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Caution
Technical information and scientific data from the US Government agencies (NASA, EPA…) are subject to variation due to political expediency.
This caution also extends to the UN organizations (e.g., FAO, WHO…).
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has challenged the US to present to the UN Security Council evidence that Syria attacked the so-called rebels with chemical weapons near Damascus, saying the idea that Syrian government has used chemical weapons on its own people was “utter nonsense.”
US President Barrack Obama said on Friday the US was planning a “limited, narrow” military action against Syria after intelligence reports that 1,429 people were killed by chemical weapons on August 21.
Mr Putin said it was ridiculous to suggest that Syrian government was to blame for the chemical attack on its own people.
“Syrian government forces are advancing, while the so-called rebels are in a tight situation, as they are not nearly as equipped as the government,” Putin told ITAR-TASS.
“What those who sponsor the so-called rebels need to achieve is simple – they need to help them in their fight… and if this happens, it would be a tragic development,” he said.
“In these conditions, to give a trump card to those who are calling for a military intervention is utter nonsense.”
“So I’m convinced that is nothing more than a provocation by those who want to drag other countries into the Syrian conflict.”
Putin said that the US failure to present evidence to the international community was “simply disrespectful”.
“If there is evidence it should be shown. If it is not shown, then there isn’t any,” he said.
Russia has previously warned that “any unilateral military action bypassing the UN Security Council” would be a “direct violation of international law.”
Both Moscow and Beijing have vetoed two previous Security Council draft resolutions on Syria.
Mr Putin urged Mr Obama—a Nobel Peace Prize laureate—to consider future victims in Syria before taking military action.
Syrian President Assad has vowed his country will defend itself against any “aggression.”
FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show climate change forcings and feedbacks switching global weather patterns onto “primordial tracks.”
FIRE-EARTH Population Model shows mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
8 significant aftershocks strike Aleutian Islands, following M7.0 quake
At least 8 significant aftershocks, measuring 5.0Mw or larger, were among a swarm of dozen quakes that hit Aleutian Islands, Alaska, following a powerful 7.0 mainshock that occurred ESE of Adak, Alaska earlier today.
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami advisory, watch or warning in effect after the mainshock.
The M7.0 quake struck about 94km (58mi) ESE of Adak, Alaska and was strongly felt in Adak, about 2,000km southwest of Anchorage, according to reports.
There was no report of major damage or injuries, as of posting.
The ferocious wildfire in California’s Stanislaus National Forest has grown to 213,414 acres (333.5mi², or 864km²), with 35% containment.
Smoke, in addition to the fire, is becoming a major concern throughout the Yosemite National Park and the surrounding areas.
Rim FIRE Wildfire. Photo Credit: USFS/ Stanislaus National Forest
Analyzed Fires and Smoke from Satellite on this ArcIMS server were updated on Sat Aug 31 03:21:43 2013 UTC
Smoke from wildfires in the Americas. Source: NOAA/ NESDIS
Evacuations
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01). Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated. Evacuation centers are at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and at the Greeley Hill Community Center.
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.
The evacuation advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest.
Fire Behavior
Very active fire behavior on the east side of the fire today with running surface fire, torching and passive and sustained crown fire runs with considerable amounts of spotting. Moderate fire behavior with backing fire observed where fire was burning from ridgetops downslope.
Rim Fire Prompts Emergency Proclamation for Mariposa County
California’s acting governor has issued an Emergency Proclamation for Mariposa County due to the effects of the Rim Fire.
A state of emergency was declared because the RIM FIRE wildfire is “damaging public and district facilities, including roads and structures… and threatening residences in Mariposa County, necessitating the evacuation of residents, and the opening of emergency shelters… the circumstances of this wildfire, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county, city and county, and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat … I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist within Mariposa County due to these events,” according to the Proclamation.
On August 27, 2013, Mariposa County declared a local emergency and requested that the Governor proclaim a state of emergency.
Meantime, the monster fire continued to grow despite cooler temperatures and lighter winds.
Since erupting on August 17, Rim Fire has devoured nearly 202,000 acres, or more than 315 square miles, mostly in the Stanislaus National Forest west of the Yosemite National Park. The ferocious fire is now the 5th largest in California history.
At least 4,931 personnel are struggling to stop the massive fire from further encroaching into the park, where it has already burned at least 45,000 acres.
