Wednesday, January 1, 2020

2019 - DEC - Spotlight Stories



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-01 - With a cacophony of catastrophes, November 2019 was a month to remember:
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/record-breaking-wildfires-in-australia.html

2019-12-01 - Wildfire rages out of control, almost doubles in size, near coastal Shoalhaven (Australia):
http://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/6520511/fire-out-of-control-on-nsw-south-coast/
http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw-bushfires-huge-shoalhaven-fire-as-conditions-worsen-230251006.html
http://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a191202bjmuh/at-least-one-home-lost-as-fire-hits-town-on-nsw-south-coast-20191202
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7744597/Ferocious-bush-fires-NSWS-South-Coast-double-size-residents-warned-not-leave-homes.html
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/too-late-to-leave-fire-burning-out-of-control-at-shoalhaven/news-story/ea00c0d8049b02fa2bfb6185d3845f31

Quote: "An out-of-control bushfire burning in the NSW south coast Shoalhaven region has almost doubled in size after being whipped up by strong westerly winds, prompting an emergency warning. The fire at Currowan north of Batemans Bay has burnt through more than 11,560 hectares and is quickly spreading east."

2019-12-01 - Transformer explodes and ignites fire that rips through market in Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand):
http://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1806784/fire-guts-central-korat-market
http://thairesidents.com/local/mae-kim-heng-market-destroyed-fire-korat/

2019-12-01 - Postal van bursts into flame on street in coastal St. John's (Canada):
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/12/01/fire-destroys-postal-van-and-some-parcels-in-newfoundland-sunday.html
http://www.halifaxtoday.ca/atlantic-canada-news/fire-destroys-postal-van-and-some-parcels-in-newfoundland-sunday-1893891
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/postal-truck-fire-forest-road-1.5380181
http://vocm.com/2019/12/01/canada-post-truck-destroyed-by-fire-in-st-johns/
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/postal-van-packages-destroyed-fire-174109516.html
http://globalnews.ca/news/6241373/fire-destroys-postal-van/
http://cfox.com/news/6241373/fire-destroys-postal-van/

2019-12-01 - Watery deaths reach 20-year high in Victoria (Australia):
http://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-news-drowning-deaths-reach-20-year-high/b11870ac-c778-4232-baa4-8da1f36f0194
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/01/nearly-60-people-drown-in-victorias-worst-toll-in-20-years-figures-show

2019-12-01 - Around 20 crows and some fish found dead at Anasagar Lake (India):
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ajmer/now-dead-crows-near-lake-in-ajmer/articleshow/72323534.cms
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-mass-bird-deaths-at-sambhar-lake-crows-fish-found-dead-in-ajmers-ana-sagar-lake-2141948
http://thepigeonexpress.com/hundreds-of-crows-and-fish-found-dead-in-ajmers-ana-sagar-lake/

Quote: "Around 20 crows were found dead at Baradari near Anasagar Lake here in the last three days. A number of dead fish were also found floating at one corner of the lake."

2019-12-01 - Climate change is forcing one person from their home every two seconds, Oxfam says:
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/41391096/climate-change-is-forcing-one-person-from-their-home-every-two-seconds-oxfam-says
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/20-million-people-year-one-person-every.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-02 - New effort to understand huge methane craters in the Arctic caused by warming:
http://www.capeandislands.org/post/new-effort-understand-arctic-craters-caused-warming
http://www.wgbh.org/news/science-and-technology/2019/12/03/craters-in-siberia-an-unexpected-effect-of-climate-change-scientists-say

Quote: "In July of 2014, images of an enormous crater in the Siberian tundra captivated scientists and the public, alike. Others were soon found, and a cause proposed: climate change. Specifically, the finger was pointed at an underground build-up of methane released as permafrost thaws. But this was not a climate change impact that anyone had anticipated."

Quote: "When the news broke, climate scientist Sue Natali of Woods Hole Research Center was at a remote field station in Alaska, on the other side of the Arctic. At first, she wasn’t sure whether the photos were even real. 'I didn't expect it then, and I still don't expect it now,' said Natali. 'It's not something that any Arctic scientists talk about for this to happen on land - to have land explode because of a buildup of methane below the ground. It still surprises me now.'"

