London Hit by Another Preventable Disaster

Dozens Killed or Injured in London Towering Inferno

PM from Hell: Theresa May’s government could have stopped this tragedy, too, but it couldn’t give a damn!

At least 12 people were killed and dozens more injured, with 18 victims being in a critical condition, after a massive blaze raged through the night at a residential tower block in west London.

An unknown number of residents are missing, presumed dead.

Built in 1974, the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, west London, England, was home to 120 families. It’s part of the Lancaster West Estate, a sprawling inner-city social housing complex of about 1,000 homes.

The tower had recently undergone a major refurbishment costing the taxpayers the equivalent of $10 million.

Related Links:

• London fire: Government delayed review of tower block fire safety regulations after deadly blaze
• UK government, Theresa May, Housing Minister Gavin Barwell, were warned of fire safety in tower blocks earlier this year, but failed to act

States of Emergency Declared In Canada, Peru, Puerto Rico

State of emergency declared in Peru’s Ucayali community due to mercury contamination

The Ministry of Health has declared a state of emergency in the Santa Rosa de Serjali community in Ucayali due to mercury contamination.

“The community of Santa Rosa de Serjali in Ucayali has been contaminated with high levels of mercury, with symptoms first appearing as early as November of 2014,” said a report.

Mass evacuation, as massive fire continues burning at Bay de Verde

“It’s absolute devastation,” said a worker at the Bay de Verde plant. “I got a phone call this morning at 6:30 and when I got out of bed and came downstairs, all I could see was black smoke coming from down in the plant.”

“My first thought was, ‘Oh my god, what’s gonna happen?'”

“Half of the [southern section of the community of about 700] has been evacuated, our emergency plan has been initiated and I have declared a state of emergency,” said the mayor.

State of emergency declared in Attawapiskat over spate of suicide attempts

Of the 2,000 citizens of Attawapiskat on remote James Bay, 101 people have tried to kill themselves, with one person dying, since September. The youngest was 11, the oldest 71, according to the First Nation’s chief, CBC reported.

On Saturday night alone, 11 people attempted to take their own lives, said Chief Bruce Shisheesh.

The Attawapiskat First Nation is an isolated First Nation located in Kenora District in northern Ontario, Canada, at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River on James Bay.

State of emergency declared at Puerto Rico government bank

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla has declared a state of emergency at the Government Development Bank. He says the move is intended to protect the residents.

The executive order is aimed at  protecting the bank’s dwindling liquidity by only allowing withdrawals needed for the delivery of essential public services.

Two Major Fires Break out Near Tokyo, Japan

Massive Fire Breaks Out at a Steel Plant in Kawasaki

A massive fire broke out at a steel plant in the industrial city of Kawasaki, near Haneda airport, about 25km from central Tokyo.

The fire started at a cooling tower in the plant, which is owned by Nippon Steel, a company official told AFP.

The blaze was the second large fire to break out in Japan on Monday, after a series of explosions rocked a US military base in Sagamihara, said a report.

Sagamihara [pop: 850,000,] located 40km southwest of Tokyo, is the third most populous city in Kanagawa prefecture.

Eyewitnesses described the blasts as a series of continuous explosions that lasted up to 15 minutes.

Massive Fire as Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails in Canada

Derailed Crude Oil Train Explodes in Canada

A train carrying crude oil exploded after it derailed near Gogama, NE Ontario, closing Highway 144, according to reports.

The authorities were forced to close a section of the highway for up to two days, with no detour available.

The incident, the fourth derailment in Northern Ontario since January this year, follows another derailment in the same area in February.

Freight Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails Near Illinois City

On March 5, a freight train loaded with crude oil derailed in northern Illinois, exploding into a ball of fire and prompting officials to suggest that everyone with 1 mile radius of explosion evacuate, authorities said, AP reported.