Rim Fire Wildfire – Fire Runs Upslope on South Flank, 8/29. Credit: USFS – Mike McMillan
Nightfire Along Road 20. Credit: USFS – Mike McMillan
Rim Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 @ 06:30 PDT
Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
Fire is expected to continue its eastward spread farther into the west side of Yosemite National Park, east of Aspen Valley. Several residents remain under mandatory evacuation in the Scotts Ridge area south of HWY 120.
Evacuations:
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01). Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated. [Evacuation centers are at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and at the Greeley Hill Community Center.]
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.
The evacuation advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department has lifted the evacuation advisory for Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville and Willow Springs.
Road Closures :
Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along the Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. I
The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.
The Strawberry Music Festival, an annual bluegrass jamboree held at Camp Mather, has been cancelled because the site has been closed, according to reports.
Monster Fire continues to grow despite cooler temperatures, lighter winds
Since erupting on August 17, Rim Fire has devoured about 200,000 acres, or more than 312 square miles, mostly in the Stanislaus National Forest west of the Yosemite National Park. The ferocious fire is now the 5th largest in California history.
At least 4,927 personnel are struggling to stop the massive fire from further encroaching into the park, where it has already burned at least 45,000 acres.
RIM FIRE Wildfire. View From Pilot Peak Lookout. Photo credit: USFS/Mike McMillan
Rim Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated: August 29, 2013 7:30 PDT
Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
Fire is expected to continue its eastward spread farther into the west side of Yosemite National Park, east of Aspen Valley. Several residents remain under mandatory evacuation in the Scotts Ridge area south of HWY 120.
Evacuations:
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01). Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated. [Evacuation centers are at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and at the Greeley Hill Community Center.]
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.
The evacuation advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department has lifted the evacuation advisory for Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville and Willow Springs.
Road Closures :
Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along the Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. I
The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.
The Strawberry Music Festival, an annual bluegrass jamboree held at Camp Mather, has been cancelled because the site has been closed, according to reports.
Ruptured oil well in Texas burning after blowout and explosion
A ruptured oil well in Texas owned by EOG Resources Inc was burning on Thursday hours after a blowout and explosion, the company said.
“The blowout, which EOG called a ‘well control incident and fire,’ occurred Wednesday evening and the blaze was contained though still burning on Thursday,” said a report.
EOG said it didn’t know what caused the rupture and fire, but no one was injured in the blast at its Eagle Ford shale oil drilling operation in Lavaca County, some 134 miles west of Houston.
“EOG is assembling well control experts and specialized equipment to safely control the well and extinguish the fire,” the company said.
“Nabors Industries, which has the world’s largest land-rig fleet, owns the drilling rig at the site that was engulfed in flames,” said the report.
Hydraulic fracturing fluids probably caused widespread death of aquatic species in Acorn Fork, KY
Hydraulic fracturing fluids were probably responsible for the “widespread death or distress of aquatic species” in Kentucky’s Acorn Fork creek. The spilling occurred in the nearby natural gas well sites, according to a joint study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Acorn Fork, a small Appalachian creek, is habitat for the federally threatened Blackside dace, a small colorful minnow. The Acorn Fork is designated by Kentucky as an Outstanding State Resource Waters.
“Our study is a precautionary tale of how entire populations could be put at risk even with small-scale fluid spills,” said USGS scientist Diana Papoulias, the study’s lead author. “This is especially the case if the species is threatened or is only found in limited areas, like the Blackside dace is in the Cumberland.”
The Blackside dace typically lives in small, semi-isolated groups, so harmful events run the risk of completely eliminating a local population. The species is primarily threatened with loss of habitat.
After the spill of hydraulic fracturing fluid, state and federal scientists observed a significant die-off of aquatic life in Acorn Fork including the Blackside dace as well as several more common species like the Creek chub and Green sunfish. They had been alerted by a local resident who witnessed the fish die-off. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are currently working towards restoration of the natural resources that were injured by the release.
Water and fish samples collected immediately following the chemical spill in 2007 clearly showed that the hydraulic fracturing fluids significantly degraded water quality in Acorn Fork causing the fish to grow gill lesions, and suffer liver and spleen damage.
“This is an example of how the smallest creatures can act as a canary in a coal mine,” said Tony Velasco, Ecologist for the Fish and Wildlife office in Kentucky, who coauthored the study, and initiated a multi-agency response when it occurred in 2007. “These species use the same water as we do, so it is just as important to keep our waters clean for people and for wildlife.”
The gill lesions were consistent with exposure to acidic water and toxic concentrations of heavy metals. These results matched water quality samples from Acorn Fork that were taken after the spill.
