(Reuters) – Once a rare occurrence, extreme fires are now becoming more frequent and last longer worldwide, fuelled at least in part by climate change, which exacerbate fires’ scale and intensity, even in winter.
In the first half of 2022, wildfires have swallowed acres of dry vegetation, towns and homes, and their number is likely to escalate as the world experiences further record-breaking heat waves and droughts.
The following is a list of extreme wildfires across the globe recorded in 2022 and sorted per continent in alphabetical order:
NOTE: In this context, a fire is considered “extreme” after burning 1,000 acres or more.
ASIA
South Korea
(Uljin county)- The fire that broke out on March 4 in the eastern coastal county of Uljin, near the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, spread across the nearby city of Samcheo, consuming more than 14,800 acres, destroying at least 159 houses and urging 6,200 people to evacuate the area, according to a report https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-business-fires-south-korea-050be61ef38d4a4e54c4c131c91af2e8 by the Associated Press.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in ordered an all-out efforts to be made to protect the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant from a wildfire.
AFRICA
Morocco
(Northern region/Taza) – Several fires started erupting from July 13 in the provinces of Larache, Ouezzane and Tetouan, in the North of the country and in the South-East province of Taza. Nearly 4,000 acres of forest were consumed by the flames, which damaged many homes, and killed one person, as reported https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220715-one-dead-as-morocco-forest-fires-rage by France24.
The fires forced 1,100 people to flee 15 villages in Larache, while 645 residents were evacuated from Taza and Tetouan, according to the media.
EUROPE
France
(Gironde)- Two fires have blazed in France’s southwestern Gironde region since June 12, one along the Atlantic Coast, the other around the town of Landiras south of Bordeaux.
The fires, fuelled by dryness and temperatures as high as 42.6 degree Celsius, have burned around 47,700 acres, as of July 19. About 34,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area.
Spain
(Zamora)- Fuelled by record-breaking heat wave, the fire started on June 15, in the province of Zamora. Flames scorched at least 61,000 acres and more than 6,000 people were evacuated from 32 villages in the area. Two persons have died and three others were critically injured.
(Sierra Bermeja)- A fire started June 8 in Malaga province, on the slope of Pujerra mountain in Sierra Bermeja. It ravaged 8,600 acres of woods and bushes, forced evacuation of 2,000 people from the nearby town of Benahavis, and injured three firefighters. The flames are now stabilised.
Turkey
(Mugla) – A wildfire broke out on July 13 near the town of Marmaris, in the Aegean province of Mugla, and spread through the woodlands in the sparsely populated area. About 17 houses and nearly 1,800 acres of land were ravaged. Some 450 houses and 3,530 people were evacuated.
Portugal
(Murca) – A wildfire started on July 17 in the Murca municipality, in northern Portugal, and spread towards Vila Pouca de Aguiar and Carrazedo de Montenegro.
The blaze has affected roughly 14,800 acres, according to the EU’s Earth Observation Programme Copernicus. An elderly couple was found dead inside a burned-out car.
(Ourem) – Several wildfires broke out on July 7 in the Leiria and Santarem districts, in the Ourém municipality. Over 7,413.1 hectares have burned and authorities have blocked major motorways and side streets as strong winds made it harder for firefighters to fight the flames. Portugal’s most important highway was also blocked due to another fire farther north.
NORTH AMERICA
United-States
(California – Yosemite National Park)- Fire erupted on July 8 in part of California’s Yosemite National Park, home of some of the largest and oldest giant sequoia trees in the world. Flames consumed 3,772 acres according to a report https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/8209/69630 by InciWeb, a U.S. interagency all-risk incident information management system, as per July 13.
None of Yosemite’s landmark sequoias had been lost as of July 11.
(Arizona)- The so-called Pipeline Fire, which erupted on April 17, in the Coconino National Forest, the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, and the Lack Bill Park, north Flagstaff city, in Arizona.
The fire burned more than 20,000 acres and prompted the mandatory evacuation order of more than 2,100 homes.
(New Mexico) – The merger between the Hermits Peak Fire in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains in San Miguel County, and the Calf Canyon Fire, in the east of Santa Fe, constitutes the New Mexico’s largest blaze to date. Each fire started on April 6 and April 19, respectively, and burned 341,735 acres as of July 15, according to a report https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/santafe/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1043498 by Santa Fe National Forest Services. The flames are now contained at 93%.
(California – Big Sur) – The rare winter blaze, dubbed the Colorado Fire, burned 1,050 acres south of Monterey and just north of the area known as Big Sur in California, from Jan. 21 to Jan. 24. It forced about 500 people under evacuation orders and shut a major highway.
Canada
(British Columbia)- A blaze broke out on July 14 near the village of Lytton, in British Columbia. It is the most significant wildfire in the province so far this year, according to BC Wildfire Service.
The day after the fire broke out, nearly 2,000 acres were burned. Local authorities issued evacuation orders to 24 property owners close to the fire, while residents of several First Nation reserves were told to flee the area.
SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina
(Corrientes) – The Corrientes wildfires, in the Corrientes province, near Paraguay’s borders, broke out on February 7, and ravaged about 2,223,948 acres of forest and pasture land, some 12% of the region.
The blazes displaced or killed several wild animals such as capybaras, maned wolves, alligators, marsh deer and other species.
(Reporting by Dina Kartit)
