Officials in New Hampshire said the man used the rescue truck as a weapon, nearly striking emergency responders who were trying to save his rural house.

Two cars were destroyed at the Toronto home of Salma Zahid, a Liberal member of Parliament, in an overnight episode condemned by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

© Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

The fire broke out at Islamabad’s largest hospital and has become a political issue. Opposition supporters shouted, “Stop killing our children!” at an official visiting the scene.

© Aamir Qureshi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Home in Billings was also set on fire, with victims representing four generations of a blended family

A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, on Sunday evening in a shooting at a home in Billings, Montana, that was also set on fire, according to authorities and local media reports.

Police have characterized the case as a family disturbance, according to Montana news outlet KULR.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Billings Fire Department

© Photograph: Billings Fire Department

© Photograph: Billings Fire Department

The Hawk fire has burned more than 15,000 acres since it began on Saturday in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Reno.

The Hawk fire has burned over 15,000 acres and is encroaching on the northern part of the city. About 42,000 people are under formal evacuation orders and thousands more have been urged to flee.

© Simon Jowitt/UGC, via Reuters

Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilled

The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country.

Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditions and the catastrophic fires fueled by them, according to nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, because they are barred from disclosing the information to the public.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

© Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

© Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

Volunteers and priests rallied to clean up Kyiv’s Dormition Cathedral, still smelling of smoke from a massive blaze, for an anniversary celebration.

Chemical tanks had ruptured during the incident but officials said there was no immediate threat to the Toledo area.

© WTVG, via Associated Press

Authorities blamed Nanner for knocking over a heat fixture, but Brittany Jacobs contends it was trying to escape blaze

The snake didn’t start the fire. So says a Virginia science teacher who owns a python that was found outside its enclosure in a middle school classroom that caught fire recently.

Authorities, meanwhile, have publicly blamed the fire on the snake, named Nanner, alleging the python knocked over a heat fixture in her owner’s classroom, igniting a blaze that caused damage at Bedford county’s Forest middle school and killed a tortoise there.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Forest Fire Department

© Photograph: Forest Fire Department

© Photograph: Forest Fire Department

Hi-tech cameras orbiting Earth and on the ground, along with AI, help firefighters extinguish blazes before they spread

The fires in Spokane, Washington, this summer are the latest reminder that when a wildfire is detected can be just as important as where it starts. A blaze found within minutes can often be contained before it spreads. Wait too long, and a small spark can become a major disaster.

A new effort to shorten that timeline began in July when a SpaceX rocket carried the first three FireSat satellites into orbit. The trio is the first part of a planned network of 50 satellites built solely to spot wildfires while they are still small enough to stop.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

Extreme temperatures and repeated wildfires are pushing infrastructure to the limit and testing the continent’s resolve.

© Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

France has faithfully renovated most of what burned at Notre-Dame in 2019. Contentiously, six towering windows will soon be replaced by a new design.

© Mark Landler/The New York Times

The city has set up a safety zone, and Amtrak trains between Seattle and Portland are paused, but freight trains have been passing the structure, alarming officials who have warned of a collapse.

About 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate over the weekend from the Bald Range fire. Weather conditions were not expected to provide much relief on Monday.

© Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

Fire activity has increased sharply in British Columbia, with thousands evacuated from their homes just weeks after smoke from blazes in Ontario choked the East Coast.

© BC Wildfire Service, via Reuters