Quote: "Still, Natali says there are more unanswered questions: How many are there? Do they form anywhere permafrost thaws, or only in certain areas?  To answer those questions, Natali has teamed up with geospatial analyst Greg Fiske, also at Woods Hole Research Center. The plan is to mine a new, high-resolution elevation data and satellite imagery made available by University of Minnesota’s Polar Geospatial Center."

2019-12-02 - Car bursts into flame at 4:13 AM and kills man in carpark at supermarket in Maidstone (Britain):
http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/news/incidents/?entryid2=22896
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/man-in-his-70s-dies-in-supermarket-car-fire-217600/
http://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/man-dies-car-fire-outside-3598932
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/breaking-man-dies-car-fire-21008416

Quote: "A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman added: "We were called to St Saviours Road in Maidstone to reports of a car alight, and it was discovered a man had sadly died at the scene. Two fire engines attended along with Kent Police. 'Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire, which is not being treated as suspicious.'"

2019-12-02 - Person found dead in burning car in carpark at home improvement store on Lyons Way in coastal Worthing (Britain):
http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/news/worthing-car-fire-body-recovered-from-vehicle-1-9161172
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18074207.firefighters-tackle-vehicle-blaze-worthing/
http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/news/worthing-car-fire-body-recovered-from-vehicle-1-9161172

2019-12-02 - Wildfires continue to rage across New South Wales and Queensland (Australia), hazardous smoke again blankets Sydney:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=WF-20191203-70258-AUS
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/03/bushfires-rage-across-nsw-and-queensland-as-hazardous-smoke-blankets-sydney
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/smoke-plagues-sydney-again-amid-fire-risks/news-story/1a37ad0fbcd16a80b38d7d7e7f9c67f5
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50634790

2019-12-02 - Car bursts into flame while parked in garage at home, fire spreads, home destroyed, just outside Springfield (Missouri):
http://www.ozarksfirst.com/local-news/local-news-local-news/fire-in-greene-county-just-outside-of-springfield/

Quote: "Duane Compton, Fire Chief of Republic, says the fire started in a car in the garage. Compton says the homeowner couldn’t get the car out in time and the fire spread to the house. Authorities say no one was hurt but the house is a total loss."

2019-12-02 - Car bursts into flame while parked at home, fire spreads to home, on Anna Court in Selkirk (New York):
http://www.spotlightnews.com/towns/bethlehem/2019/12/02/police-vehicle-catches-on-fire-at-selkirk-residence-no-injuries/

Quote: "A parked vehicle on a Selkirk residence driveway caught on fire at around 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 2, according to Bethlehem police. The residence is at 22 Anna Court and the cause of the fire remains unknown although police reported that it 'is not suspicious.'"

2019-12-02 - Australian PM denies climate change amidst dying cattle, fish dying in the millions, massive crop losses, devastating heatwaves, droughts and wildfires:
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/australia-pm-denies-climate-change-but.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-03 - Unknown rotten egg odor hits store in Bakersfield (California):
http://www.kget.com/news/local-news/kern-county-firefighters-investigate-reports-of-natural-gas-odor-at-nw-bakersfield-winco/

Quote: "SoCalGas crews said no gas leak was found at the store and are working to restore gas service after it was shut off as a precaution."

2019-12-03 - Underground electrical fires break out, car burns, in coastal Brooklyn (New York):
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/dtg-manhole-explosion-2019-12-06-bk/
http://1010wins.radio.com/articles/multiple-manhole-fires-reported-in-brooklyn
http://nypost.com/2019/12/03/manhole-explosion-scorches-car-in-crown-heights/
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Multiple-Manhole-Fires-Reported-in-Brooklyn-565723821.html
http://brooklyn.news12.com/story/41398205/several-without-power-in-crown-heights-following-manhole-fire

Quote: "Firefighters were on the scene responding to a report of fires in manholes early Tuesday in Brooklyn. Some neighbors woke up to the loud sounds of popping that were coming from several manholes."

