanks to a combination of the climate crisis and the massive wildfires that are burning down the West and creating enormous plumes of toxic smoke, choking communities from sea to shining sea. In fact, even 3,000 miles away on the East Coast, skies have grown murky because of all the smoke in the atmosphere.

The sad truth is that we’re riveted to air quality apps because we can see the haze and feel the smoke in the back of our throats but we’re just not sure what it all means. When we see that a 300 rating is a “hazardous” level, what do numbers north of 600 or even higher mean? What is happening to the lungs and hearts of our elderly mothers and fathers? How are babies with tiny organs faring? Are our

Oregon reports biggest daily COVID-19 case total, wildfires contributing to recent rises

September 27, 2020

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The state health authority reported 457 new cases on Friday.

September 26, 2020, 6:44 PM

4 min read

After weeks of steady decline, COVID-19 cases are rising in Oregon, in part due to Labor Day gatherings, college students returning to school and the state’s recent wildfires, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

The state agency reported 457 new cases on Friday — the single highest daily total since the pandemic began.

Oregon’s coronavirus total now stands at over 32,000 cases.

Among the recent cases was an outbreak connected to Pacific Seafood in Clatsop County, the Oregon Health Authority noted Friday. That outbreak investigation began on Sept. 15 and now has been linked to 79 people with COVID-19.

The recent wildfires in Oregon, which erupted earlier this month, likely played a role in the COVID-19 uptick, Oregon Health Authority spokesperson Tim

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Tag: wildfires

Act now on wildfires, global climate change, Human health, study says

Impact of wildfires affecting residents’ mental health

After Wildfires Stop Burning, a Danger in the Drinking Water

A family of 7 lost their home in Washington’s wildfires. Then they all got Covid-19

Wildfires, climate change and the air we breathe

Oregon reports biggest daily COVID-19 case total, wildfires contributing to recent rises

The state health authority reported 457 new cases on Friday.