“Since 2008, derailments of oil trains in the U.S. and Canada have seen 70,000-gallon tank cars break open and ignite on multiple occasions, resulting in huge fires. A train carrying Bakken crude crashed in a Quebec town in 2013, killing 47 people. Last month, a train carrying 3 million gallons of North Dakota crude derailed in a West Virginia snowstorm, shooting fireballs into the sky, leaking oil into a river tributary and forcing hundreds of families to evacuate.”

Recent Train Explosions

• Canadian Town Evacuated after Train Explosion July 7, 2013
• Hundreds of Homes Evacuated after Ohio Railcar Leak November 28, 2013
• Two W Virginia Towns Evacuated after Derailed Train Explodes February 17, 2015

Deadly Fire Destroys Thousands of Houses in Chile

‘APOCALYPTIC’ FIRE
CATASTROPHE ZONE
MASS EVACUATIONS
STATE OF EMERGENCY
.

Chile declares a State of Emergency as deadly fire destroys thousands of homes

A massive fire described as “Apocalyptic” devastated large tracts of forest and residential neighborhoods in the Chilean city of Valparaiso, destroying at least 2,000 houses and killing  about two dozen people.

Up to 50,000 people were evacuated, as the fire raged over the weekend.

The Chilean President declared a state of emergency and sent the military to maintain order in the disaster area.

Scores of residents were treated for smoke inhalations and other injuries.

Related Links

• Mass Evacuations in Chile as Fire Destroys Scores of Homes April 13, 2014

Mass Evacuations in Chile as Fire Destroys Scores of Homes

‘APOCALYPTIC’ FOREST FIRE
MAJOR  DISASTER
MASS EVACUATIONS
CATASTROPHE ZONE DECLARED
.

Chile declares Valparaiso a catastrophe zone

UPDATED at 16:00UTC

“Apocalyptic” forest fire raging uncontrollably in Valparaiso

Chilean President has declared the city of Valparaiso, 105km west of the capital Santiago, a catastrophe zone and put the army in charge of the mass evacuations, after a raging forest fire spread into the city, killing at least two dozen people and destroying more than 500 homes.

“Valparaiso is without electricity at the moment and this means the flame column is creating a Dante-esque panorama and is advancing in an apparently uncontrollable manner,” said the city mayor, adding that shelters had been set up for the thousands of residents that have been forced to flee the blaze.

Valparaiso mega blaze continues to grow. Fanned by strong winds from the Pacific ocean, the massive blaze is  moving deeper into the heart of  the city consuming hundreds of buildings, and forcing the government to order mass evacuations, as the the city is declared a catastrophe zone. Photo: Original source unknown,  believed to be from the local media and may be subject to copyright.

 

Fire Consumes 180,000 Tons of Sugar in Brazil Port

Brazil fire destroys major sugar terminal, pushing sugar prices to a one-year high

A fire in Brazil’s largest port of Santos has destroyed warehouses containing at least 180,000 tons of raw sugar, pushing global prices to a one-year high.

The terminal affected by the blaze belongs to Copersucar, world’s largest sugar trader, with export capacity of about 10 million tons per year.

The destruction of the terminal infrastructure is expected to affect short-term deliveries as well as causing “disruption in Copersucar’s loading operations in the next 3-6 months,” according to a report quoting analysts at Credit Suisse investment bank.

The world’s largest sugar exporter, Brazil produces about 34 million tons of sugar annually and accounts for 50 percent of global sales.

Christie Declares State of Emergency as Fire Destroys Boardwalk

Fire Destroys New Jersey Shore Boardwalk, Dozens of Businesses

New Jersey Gov. Christie declared a state of emergency on Thursday as fire crews worked to contain a massive blaze that has ravaged a large section of the boardwalk along the New Jersey Shore, devouring dozens of nearby businesses, according to reports.

Hundreds of fire crews have been deployed to tackle the blaze in the Seaside Heights area which became a six-alarm fire in less than two hours, destroying large sections of a landmark that was recently restored following the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

“I feel like I want to throw up… After all the effort and time and resources that we’ve put in to help the folks of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights rebuild, it’s just unthinkable.” WCBS quoted Christie as saying.