Quote: "There was an additional report of a car fire and an explosion at the location of the car fire. A caution tape was seen wrapped around a charred and badly damaged vehicle. One of the manholes may have been directly underneath a parked car, according to FDNY."

2019-12-03 - Transformer bursts into flame and causes blackouts in and around Brea (California):
http://abc7.com/oc-power-outage-leave-hundreds-in-the-dark/5732500/

2019-12-03 - Electrical substation damaged by fire in Karur (India):
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/dec/04/major-fire-breaks-out-at-pugalur-power-sub-station-2071170.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/fire-erupts-in-transformer-at-tangedco-power-station/articleshow/72356469.cms

2019-12-03 - Freight transport business devastated by massive fire on Inlet Road in coastal Takanini (New Zealand):
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12290996
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/12/giant-industrial-fire-breaks-out-in-takanini-auckland.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/117685560/takanini-fire-large-blaze-breaks-out-at-auckland-freight-moving-company
http://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/massive-blaze-engulfed-building-auckland-freight-moving-company-contained
http://twitter.com/AklTransport/status/1202076058201317376

Quote: "The fire is at United Movers. The business is a freight transport company with one of the largest specialised furniture body fleets in the country, its website says."

Note: Freight transport. That sounds to me like trucks, lots of trucks...

2019-12-03 - Wildfire burns out of control on the coast near Batemans Bay (Australia):
https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/6522875/fast-moving-fire-reaches-nsw-coast/

Quote: "More homes are threatened after an out-of-control bushfire burned through to the coast in southern NSW as thick smoke from blazes surrounding Sydney continues to blanket the city. An emergency alert is in place for the 30,000-hectare Currowan bushfire near Batemans Bay on the state's south coast, which has already destroyed at least one home. A second emergency alert was issued on Tuesday night for a bushfire burning near the northwestern outskirts of Sydney."

2019-12-03 - Canada sending firefighting staff to help fight blazes raging in Australia:
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/seven-b-c-firefighting-staff-sent-to-help-fight-australian-wildfires

Quote: "During British Columbia’s devastating 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons, Australian fire personnel responded to our calls for assistance through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. We greatly appreciated their assistance during those difficult years, and we welcome the opportunity to help out our Australian friends now."

2019-12-03 - Drones show Greenland ice sheet fracturing in real time:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/drones-show-greenland-ice-sheet-fracturing-real-time-201422383.html

2019-12-03 - Natural gas drives record CO2 emissions in 2019:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/natural-gas-drives-record-co2-emissions-2019-000644500.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-04 - Unknown rotten egg odor evacuates Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School in Albuquerque (New Mexico):
http://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/arroyo-del-oso-elementary-school-evacuates-due-to-smell-of-gas/

Quote: "Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School was briefly evacuated Wednesday afternoon due to a strong smell of gas. APS tweeted around 1:30 p.m. that the gas smell was in the main building. By 2:00 p.m., the evacuation ordered had been lifted and students were allowed to return to class. APS has not said what caused the smell."

2019-12-04 - Study shows lake methane emissions should prompt rethink on climate change:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/su-ssl120419.php
http://scienmag.com/study-shows-lake-methane-emissions-should-prompt-rethink-on-climate-change/
http://phys.org/news/2019-12-lake-methane-emissions-prompt-rethink.html

Quote: "The research team from the University's College of Science analysed Lake Stechlin in north-eastern Germany and found that a significant amount of methane was being produced there in the well-oxygenated surface layer. It was also discovered that as the methane gas is produced at the surface in direct contact with air, the levels of emissions that travel directly into the atmosphere are also significant."

2019-12-04 - Early climate modelers got global warming right, new report finds:
http://news.berkeley.edu/2019/12/04/early-climate-modelers-got-global-warming-right-new-report-finds/

2019-12-04 - Man burns to death while burning leaves in drainage ditch in Lake of Egypt (Illinois):
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/41412813/one-person-dies-after-out-of-control-leaf-fire
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/lake-of-egypt-man-dies-after-leaf-fire-burns-out/article_ef8173f9-bbcc-587d-8e37-d488d2bd79e4.html
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/investigation-underway-into-apparent-accidental-death-in-williamson-county-il/article_1ee7c3e4-1785-11ea-904d-2b35d682c9a7.html

Quote: "Crews learned that the fire was started to clear leaves from a drainage ditch. The fire burned out of control and spread to a nearby golf cart and a vehicle at a neighbors house. The person burning the leaves died from injuries sustained in the fire."