After the fracturing fluids entered Acorn Fork Creek, the water’s pH dropped from 7.5 to 5.6, and stream conductivity increased from 200 to 35,000 microsiemens per centimeter. A low pH number indicates that the creek had become more acidic, and the stream conductivity indicated that there were higher levels of dissolved elements including iron and aluminum.
Blackside dace are found only in the Cumberland River basin of Kentucky and Tennessee and the Powell River basin of Virginia, and are listed as a federally-threatened species since 1987.
Hydraulic fracturing is the most common method for extracting natural gas in Kentucky.
The report is entitled “Histopathological Analysis of Fish from Acorn Fork Creek, Kentucky Exposed to Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Releases,” and is published in the scientific journal Southeastern Naturalist, in a special edition devoted to the Blackside dace.
62.34 pct of contiguous US experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions
Drought and abnormally dry conditions covered about 62.34 percent of contiguous United States, up from 59.98 percent a week earlier.
The percentage of land areas in the lower 48 covered by “Extreme” and “Exceptional Drought” levels remained nearly unchanged, while the total areas covered by “Severe” and “Moderate Drought” levels increased by about 4.43 percent.
Meantime, USDA designated 39 additional counties in 5 states as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the recent drought.
Colorado: Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Routt, Grand, Pitkin and Summit counties.
Oregon: Curry, Coos, Douglas and Josephine counties.
California: Del Norte County.
Idaho: Jerome, Cassia, Gooding, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls counties.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Aug. 28, 2013. The lists include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.
Map of the U.S. Drought Disaster areas as of August 28, 2013. At least 1,336 counties, or 42.5% of all U.S. counties¹, were designated as agricultural disaster areas² due to the ongoing drought. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.
1. [U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.] 2. Agriculture officials declare disaster when crop damage has exceeded 30 percent.
Victims of air pollution typically die about a decade prematurely
Air pollution causes 200,000 early deaths in the U.S., according to a new MIT study, which also finds vehicle emissions as the biggest contributor to these premature deaths.
Researchers from MIT’s Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment have tracked ground-level emissions from multiple sources including vehicle tailpipes, industrial smokestacks, marine and rail operations, and commercial and residential heating throughout the United States, and found that the pollution causes about 200,000 early deaths each year.
Highlights from the report
Road transportation are the most significant contributor to air pollution, causing 53,000 premature deaths.
Power generation follows closely with 52,000 deaths
California air pollution commits about 21,000 people to early deaths annually,
The highest emissions-related mortality rate among 5,695 U.S. cities mapped was in Baltimore, where 130 out of every 100,000 residents likely die each year due to long-term exposure to air pollution.
This graphic shows the annual average concentrations of fine particulates from U.S. sources of combustion emissions from (a) electric power generation; (b) industry; (c) commercial and residential sources; (d) road transportation; (e) marine transportation; (f) rail transportation; (g) sum of all combustion sources; (h) all sources. Graphic: Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment/MIT
“In the past five to 10 years, the evidence linking air-pollution exposure to risk of early death has really solidified and gained scientific and political traction,” says Steven Barrett, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. “There’s a realization that air pollution is a major problem in any city, and there’s a desire to do something about it.”
Extreme weather events, severe climatic episodes cause agricultural disasters across 14 states
Drought and Deluge, hail and high winds, severe storms and excessive rains have prompted USDA to designate 180 counties across 14 states as agricultural disaster areas.
Drought
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 39 counties in 5 states as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the recent drought.
Colorado: Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Routt, Grand, Pitkin and Summit counties.
Oregon: Curry, Coos, Douglas and Josephine counties.
California: Del Norte County.
Idaho: Jerome, Cassia, Gooding, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls counties.
All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Aug. 28, 2013. The lists include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.
Map of the U.S. Drought Disaster areas as of August 28, 2013. At least 1,336 counties, or 42.5% of all U.S. counties¹, were designated as agricultural disaster areas² due to the ongoing drought. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.
1. [U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.] 2. Agriculture officials declare disaster when crop damage has exceeded 30 percent.
UPDATED: September 6, 2013 – MAP CORRECTED!
Hail, high winds and severe storm
USDA has designated seven counties in two states as agricultural disaster area due to damage and losses caused by hail, high winds and severe storms that occurred August 1, 2013, and continues.
Montana: Park, Carbon, Gallatin, Meagher, Stillwater and Sweet Grass counties.
