2021 wildfires News

Kansas Wildfires Kill Two

Two men have died from injuries suffered in wildfires that have burned hundreds of thousands of acres across Kansas last week, authorities said Friday, Dec. 17. Richard Shimanek, 84, a farmer and rancher who lived near Leoti, died Thursday night …

From Wildfires to Floods, Climate Change Worsens Extreme Weather Across Globe

Extreme weather events in 2021 shattered records around the globe. Hundreds died in storms and heatwaves. Farmers struggled with drought, and in some cases with locust plagues. Wildfires set new records for carbon emissions, while swallowing forests, towns and homes. …

Reuters Special Report: Burnout: Firefighter Trauma Rises in Western States

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Miguel Watson wakes to the wind whipping through the trees. The whole night is ahead of him. He lies there and then, feeling restless, gets up and walks to his pickup truck. He listens to the …

Insured Price Tag for Canada’s Summer Storms and Wildfires Nears C$200M

Two storms that raged across Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada in July and August caused C$120 million (US$94.5 million) in insured damage, while the August wildfire, in White Rock Lake, British Columbia, is now estimated to have caused damages of …

U.S. Hurricane Ida, Haiti Quake, Multiple Major Wildfires Among August’s Disasters: Aon

Hurricane Ida will likely become one of the costliest U.S. mainland hurricanes on record both on a nominal and inflation-adjusted basis, according to Aon’s monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which evaluated the impact of natural disaster events worldwide during August …

New Wildfires Break Out on Greece’s Evia Island

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s fire department scrambled firefighting aircraft and ground forces as at least two new blazes broke out in areas already scarred by wildfires this summer, with strong winds complicating efforts to contain them. The first broke …

Greece Wildfire Destroys Jobs of Pine Resin Collectors

AGDINES, Greece (AP) – For generations, residents in the north of the Greek island of Evia have made their living from the dense pine forests surrounding their villages. Tapping the ubiquitous Aleppo pines for their resin, the viscous, sticky substance …

Firefighters Struggle to Control Blazes Fueled by Heatwaves in France and Spain

Firefighters are struggling to control blazes in France’s Gulf of Saint Tropez and in the Spanish province of Avila, another manifestation of dangerous global warming that’s already caused a long list of extreme weather events this summer. A wildfire burned …

Why Snow, Hail and Wildfire Are Expensive for Insurance Industry

If you’re having trouble wrapping your mind around the spree of natural catastrophes currently plaguing the worldβ€”from deadly July floods in Germany and China to the wildfires still burning in Greece, California and Siberia β€”you may be interested to know …

German, Chinese Insurers Face Record Disaster Claims as Extreme Weather Intensifies

Extreme precipitation in mid-July resulted in the costliest flooding events on record for German and Chinese insurers, which face potential losses of $6.5 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively, according to Aon’s monthly catastrophe report. Germany is likely to see as …