
-
Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'
-
Curry drops 52 as Warriors win, Jokic bags career-high 61 in Denver loss
-
South Korea mobilising 'all resources' for violence-free Yoon verdict
-
Myanmar quake victim rescued after 5 days as aid calls grow
-
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti tax fraud trial set to begin
-
Warner showcases 'Superman' reboot, new DiCaprio film
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth
-
Stock markets mostly advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
-
Saka scores on return as Arsenal beat Fulham
-
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
-
Ball-blasting 'Torpedo bats' making waves across MLB opening weekend
-
Newsmax shares surge more than 2,000% in days after IPO
-
Thousands of Hungarians protest against Pride ban law
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in the first quarter
-
No 'eye for an eye' approach to US tariffs: Mexico
-
NFL club owners back dynamic kickoffs, delay tush push vote
-
Trump 'perfecting' new tariffs as nervous world braces
-
Trump nominee says to press UK on Israel arms
-
French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote
-
The battle to control assets behind Bosnia crisis
-
Prabhsimran powers Punjab to IPL win over Lucknow
-
Mass layoffs targeting 10,000 jobs hit US health agencies

'Zombie' blazes and drought: Canada headed for another brutal fire season
Beneath the ground in Western Canada, dozens of so-called "zombie fires" that started last year are still burning.
And even though it's the dead of winter, the lack of snow this year is compounding ongoing drought conditions, leaving Canadians already bracing for another brutal forest fire season.
"We are having an exceptional winter after an exceptional summer," laments Josee St-Onge, a spokesperson for Alberta firefighters.
It's a never-ending struggle. Even in bone-chilling temperatures, Canadian firefighters are still hard at work battling nearly 150 fires.
This year there are 10 to 12 times more zombie fires burning in Western Canada than usual. They smolder beneath the surface of the boreal forest through the winter, sustained by layers of dried peat and organic matter.
Eradicating them is painstaking work. They are difficult to detect -- only letting out wisps of smoke -- and require deep scraping of the ground to expose the humus, or all the decomposed leaves and other plant material compacted into an up to 80-centimeter (31-inch) layer that burns slowly.
In Alberta, the government on Tuesday declared an early start to wildfire season, which normally starts March 1. In addition to zombie fires from last year, authorities are also fighting new blazes that have sprung up this year.
In British Columbia, a record number of fires are currently active.
"Normally at this time of year, we might have seven or eight fires burning, but we have 91," said Forrest Tower, a spokesperson for firefighters in Canada's westernmost province, which historically has been the region most affected by fires.
Zombie fires are especially feared by firefighters because they can reemerge as raging infernos after the spring thaw.
In 2023, Canada experienced the worst fire season in its history. More than 18 million hectares (about 7,000 square miles) of forests and grasslands burned, and some 200,000 people were displaced by blazes while smoke spread as far as the United States and Europe.
- Very light snowfall -
Now, just three months after the official end of the 2023 wildfire season, experts are already concerned about this year.
"The snowpack is well below normal over a fairly large portion of Western Canada. It's even quite spectacular in some places," said Tower, pointing to 50 percent less snow than usual in British Columbia, for example.
More snow would lower the risk of fires, as the spring melt helps moisten the soil.
According to Natural Resources Canada, snow cover has decreased by 5 to 10 percent per decade since 1981. And this winter was marked by mild winter temperatures, which were on average 4 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms, according to the environment ministry.
Given the current conditions, "it will only take a little wind or a lightning storm for the leaves and needles of conifers to catch fire. It is an extremely flammable fuel," said Marc-Andre Parisien, a Canadian Forest Service researcher.
"The stage is set for a very active spring, at least in the western part of the country," added Mike Flannigan, a professor at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Heavy rains over the coming months could turn things around.
But "the seasonal forecast from Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests warmer temperatures are likely until at least June," Flannigan said, with strong El Nino conditions forecast to persist for several months.
The time has therefore already come for preparations.
In addition to the early start to fire season, Alberta announced this week that it has recruited 100 additional firefighters. It is also banning outdoor fires near forests.
T.Ward--AMWN