Wyoming: Park County.
Excessive Rain and Flooding
USDA has designated 68 counties across six states as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred March 1, 2013, and continues.
Georgia: Catoosa, Fannin, Walker, Dade, Murray and Whitfield counties.
Kentucky: Allen and Monroe counties.
Mississippi: Alcorn and Tishomingo counties.
North Carolina: Cherokee, Madison, Swain, Haywood, Mitchell and Yancey counties.
Agricultural Disaster Declared in ALL 46 South Carolina Counties due to Excessive Rain and Flooding
USDA has designated the entire state of South Carolina and 20 other counties across Georgia and North Carolina as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred March 1, 2013, and continues.
1 Policeman was beheaded, 14 people killed by gunfire, including 7 family members, 15 murdered by IEDs, and 80 were killed in 18 bomb explosions over the past 36 hours.
The monthly death toll for August so far stands at 823 civilians killed, and as many as 2,000 others wounded.
The latest killings bloodied the cities of Baghdad, Mosul, Latifiya, Falluja, Baiji, Qayyara and Jalawla, according to reports.
Saudis, Qataris and other Arab regimes that help perpetuate the sectarian slaughter in Iraq and Syria must realize that they will NOT escape the global “de-Islamization” unscathed.
UNAMI Stats for Armed Violence in Iraq
According to information collected by UNAMI, a minimum of 928 were killed (including 204 civilian police) a further 2109 were injured (including 338 civilian police) in ongoing armed violence in Iraq during July 2013.
In June 2013, 685 civilians were killed and 1610 were injured.
In May 2013, 963 civilians were killed and 2191 were injured.
In April 2013, 595 civilians were killed and 1481 were injured.
In March 2013, 229 civilians were killed and 853 were injured.
In February 2013, 418 civilians were killed and 704 were injured.
In January 2013, 319 civilians were killed and 960 were injured.
In December 2012, 230 civilians were killed and 655 were injured.
In November 2012, 445 civilians were killed and 1306 were injured.
ALL figures remain estimates until full investigation and analysis has been carried out, said UNAMI.
The massive blaze grew by an estimated 5,000 acres since this morning to a total of at least 192,466 acres (300mi², or 779km²), climbing to the 6th position on the Top 20 chart of largest California wildfires.
Burning mainly in Stanislaus National Forest, the ferocious fire has also devoured about 45,000 acres of Yosemite National Park.
The monster blaze has surrounded Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor, a part of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir system in the northwestern backcountry of Yosemite National Park, reached the southern edge of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir late Tuesday, and is now spreading on the western side of the lake.
YNP officials closed Tioga Road, a second key route into the park on Wednesday, which “will limit the access for visitors to and from the east side of the park, quite possibly over Labor Day weekend, which will have a significant economic impact on the area and [be] an inconvenience for visitors,” said a park official.
Some 4,537 personnel have reportedly contained about 30 percent of the fire.
RIM FIRE – fire activity on the South Flank. Photo credit: USFS/Mike McMillan
Monster blaze grows to 187,466 acres, surrounds key Yosemite reservoir
Rim Fire grew by more than 3,000 acres over the past 12 hours, covering 293mi² and reaching the southern edge of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, as it began to flank western side of the lake.
The monster blaze has already surrounded Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor, a part of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir system in the northwestern backcountry of Yosemite National Park.
RIM FIRE is burning mainly in Stanislaus National Forest, but it has also consumed about 45,000 acres of YNP.
Rim Fire Map – Latest
Rim Fire Incident Information
Last Updated: August 28, 2013 06:30 PDT (UTC -7 hours)
Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01). Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated. [An evacuation center is located at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.]
An evacuation advisory is in effect from Tuolumne City and the area east of Highway 108 to Pinecrest Lake.
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.
Road Closures:
Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic to Crane Flat Campground.
A portion of the Tioga Road, from Crane Flat to White Wolf, will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, August 28, 2013, at 12:00 noon. The closure is necessary for firefighters to perform fire suppression activities along the road. This portion of the road is anticipated to be closed at least through Labor Day Weekend. The park will issue an update as conditions allow for the reopening of the road. [Highway 120 and Tioga Road are two of the four major access routes to YNP.]
Forest closures:
A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108.
The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.
Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along the Tioga Road within the closure, will remain closed during the fire suppression efforts. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge will remain closed.
