Wildfires and other fire incidents

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‘Climate Change Is Here’: Wildfires Ignite Across Europe Following Deadly Heatwave
By Olivia Rosane
July 5, 2026

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) On the heels of a deadly European heatwave, fierce fires erupted in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and France over the weekend, raising fears for a summer of extremes as the effects of the climate emergency become ever more apparent.

The blazes mobilized hundreds of firefighters and scorched a total of 42,000 acres as of Sunday in Spain, France, and Portugal alone—an area two times the size of Manhattan.

“Climate change is here, we are living the consequences and it is only the start of July,” French fire service Colonel Eric Belgioino told the public, as Agence France-Presse reported.

One of the fires raging in the South of France forced organizers of the Tour de France to close the third stage of the race to the public on Monday, as Reuters reported.

The fire has consumed 6.18 square miles in Southern France and put two people in critical condition.

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/wild ... -climate

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Toronto’s air quality ranked world’s worst as wildfire smoke settles in

https://globalnews.ca/news/11966507/tor ... y-july-15/

CN Rail crew evacuated as video shows Ontario wildfire surrounding train

https://globalnews.ca/news/11966535/nor ... s-cn-rail/

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Out-of-Control Canadian Wildfires Prompt Calls for ‘Nuremberg Trials for Big Oil’
By Olivia Rosane
July , 2026

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) “Climate change isn’t a tragedy, it’s a crime. The fossil fuel industry are arsonists at a global scale. It’s their pollution that’s fueling these horrific wildfires,” one climate advocate told Common Dreams.

As wildfires raged across Canada on Thursday, sending dangerous smoke across the border into major US cities, climate advocates called for accountability for the fossil fuel industry, which knew for decades that its products were largely responsible for the climate crisis, yet chose to push climate denial instead.

While fire is a natural part of the lifecycle of Canada’s boreal forests, the heating of the atmosphere due to the burning of oil, gas, and coal has made fires more frequent and extreme.

“We need Nuremberg trials for Big Oil,” the youth-led Sunrise Movement wrote on social media in response to the fires.

Climate Defiance agreed, posting, “Nuremberg-style trials are in order for the fossil fuel executives who knew what they were doing to our children’s futures and did anyway.”

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/cana ... sil-fuels

caltrek’s comment: I think a closer parallel than the Nuremberg trials might be the settlements reached against the tobacco companies for their negative impact on the public health. Like the fossil fuel industry, they knew what the consequences to public health would be of their actions, and took those actions anyway.

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Trump Threatens To Punish Canada with Steeper Tariffs Over Invasion of ‘Filthy, Polluted’ Air From Wildfires
By Zachary Leeman
July 17, 2026

Introduction:

(Mediaite) President Donald Trump vowed on Friday to hold Canada “responsible” for the “filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air” making its way across the border from wildfires.

“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president said he’ll be calling Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the issue while threatening to raising tariffs against the country. Trump accused Canada of poor fire management and preparedness.

“I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it. The cost is incalculable! Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result. This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying,” Trump wrote.

More than 100 million people in 18 states and the District of Columbia are under air quality alerts as polluted air from the Canada fires has hit Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic, CNN reported.

Read more here: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/tr ... ldfires/

caltrek’s comment: This is like setting your neighbor’s house on fire and then suing said neighbor for the negative effects on the neighborhood’s air quality.

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