The massive blaze began in Kohr’s Frozen Custard near the boardwalk in Seaside Park, and rapidly spread over seven blocks. About 50 businesses were destroyed, said NJ.com.

Dark Gray Air Warning!!

Analyzed Fires and Smoke from Satellite

Either the satellites are grossly malfunctioning, or major forest fires in Canada continue to go largely unreported.

Analyzed Fires and Smoke from Satellite on this ArcIMS server were updated on  Mon Jul 29 03:10:35 2013 GMT. Source: NESDIS

Fire Destroys 200 Houses in SW China

Wusuo Village of Miao ethnic group in SW China’s Guizhou Province consumed by fire

Fire destroyed more than 200 houses in Wusuo Village of Miao ethnic group,  Taijiang County, in southwest China’s Guizhou Province July 16, 2013.  (Xinhua). More images…

Images of the Day: Okinawa, Thailand, Philippines

100,000 Protest US Base on Okinawa

About 100,000 people rallied on the island of Okinawa Sunday to protest continued presence a US air base. The protest was led by the prefecture’s governor and many of the mayors, who demanded the Prime Minister to make good on his election promise of shutting down the Futema Marine Corps Air Station. Photo: Kyodo News Agency/ via AP. Image may be subject to copyright.

Battleground Bangkok

Pedestrians walk past the barricade erected by an anti-government ‘red shirt’ protesters, built with bamboo poles and tires and decorated with red flags and the Thai national flag, in the Silom business district in Bangkok April 25, 2010. The protesters encamped for weeks in central Bangkok promised more aggressive measures after the government rejected their proposals to end increasingly violent protests in return for early polls. Credit: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard. Image may be subject to copyright.

Poverty in the Philippines

A massive blaze gutted shanty houses in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila. Fueled by scorching heat and fanned by strong winds the fire destroyed at least 300 homes and left about 7,000 people homeless. Photo: Aaron Favila/Associated Press. Image may be subject to copyright.

–

Serial No 1,624. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).

Another fire at TEPCO nuclear plant

Fire at Tokyo Electric Power Co nuclear complex sickens worker

A fire broke out at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex owned by Tokyo Electric Power Co, a spokesman said.

A worker was sickened from inhaling smoke, but there was no radiation leak from the incident, the company said.

The nuclear power complex, which was put out of action caused by extensive damage in a 2007 earthquake is reportedly undergoing repairs and quake resistance enhancement (!)

The incident occurred within two days of a full week’s inspection by a team of 10 experts from the United Nations nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency, that was assessing earthquakes safety measures.

Related Links:

• Smoke Detected at Japanese Nuke Plant
• Radioactive Leak at TEPCO Unit Near Tokyo
• This’s Got to Be the Year of Radioactive, Chemical and Oil Spills, Too!
• Another Hole in Areva’s Nuclear Cheese
• French Water!
• European Pressurized Water Reactor!
• Wind Energy in Norway, Nuclear in F*nland
• How Do You Say ‘Duck-n-Cover’ in Finnish?

Lightning Safety Awareness Week: June 22-28

Unable to speak to “He,”Bush declares emergency for fires in N. California

More than 8,000 lightning strikes and record-low rainfall led to an estimated 1088 fires which charred up to 400,000 acres in 30 counties throughout California. Image Credit: NOAA

California’s Last Chance: Do a U-Turn, or Turn to Desert!

Related Links:

• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
• Schwarzenegger Proclaims Water Emergency in Nine Counties
• 2008: Year of the Fire

• Drought Index

• Failing Ecosystems
• State of the World
• Future Scenarios
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
  
• Nuking Earth for Lifestyle

• Giga Trends
• World Problems: The Root Cause Matrix
• Tipping Point
• Topsoil
• Drying Aquifers, Sinking Cities

• The Economy
• Energy
• Food Security
• Future in the Making: A Shrinking World