River alkalinization threatens water supplies in eastern U-S: Study
Two-thirds of rivers in eastern United States show “significant increasing trends in alkalinity,” according to a new study published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Researchers examined 97 rivers from the northeastern state of New Hampshire down to Florida over the past 25 to 60 years and found significantly higher alkaline content.
The rivers provide drinking water to big cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, as well as other major metropolises.
“This is because acid rain, acidic mining waste, and agricultural fertilizers speed the breakdown of limestone, other carbonate rocks, and even concrete and cement,” said the researchers. “The result: alkaline particles are washed off of the landscape and into streams and rivers.”
Higher alkaline content in the water can lead to ammonia toxicity and is dangerous for crop irrigation and fish life. It also encourages algal growth and can complicate wastewater and drinking water treatment, as well as causing faster corrosion of metal pipes, the authors said.
Although the airborne pollutants that cause acid rain have somewhat declined in the United States, the legacy of acid rain remains, researchers said.
“The acid rain problem is decreasing. But meanwhile, there are these lagging effects of river alkalinization showing up across a major region of the U.S.,” said lead author, an associate professor and aquatic ecologist at the University of Maryland. “How many decades will river alkalinization persist? We really don’t know the answer.”
“This is another example of the widespread impact of human [activity] on natural systems [which] is, I think, increasingly worrisome,” said study co-author and ecologist Gene Likens of the University of Connecticut.
Fast moving fire destroys homes, forces dozens of evacuations
The fire started on a grassy hillside jumped into trees and burned several homes in the city of Fairfield, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco, prompting officials to evacuated dozens of homes, reported AP.
The fire also destroyed several cars in a parking lot along I-80, said the report.
Giant Calif. blaze rapidly spreads to 184,481 acres
The ferocious fire has extensively damaged Berkeley Tuolumne Camp and the infrastructure. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior are hampering suppression efforts, said USFS.
The blaze had consumed about 42,000 acres of Yosemite National Park by early Tuesday.
RIM FIRE has also damaged two of the three hydroelectric generating stations at the O’Shaughnessy Dam, which supply electricity for all of San Francisco’s public facilities. The dam impounds the Tuolumne River at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, while the reservoir provides 85% of the water for the San Francisco Bay Area.
The monster blaze is now the 7th largest in California’s history (and climbing the chart), less than 90,000 acres behind Cedar Fire (273,246 acres), the largest fire ever recorded in California, which left 14 people dead and more than 2,820 structures destroyed in San Diego area, October 2003.
The raging fire was creeping closer to thousands of homes located west of Yosemite National Park, as of posting.
RIM FIRE Map
Official Map of RIM FIRE as of August 26, 2013 @ 06:00PDT
Fire Details
Last Updated: August 27, 2013 18:30 PDT (UTC -7 hours)
The evacuation advisory from Tuolumne City and the area east of Highway 108 has been expanded to Pinecrest Lake. Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated.
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01), and an Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.
Mandatory evacuations south of Highway 120 and north of Old Yosemite Road. Structure defense is in place for this area of the fire by ground and aerial resources. An evacuation advisory has been extended on the Highway 108 corridor from Tuolumne City to Pinecrest.
An evacuation advisory was issued from Mi-Wok to Pinecrest along the Highway 108 corridor. This advisory has been issued by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. [An evacuation center is located at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.]
Road Closures:
Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic to Crane Flat Campground. Highway 120 east
Forest closures:
A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108.
The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.
Ferocious fire becomes 7th largest in California history
Rim Fire wildfire consumed an additional 20,000 acres (~12.5%) overnight, charring a total of at least 179,481 acres (280mi², or 726km²) by 07:30 PDT (UTC -7 hours) on Tuesday, reported Cal Fire.
The massive fire spread further east and north overnight, pushing deeper into Yosemite National Park. The eastern flank of the blaze has now burned to within a few hundred yards of Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which supplies most of San Francisco’s water.
The monster blaze is now the 7th largest in California’s history (and climbing the chart), less than 94,000 acres behind Cedar Fire (273,246 acres), the largest fire ever recorded in California, which left 14 people dead and more than 2,820 structures destroyed in San Diego area, October 2003.
Seventeen of the the top 20 wildfires in California have occurred since 1985.
RIM FIRE has already destroyed 111 (31 residences, 80 outbuildings), according to Cal Fire.
However, an earlier news bulletin by Reuters said the blaze had destroyed homes and “1,000 outbuildings…“
Rim Fire Incident Information
Last Updated: August 27, 2013 7:30 am
Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
Official Map of RIM FIRE as of August 26, 2013 @ 6:00am
Evacuations
The evacuation advisory from Tuolumne City and the area east of Highway 108 has been expanded to Pinecrest Lake. Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated.
