Latest news with #fires
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Humanitarian aid group helping people recover personal items lost to the wildfires
Volunteers with Samaritan's Purse are sifting through the ruins in search of valuables and helping families recover items they thought were lost to the fires in Denare Beach, Sask.
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Telegraph
Fire breaks out on ship carrying EVS
Don't miss out on the headlines from Motoring News. Followed categories will be added to My News. An American shipping company has banned electric vehicles from travelling on its vessels following a series of fires at sea. The latest fire saw the Morning Midas car carrier burn at sea for three weeks with more than 3000 cars on board before capsizing and sinking to a depth of more than 16,000 feet near Alaska. In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, smoke rises from cargo vessel Morning Midas, a cargo ship carrying around 3000 vehicles to Mexico. Picture: U.S. Coast Guard/Courtesy Air Station Kodiak via AP MORE: Burnt through – pics reveal EV inferno It follows similar incidents for car carriers such as the Fremantle Highway in 2023 and Felicity Ace in 2022. All three ships were carrying a mix of electric, hybrid, and conventionally powered vehicles. Matson, a company that specialises in shipping goods including vehicles between the US mainland, Hawaii, Guam and Alaska, surprised customers in July by declaring an EV ban. The merchant ship Felicity Ace adrift after a fire broke out on board in 2022 off the Portuguese coast. Photo: Portuguese Navy / AFP MORE: Ship carrying EVs sinks in the pacific A statement issued by the company said that 'due to increasing concern for the safety of transporting vehicles powered by large lithium-ion batteries, Matson is suspending acceptance of used or new electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles for transport aboard its vessels,' it said. 'Effective immediately, we have ceased accepting new bookings for these shipments to/from all trades.' The company says it 'continues to support industry efforts to develop comprehensive standards and procedures to address fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries at sea and plans to resume acceptance of them when appropriate safety solutions that meet our requirements can be implemented.' Salvage workers recover an electric Mercedes from the fire-stricken Fremantle Highway ship. YouTube/Eemskrant MORE: Ship packed with luxury cars sunk The shipping industry is scrambling to address the risk of EV fires. A Maritime Technologies Forum report published in March 2025 states that although some regional guidelines are in place, 'there are no international regulations dedicated for safe carriage of EVs'. The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) says 'batteries that power electric vehicles pose unique fire risks, particularly thermal runaway … Lithium-ion battery fires can be difficult to extinguish, burn at extremely high temperatures, generate flammable and toxic gases, and may reignite even after being seemingly controlled'. A fire broke out on the Fremantle Highway late on July 25, 2023, killing one crew member, and prompting a massive effort to extinguish the flames. Photo: Handout / Netherlands Coastguards / AFP Christopher Wiernicki, chairman and chief executive of the ABS, says 'runaway electric vehicle fires can reach temperatures of 1,200°F (650°C) or higher and present unprecedented safety challenges to the shipping industry, which connects manufactured vehicles to global markets'. He says the ABS recently developed a software model for EV fires that 'will be a foundation of the ultimate solution' for rules surrounding the shipping of electric vehicles. Originally published as Fire breaks out on ship carrying EVS
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Baltimore community rallies together after multiple fires rip through neighborhood
Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood is coming together after multiple fires tore through Keswick Road within the past eight months. "The thing I learned through the fire was the strength of this community," said Dr. Simone Gibson, the pastor of Pathway Fellowship FMC. In May, a fire ripped through three rowhomes – just a few months after another set of homes went up in flames in October on the same block. In December 2024, six vacant homes were damaged during a fire nearby, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department. In October, two adults died, and multiple families were displaced after a five-alarm fire on the same block of Keswick Road. The fires displaced dozens of residents and damaged Pathway Fellowship FMC after it had just finished renovations earlier in the year. "But we still can't use the rest of our building yet, because it's under construction…our roof needs work," Gibson said. "I want people to know that we are a resilient community. I want them to know that we're not defined by this fire, and that as a result of this fire, I think we've gotten closer." On Saturday afternoon, Gibson's church threw a block party. "The theme is 'unity for our community,' and so we're promoting our unity and working together," Gibson said. The church and the Hampden Community Council teamed up to provide free food, fresh vegetables, school supplies, clothes and more for anyone who needs it. "The fire department is here, the health department is here. So, we wanted to do a holistic event," Gibson explained. "In addition to the fun, we also wanted to provide information to people and make sure they were able to get the resources that are available to them." "We often show up when the community is at its worst, right, when somebody is experiencing a serious emergency," said Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace. "Today, myself and 21 members of the fire department are out here to be a part of the recovery effort, which is really part of what we do." Gibson told WJZ that although the fires may have left burnt pieces, they did not destroy their faith. "God is good, and so we are pressing on, and we are rebuilding," Gibson said. Pathway Fellowship has been back in the church for about three weeks, Gibson said, but parts of it are still under construction as the investigation into the cause of the May fire continues.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Los Angeles Mayor Bass says 'hell yeah' she regrets Ghana trip after wildfires ravaged city