2019-12-04 - Mysterious explosions alarming people in the coastal San Juan Islands (Washington):
http://sanjuanislander.com/news-articles/environment-science-whales/environment/30180/what-s-that-sound-tell-me-what-s-happening

2019-12-04 - Underground explosions blow out windows at building(s) in Brookline (Massachusetts):
http://www.wcvb.com/article/brookline-reported-manhole-explosions-route-9-cypress-street/30126131
http://www.boston25news.com/news/firefighters-in-brookline-investigating-reports-of-explosions/1015542635
http://whdh.com/news/traffic-detours-in-place-after-manhole-explosions-in-brookline/
http://www.masslive.com/boston/2019/12/manhole-explosions-reported-in-brookline.html
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/12/04/brookline-route-9-manhole-explosions-fire/
http://patch.com/massachusetts/brookline/man-hole-explosions-brookline

2019-12-04 - Transformer explodes and burns, car ignites, at university in Nairobi (Kenya):
http://www.kdrtv.co.ke/news/huge-fire-as-transformer-explodes-at-daystar-university-video/
http://citizentv.co.ke/news/students-car-burnt-down-at-daystar-university-video-306494/
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001352033/panic-as-transformer-blows-up-at-daystar-university
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Transformer-blows-up-at-Daystar-University-Valley-Road-Campus/1056-5373378-bf8kvqz/index.html
http://nairobinews.nation.co.ke/news/panic-as-transformer-explodes-and-sets-car-ablaze-at-daystar-university-video

2019-12-04 - Huge wildfire causes emergency warning on the outskirts of coastal Sydney (Australia):
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/the-big-smoke-how-bushfires-cast-a-pall-over-the-australian-summer
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/04/bushfires-queensland-town-flees-raging-bushfire-as-smoke-forecast-to-linger-in-sydney
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/sydney-set-for-more-bushfire-air-pollution/news-story/1bcf1eefdcefa247988916222e5298fd
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/nsw-endures-longest-spell-air-pollution-record-bushfires-threaten-queensland
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/an-incredible-7000-wildfires-in-last-5.html
http://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1202125228735967237

Quote: "An emergency warning has been issued for the 230,000-hectare Gospers Mountain blaze on Sydney's northwestern outskirts as firefighters brace for a 'long and challenging day'. Strong westerly winds have been fanning the Gospers Mountain fire, with the possibility it could merge with the 6000-hectare Three Mile blaze near Wisemans Ferry."

Quote: "The actor Sam Neill tweeted that there was a sense of 'the end of days' about the country seen from the air, as his plane approached on Tuesday."

Note: Check out the map in the tweet. Around 80-90 percent of the fires are clustered along the coast. The further from the coast you go, the fewer fires there are, and vice versa. Sydney is virtually surrounded by fires...

2019-12-04 - Ocean microplastics are a million times more abundant than previously thought, study shows:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/ocean-microplastics-million-times-more-170335606.html
http://theweek.com/speedreads/882256/ocean-microplastics-are-million-times-more-abundant-than-previously-thought-study-shows
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/microplastics-a-million-times-more-abundant-in-the-ocean-than-previously-thought-scripps-study-sugg

Note: It's in the oceans, it's in the rain, it's in animals, it's in our poop, it's everywhere!



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-04 - Unknown rotten egg odor evacuates Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School in Albuquerque (New Mexico):
http://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/arroyo-del-oso-elementary-school-evacuates-due-to-smell-of-gas/

Quote: "Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School was briefly evacuated Wednesday afternoon due to a strong smell of gas. APS tweeted around 1:30 p.m. that the gas smell was in the main building. By 2:00 p.m., the evacuation ordered had been lifted and students were allowed to return to class. APS has not said what caused the smell."