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01), and an Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.
An evacuation advisory issued from Mi-Wok to Pinecrest along the Highway 108 corridor. This advisory has been issued by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. (An evacuation center is located at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.)
Road Closures
Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic to Crane Flat Campground. Highway 120 east
The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the US military is ready to act on Syria.
“We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take,” Hagel told the BBC.
“I think it’s pretty clear that chemical weapons were used against people in Syria,” he said.
“I think the intelligence will conclude that it wasn’t the rebels who used it, and there’ll probably be pretty good intelligence to show is that the Syria government was responsible. But we’ll wait and determine what the facts and the intelligence bear out.”
John Kerry…
“What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. It defies any code of morality,” Mr Kerry said at a news conference on Monday.
“Make no mistake, President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people.”
President Assad
Syrian President Bashar Assad told Russia’s Izvestia newspaper that claims of his government using chemical weapons made by Western countries are “an insult to common sense” and “nonsense.”
“The statements made by the politicians in the USA and in other Western countries represent an insult to common sense and neglect of the public opinion of citizens in those countries. It’s nonsense: first, they bring charges, and then they collect evidence. And it’s one of the most powerful countries that does it – the US. They accused us on Wednesday, and in only two days the American leadership announces they started to collect the evidence.… They accuse our army of using chemical weapons in the area that’s reportedly controlled by the terrorists. In fact, there is no precise front line between the army and the insurgents in that area. And how can a government use chemical weapons – or any other weapons of mass destruction – in the area where government troops are concentrated? This is against elementary logic,” said Assad.
Vladimir Putin
President Putin has told the British PM that Russia did not have any evidence whether a chemical weapons attack had occurred or who was responsible, according to an official statement.
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Other Disasters/ Significant Events
Afghanistan
At least 43 people, including a dozen civilians, were killed in Afghanistan over the last 24 hours, authorities said on Tuesday.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented 1,319 civilian deaths and 2,533 injuries—a total of 3,852 civilian casualties—in the first half of 2013.
The total represents an increase of 14 per cent in deaths and 28 per cent in injuries over the same period in 2012, said UNAMA.
-oOo-
Swollen Heilong river triggers widespread, persistent floods in NE China
Original caption: The aerial photo taken on Aug. 26, 2013 shows houses [and vast tracts of crops and farmland] inundated by floods along the Tongjiang-Fuyuan river section of the Heilong River in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The Heilong River has swelled since mid-August, with some sections of its middle and lower reaches seeing their worst floods in history.(Xinhua/Ma Ling). More images…
-oOo-
TS FERNAND leaves at least 13 people dead in E. Mexico
At least 13 people were killed Monday after landslides triggered by torrential rains from tropical storm FERNAND destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, officials said.
Explosive blaze devours at least 160,980 acres (251.53mi²)
Rim Fire is burning less than a mile from Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy reservoir on the Tuolumne River, raining ash on San Francisco’s main water source.
The massive fire had blackened at least 22,000 acres within YNP as of Monday morning, forcing the closure of Highway 120, the main road leading into the park from the San Francisco Bay area, and prompting evacuation of the remainder of 74 campsites in the park’s White Wolf area, officials said.
Although the fallout of ash and soot has not yet significantly deteriorated the Hetch Hetchy’s water quality, officials fear winter rains could cause runoff of debris and topsoil, which is stripped of vegetation by the blaze, severely affecting the reservoir.
“When you burn down everything, you’ve got a moonscape out there when floods can contaminate the water,” said California Gov. Brown on Monday during a visit to the fire zone. Brown declared a state of emergency for City and County of San Francisco on Friday due to threats to the city’s electricity and water supplies.
RIM FIRE Map as of August 26, 2013 @ 6:00am
RIM FIRE became 11th largest wildfire in California history, as of Monday morning, and climbing.
At least 30 ACTIVE fires, larger than 100 acres, have been burning about 345,000 acres across California since late June.
Rime Fire is one of about 5 dozen major fires currently burning across the western U.S.
Drought, high temperatures and insect-damaged forests have fueled about 6,000 wildfires across the region, so far this season.
