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Worst-ever fire season in 2023 saw 15m hectare burned, eight firefighters killed and 230,000 people evacuatedCanada risks another “catastrophic” wildfire season, the federal government has warned, forecasting higher-than-normal spring and summer temperatures across much of the country, boosted by El Niño weather conditions.Last year, Canada endured its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15m hectares (37m acres), an area roughly seven...

Year of devastating wildfires meant Canadians were breathing worse air than southern neighbours for first time everCanada’s pristine air quality has been long praised by its citizens and prized by its government. But the thick plumes of smoke and miles of haze released by a record-breaking season of wildfires deteriorated the country’s air so much that it has fallen behind the United States for...

Governor issues disaster declaration as emergency crews work to contain dozens of wildfires burning across Texas PanhandleDozens of wildfires are causing chaos across the Texas Panhandle as the Smokehouse Creek fire – now the largest blaze in state history – grew to more than 1mn acres on Thursday, even as a dusting of snow brought a measure of relief.At least two people have died,...

Fires in Valparaíso said to be country’s deadliest disaster since 2010 earthquakeThe death toll from wildfires that ravaged central Chile for several days has risen to 131, and more than 300 people remain missing as the blazes appear to be burning themselves out.The fires in the Valparaíso region are said to be Chile’s deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2010. Officials have suggested that...

Death count for Chile’s worst natural disaster in years expected to climb as official two-day mourning period beginsHelicopters dumped tonnes of water on wildfires raging across central Chile, as emergency crews said they were still finding bodies three days after the blazes took hold.The official death count from Chile’s worst natural disaster in years increased to 123 on Monday according to Marisol Prado, the...

People told to evacuate homes as quickly as possible and curfews declared in cities most heavily affectedFirefighters are wrestling with huge forest fires that broke out in central Chile on Friday. Officials have extended curfews in cities most heavily affected by the blazes and said the death toll has increased to 112 killed.The fires have been burning with the highest intensity around the city...

At least 46 people reported dead as dozens of fires sweep across central and southern regions, with Valparaíso worst affectedAt least 46 people have died from forest fires raging in central Chile, President Gabriel Boric has said, warning that the death toll is likely to rise.Earlier on Saturday, Chile’s interior minister, Carolina Tohá, said there were currently 92 forest fires in the centre and...

Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, accused of lighting Canada’s Barrington Lake fire, which burned for one month in 2023A Nova Scotia man has been charged for allegedly starting the eastern Canadian province’s largest-ever wildfire.The charges against Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, come only days after a Quebec man, inspired by conspiracy theories, pleaded guilty to 14 charges of arson after deliberately lighting forest fires. Continue reading...

The country saw record-breaking blazes during the summer and Brian Paré pleaded guilty to lighting more than a dozen firesA Canadian man who claimed forest fires were the result of a government conspiracy has pleaded guilty to lighting more than a dozen blazes during the country’s record-breaking wildfire season, as nearly 100 fires persist in drought-stricken regions.Brian Paré admitted to 13 counts of arson...