2019-12-04 - Study shows lake methane emissions should prompt rethink on climate change:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/su-ssl120419.php
http://scienmag.com/study-shows-lake-methane-emissions-should-prompt-rethink-on-climate-change/
http://phys.org/news/2019-12-lake-methane-emissions-prompt-rethink.html

Quote: "The research team from the University's College of Science analysed Lake Stechlin in north-eastern Germany and found that a significant amount of methane was being produced there in the well-oxygenated surface layer. It was also discovered that as the methane gas is produced at the surface in direct contact with air, the levels of emissions that travel directly into the atmosphere are also significant."

2019-12-04 - Early climate modelers got global warming right, new report finds:
http://news.berkeley.edu/2019/12/04/early-climate-modelers-got-global-warming-right-new-report-finds/

2019-12-04 - Man burns to death while burning leaves in drainage ditch in Lake of Egypt (Illinois):
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/41412813/one-person-dies-after-out-of-control-leaf-fire
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/lake-of-egypt-man-dies-after-leaf-fire-burns-out/article_ef8173f9-bbcc-587d-8e37-d488d2bd79e4.html
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/investigation-underway-into-apparent-accidental-death-in-williamson-county-il/article_1ee7c3e4-1785-11ea-904d-2b35d682c9a7.html

Quote: "Crews learned that the fire was started to clear leaves from a drainage ditch. The fire burned out of control and spread to a nearby golf cart and a vehicle at a neighbors house. The person burning the leaves died from injuries sustained in the fire."

2019-12-04 - Mysterious explosions alarming people in the coastal San Juan Islands (Washington):
http://sanjuanislander.com/news-articles/environment-science-whales/environment/30180/what-s-that-sound-tell-me-what-s-happening

2019-12-04 - Underground explosions blow out windows at building(s) in Brookline (Massachusetts):
http://www.wcvb.com/article/brookline-reported-manhole-explosions-route-9-cypress-street/30126131
http://www.boston25news.com/news/firefighters-in-brookline-investigating-reports-of-explosions/1015542635
http://whdh.com/news/traffic-detours-in-place-after-manhole-explosions-in-brookline/
http://www.masslive.com/boston/2019/12/manhole-explosions-reported-in-brookline.html
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/12/04/brookline-route-9-manhole-explosions-fire/
http://patch.com/massachusetts/brookline/man-hole-explosions-brookline

2019-12-04 - Transformer explodes and burns, car ignites, at university in Nairobi (Kenya):
http://www.kdrtv.co.ke/news/huge-fire-as-transformer-explodes-at-daystar-university-video/
http://citizentv.co.ke/news/students-car-burnt-down-at-daystar-university-video-306494/
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001352033/panic-as-transformer-blows-up-at-daystar-university
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Transformer-blows-up-at-Daystar-University-Valley-Road-Campus/1056-5373378-bf8kvqz/index.html
http://nairobinews.nation.co.ke/news/panic-as-transformer-explodes-and-sets-car-ablaze-at-daystar-university-video

2019-12-04 - Huge wildfire causes emergency warning on the outskirts of coastal Sydney (Australia):
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/the-big-smoke-how-bushfires-cast-a-pall-over-the-australian-summer
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/04/bushfires-queensland-town-flees-raging-bushfire-as-smoke-forecast-to-linger-in-sydney
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/sydney-set-for-more-bushfire-air-pollution/news-story/1bcf1eefdcefa247988916222e5298fd
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/nsw-endures-longest-spell-air-pollution-record-bushfires-threaten-queensland
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/an-incredible-7000-wildfires-in-last-5.html
http://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1202125228735967237

Quote: "An emergency warning has been issued for the 230,000-hectare Gospers Mountain blaze on Sydney's northwestern outskirts as firefighters brace for a 'long and challenging day'. Strong westerly winds have been fanning the Gospers Mountain fire, with the possibility it could merge with the 6000-hectare Three Mile blaze near Wisemans Ferry."

Quote: "The actor Sam Neill tweeted that there was a sense of 'the end of days' about the country seen from the air, as his plane approached on Tuesday."