RIM FIRE: Basic Information
Last Updated: August 26, 2013 6:30 pm [CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit]
Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
County: Tuolumne County
Location: 3 miles east of Groveland along Hwy 120
Acres Burned – Containment: 160,980 acres – 20% contained
Structures Threatened: 4,500
Structures Destroyed: 23 [About 1,000 outbuildings have also been destroyed. REUTERS]
Total Fire Personnel: 3,752
Total Fire Engines: 460
Total Fire crews: 71
Total Helicopters: 15
Total Dozers: 60
Total Water Tenders: 43
Evacuations, Closures and Other Fire Info
A forest closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Evacuation Advisories are still in effect for Tuolumne City and nearby areas along the Highway 108 corridor. Mandatory evacuations were issued for Old Yosemite Road.
Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill. An evacuation center is at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.
Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated.
The Rim incident is expected to continue to exhibit very large fire growth due to extremely dry fuels, strong winds and inaccessible terrain. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior and hampering suppression efforts. [Cal Fire/Inciweb]
Human river of Syrian refugees cross border into northern Iraq
At least 45,000 Syrian refugees have crossed the border into northern Iraq in the past ten days, one of the biggest influxes of refugees since beginning of the Syrian conflict.
At least 45,000 Syrian refugees have crossed the border into northern Iraq in the past 10 days. Photo: UNHCR/G. Gubaeva
“There was war and looting and problems,” said a refugee who trekked with his five children to Iraqi Kurdistan.
“We did not find a morsel (of food), so, with our children, we came here.”
“We fled because there is war, beheadings and killings, and in addition to that there is no work,” said another refugee.
“The economic situation deteriorated and everything became expensive.”
“There was a shortage of food in the market, and everything became expensive, from bread to gas canisters, and unemployment was spreading,” said a refugee whose wife held their three-week-old baby in her arms outside a tent.
“We decided to save ourselves before we died of hunger.”
An estimated 2 million Syrians have fled their country, with most seeking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
An estimated 200,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Iraq.
“Rebel militants in Syria release chemical substance near Damascus”
Original caption: Chemical reagents are seen at an arsenal of Syrian rebel militants in Jobar, near the capital of Damascus, on Aug. 24, 2013. Some Syrian soldiers on Saturday suffered suffocation after rebel militants released chemical substance around their hideouts near Damascus, the state-TV reported. (Xinhua/Bassem Tellawi). More images…
U.N. chemical weapons inspectors fired on in Syria
“A vehicle carrying U.N. chemical weapons investigators came under sniper fire Monday as it was heading toward the site of an alleged chemical attack last week that killed hundreds of people,” said a report.
Iraq Violence
Meantime, at least 55 people were killed and more than 120 others injured on Sunday across Iraq by car bombs, IEDs and gunfire.
The latest killings in Baghdad, Baquba, Balad and Mosul raises the monthly death toll to at least 685 civilians dead. The blog estimates the number of wounded at 1,500 since August1.
UNAMI Stats for Armed Violence in Iraq
According to information collected by UNAMI, a minimum of 928 were killed (including 204 civilian police) a further 2109 were injured (including 338 civilian police) in ongoing armed violence in Iraq during July 2013.
In June 2013, 685 civilians were killed and 1610 were injured.
In May 2013, 963 civilians were killed and 2191 were injured.
In April 2013, 595 civilians were killed and 1481 were injured.
In March 2013, 229 civilians were killed and 853 were injured.
In February 2013, 418 civilians were killed and 704 were injured.
In January 2013, 319 civilians were killed and 960 were injured.
In December 2012, 230 civilians were killed and 655 were injured.
In November 2012, 445 civilians were killed and 1306 were injured.
ALL figures remain estimates until full investigation and analysis has been carried out, said UNAMI.
FIRE-EARTH log on Syria – dated June 14, 2012
The joint proxy war waged by Saudi Arabia and Israel against Syria has entered a new phase. The head of UN peacekeeping operations has described the Syrian conflict as a “civil war.”
Floods in China’s Yunnan province affect 1.6 million, killing dozens
Severe floods in southwest China’s Yunnan Province have affected 1.6 million people, killing at least 45, and displacing more than 26,500 others, said a report.
Original caption: Vehicles are stranded on a landslides-hit road in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 25, 2013. Rainstorms-triggered mountain floods, landslides and mud-rock flows hit the county in this weekend. (Xinhua/Peng Hong)
The latest round of flood crests on the Songhua River is expected to reach Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province [population: ~ 10 million] , on Tuesday, flood control experts said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, nearly 600 oil wells in Daqing, one of China’s major oilfields, which is about 150 kilometers from Harbin, have halted operation.