Print Close By Cameron Arcand Published July 25, 2025 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass continued to express regret for her controversial Ghana trip ahead of the devastating fires earlier this year in a recent interview with Vice News. "I was asked, 'Do I regret going?' Hell yeah. I mean, let me just do a comparison. If you are out of town and your kid or a member of your family gets sick or hurt, it doesn't matter where you were or why you were there. You feel horrible," Bass said in an interview with Vice News earlier this month. "I'm really not trying to give excuses, but there was no way in the world I knew that the city was in danger when I left," she later added. "Absolutely no way. And if you think about it through, if you take a step back, and because I did ask the chief when I came back, you know, like 'Why didn't you tell me?' and basically the response was 'Because we have Santa Anas all the time and nobody expected hurricane-force winds.'" The mayor faced intense scrutiny for the presidential delegation's visit to Africa even though there were warnings of the fire ahead of time. The Los Angeles Times reported that her team was aware of the fire risk before her trip. She ended up returning the day after the fires began ripping through Los Angeles neighborhoods, like the Pacific Palisades, where thousands of buildings were destroyed. LA MAYOR RIPPED FOR INTERFERING WITH ICE RAID AT CRIME-RIDDEN LOCAL PARK: 'FULL OF S---' "Well, I mean to be with honest with you. Well, I didn't get briefed. That's true. But I think that, again, people did not anticipate the historic wind. And it wasn't just LA. It was the county too." "What typically happens is that if there's going to be a big weather event, there are these briefings that happen and, uh, it's either initiated by the fire department or the emergency department," she said. "I was used to the fire chief calling me and telling me, you know, this is getting ready to happen. Come over. I need to brief you and all, you know, everything goes into motion. That didn't happen in the county, meaning LA and LA County." On her flight back, she said she was on the phone almost the entire 12-hour flight back to the U.S. from Ghana. SOCIAL MEDIA, TRUMP ADMIN ERUPTS OVER LA MAYOR'S REACTION TO ICE RAIDS: 'YOU'RE A CRIMINAL TOO' "Well, they're telling me what's happening in the fire. We were preparing the emergency declaration. They were talking to the mayor, the council president who serves as acting mayor while I'm gone. I don't remember if I talked to him or not then, but because there were just a lot of phone calls. Sometimes a lot of people. I think I even did a news interview, but all of that was while I was on the way home," she said, noting that she had phone access on the plane because it was a military plane, and she did not realize that the Sky News, who she went viral for not answering his questions, was even on the flight. Bass ousted Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley from her position in February, and Crowley unsuccessfully appealed her removal. "Our firefighters support Chief Crowley because she stood up for the men and women of our department," United Firefighters of Los Angeles City posted to X at the time. In the interview, Bass claimed there were "lies told" about the budget and fire engines. LOS ANGELES MAYOR SLASHES FIRE DEPARTMENT DEI BUREAU IN PROPOSED BUDGET MONTHS AFTER WOKE BACKLASH "Yes, there were broken fire engines. We find out later that those fire engines were there broken because they're used for spare parts. But there were 40 fire engines that were idle because they didn't have the staff that [Crowley] sent home. And the budget cut and I don't I don't know the reasons for it, and then the budget cut that never happened," she added. "Yes," Crowley notably responded in an interview at the time of the fires when asked if city leadership "failed" her when it came to resources. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "What we did when we did the budget was we put money aside for fire because we were in labor negotiations. If the budget was signed before then, but when the labor negotiations were done, we put it back in the budget. Which is a common thing. We're doing that right now," Bass said. When asked about the after-action report for the fire, Bass said she would 'look and see, but they should be about finished now." Fox News Digital reached out to Bass' office and Crowley. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department, but they did not immediately comment. Print Close URL
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CBRM to ask province for help with cost of cleaning up derelict properties
Cape Breton Regional Municipality plans to ask the province for help cleaning up derelict properties after fires destroyed two structures in Glace Bay last week, underscoring the danger of old, vacant buildings. Officials say the municipality simply can't afford to tackle the large number of properties in CBRM that need attention. "Unfortunately, statistically, I think we are in Nova Scotia the highest per capita with hundreds of vacant properties, dangerous and unsightly, and in the midst of trying to grow, we're trying to deal with some of the blights of the past," Mayor Cecil Clarke said. "The two recent structure fires in Glace Bay just highlighted the impact of abandoned properties and ... what it means to the bottom line." A fire on July 10 took out an empty warehouse next to an active fish plant and several hours later, a separate blaze consumed the former Morrison school, which is surrounded by homes. Clarke said the cost of demolishing the remains of the former school alone is about $300,000, and that's money CBRM likely will not be able to recover from the building owner. According to provincial property records, the building is owned by the non-profit Glace Bay & Area Y's Men & Women's Club. A CBRM spokesperson said the building was up for tax sale with $87,400 in taxes and other costs owing to the municipality. It went to tax sale three times over the last year and was not sold. It was scheduled to go up again later this month with the price reduced to $7,900, which is a year's outstanding taxes. However, whether it makes it to the next tax sale is now in doubt because of the fire. At Tuesday's council meeting, Coun. Dave MacKeigan got unanimous approval from his colleagues to have the mayor reach out to the minister of municipal affairs to seek financial help. There are roughly 400 derelict properties in CBRM. The municipality removes up to 80 a year from the list, but others get added to the list every year, as well. Most are empty homes, but about 10 per cent are large commercial buildings. Others are former school buildings that once belonged to the province — something the Nova Scotia government should bear in mind, said Deputy Mayor Eldon MacDonald. "We do not have the financial capacity and resources to deal with them, and I think consideration should be given that it was their buildings in the past and it should remain their responsibility," MacDonald said. Clarke said he intends to ask for a meeting with the province as soon as possible. The Glace Bay Volunteer Fire Department has been preparing and practising with other departments for at least two years in case of a fire at the former Morrison school. Ten departments responded to the alarm call, providing protection for neighbouring homes. No one was hurt and no other properties were damaged in the fires, but Clarke said the next incident could end in tragedy. "All it would take is a change in wind direction and we could be talking a much larger disaster and a much more pressing discussion with the minister," he said. MORE TOP STORIES