Persistent downpours since Aug 14 have caused the worst flooding since 1998 in the northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang [85 lives lost, 105 people missing,] which are the heartland of China’s grain production.
Heavy rain is likely to hit the provinces of Yunnan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Hubei and Shanghai, with the precipitation in southwestern Yunnan expected to reach 100 to 150 mm from Sunday to Monday, the National Meteorological Center forecast on Sunday.[Xinhua]
Worst Flooding in a Century
Original caption: Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2013 shows residential houses inundated in floods in Shengdeku Village of Fuyuan County, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang has seen its worst flooding in a century with continuous rising water levels. About 300 households from the flooded Shengdeku Village and Heiyupao Village of Fuyuan County were evacuated before the floods swept their hometowns, inundating nearly 400,000 mu (about 26,667 hectares) of farmlands. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei). More images…
Typhoon Trami kills 2, affects 200,000 in China
Downpours brought by Typhoon Trami and monsoon have left two people dead and nearly 200,000 affected in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.
Rainstorms also toppled 668 rooms of 348 households and seriously damaged another 855 rooms of 451 households in Guangxi.
Typhoon Trami was the 12th typhoon to hit China this year. Rainstorms brought by the typhoon have also swept Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, affecting 1.4 million people and forcing the relocation of 351,000, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Friday. [Xinhua]
Original caption: A villager checks his house damaged by flood at Zhoujia Village of Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 22, 2013. Trami, which was downgraded to tropical storm status, would likely bring persistent rain and cause floods in Guangxi. The region had been drenched by Typhoon Utor last week. (Xinhua/Lu Bo’an)
Hospital hit by landslide in SW China
Original caption: Geologists check the landslide site in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 26, 2013. A rain-triggered landslide occurred on Monday morning at a hill behind the People’s Hospital in Yilang, which damaged part of the hospital. Patients and residents in the surrounding area were evacuated and no casualties were reported. (Xinhua/Peng Hong). More images …
Massive wildfire edges closer to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Rim Fire has moved to about 2 miles of a Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, a key reservoir that supplies about 85% San Francisco’s water, or 2.6 million people in the area.
FIRE-EARTH estimates that the fire would have grown to about 145,000 acres, as of posting.
The giant fire, already the 14th largest in California history, continues to threaten power and water supplies to San Francisco, some 195 miles away.
The blaze consumed an additional 3,000 acres within Yosemite National Park by late Sunday, up from [13,000 acres] earlier in the day, forcing the closure of the White Wolf area and the evacuation of 13 camps, said a report.
Rim Fire continued to spread near Yosemite National Park. Photo Credit: Elias Funez/MCT/Landov via NPR
The fire has so far destroyed at least 11 homes, 12 outbuildings and four commercial properties, as well as two power structures that supply San Francisco with electricity, the report said.
RIM FIRE started on August 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest and remained at 7% containment, with 2,846 personnel deployed, as of posting.
The fire is sending smoke columns to heights of more than 30,000 feet, said USFS.
About 2,250 households are currently under mandatory evacuation, and the blaze threatens 4,500 structures.
California Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency for San Francisco on Friday due to the damage caused to electrical infrastructure serving the City and County of San Francisco, which had forced the officials to shut down two of the three hydroelectric power stations in the YNP area, as well as the power lines.
Latest Mandatory Evacuations
A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01).
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill. The Mandatory Evacuation and Evacuation Warning has been issued by the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office. [Inciweb]
Two earthquakes struck in the Irish Sea early Sunday, said the British Geological Survey.
The strongest shock measured 3.3 on the Richter scale at a depth of about 5km some 25km off the coast of Blackpool at 10.58am (BST), and was reportedly felt by people on the British mainland.
An earlier quake measuring about 2.4 magnitude at a depth of 3km occurred about 4 hours earlier.
[Really?]
“The Irish National Seismic Network , which monitors seismic activity, has said that today’s earthquakes were ‘most likely the result of glacial rebound, the process whereby stresses built up the weight of glaciers from the last Ice Age are slowly released,'” said a report.
“It was not as strong as the Irish Sea earthquake on May 29th this year. The epicenter of the quake, which registered at magnitude 3.8, was 15km away from the town of Abersoch in Gwynedd, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.”
A magnitude 4.0 quake struck the Iceland Region (62.90°N, 25.18°W) on Sunday at 07:00 UTC.
Local geologists would be advised to investigate connection between those quakes.
Original caption: 
Fire Earth 