Note: Check out the map in the tweet. Around 80-90 percent of the fires are clustered along the coast. The further from the coast you go, the fewer fires there are, and vice versa. Sydney is virtually surrounded by fires...

2019-12-04 - Ocean microplastics are a million times more abundant than previously thought, study shows:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/ocean-microplastics-million-times-more-170335606.html
http://theweek.com/speedreads/882256/ocean-microplastics-are-million-times-more-abundant-than-previously-thought-study-shows
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/microplastics-a-million-times-more-abundant-in-the-ocean-than-previously-thought-scripps-study-sugg

Note: It's in the oceans, it's in the rain, it's in animals, it's in our poop, it's everywhere!



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-06 - Home may have exploded due to methane outgassing from the ground in the Town of Alleghany (New York):
http://www.wivb.com/news/ground-gas-definitely-a-possibility-in-allegany-house-explosion/

Quote: "More than two weeks after a house exploded in the heart of oil and gas well country, the public health director for Cattaraugus County said Friday that it could have been caused by methane gas seeping through the ground."

Quote: "Sources tell News 4 that investigators have ruled out any of the home’s heating sources or electricity being the cause. The focus is now on whether ground-gas was the cause."

Quote: "The residents of the home that exploded smelled in their water what may have been methane in the weeks leading up to the blast and that’s a product of natural gas."

Note: They definitely did not smell methane, since methane is odorless. They may have smelled hydrogen sulfide, since methane and hydrogen sulfide often go together. That doesn't mean there was no methane present - there could have been a great deal of it. That's just not what they smelled...

2019-12-06 - Auto salvage yard hit by fire, at least 50 cars burn, in Sacramento (California):
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/12/06/junk-car-lot-fire-west-sacramento/
http://fox40.com/2019/12/06/50-vehicles-burn-in-west-sacramento-tow-yard-fire/
http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/video/junk-car-lot-fire-in-west-sacramento/vp-BBXSAy7
http://www.kcra.com/article/forklift-driver-helps-crews-battle-west-sacramento-tow-yard-fire/30156450

Quote: "According to West Sacramento Fire dispatchers, the black smoke is coming from a junk car lot in West Sacramento. The fire was reported at 3:29 p.m. on Friday. The fire department says at least 50 cars have burned so far."

2019-12-06 - Recycling center heavily damaged by fire in Daphne (Alabama):
http://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/large-fire-at-daphne-recycling-center-facility/

2019-12-06 - Fiber recycling plant erupts in flame in Franklin (Virginia):
http://wtkr.com/2019/12/06/multiple-crews-respond-to-fire-at-international-paper-in-franklin/
http://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/crews-battling-fire-at-recycling-plant-behind-franklin-paper-mill/291-a70aa5a5-c826-4052-ad68-1600fb12aa33
http://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/multiple-crews-working-fire-at-franklin-paper-mill/

2019-12-06 - Numerous wildfires burn out of control around coastal Sydney (Australia):
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50690633
http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2019/12/06/bushfires-sydney-mega-blaze/
http://10daily.com.au/news/a191206hyrbu/bushfires-north-of-sydney-too-big-to-put-out-20191206
http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw-bushfires-mega-blaze-near-sydney-burn-many-weeks-225050325.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/australias-bushfire-currowan-fire-mega-blaze-is-choking-sydney-2019-12-07/
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/07/australia-fires-almost-100-fires-burn-across-nsw-as-mega-fire-rages-near-sydney
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/07/from-disbelief-to-dread-the-dismal-new-routine-of-life-in-sydneys-smoke-haze
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/12/06/one-worlds-biggest-emitters-trying-fly-radar-cop25/
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/its-called-mega-blaze-and-parts-are-too.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-wildfires-orange-skies-1.5388088

Quote: "Sydney may be blanketed in smoke for weeks, if not months, RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said."

Quote: "Australia exports a greater portion of the world’s coal market than Saudi Arabia does to oil."

Quote: "Morrison has called climate protests 'indulgent and selfish,' and argued that the government should outlaw some forms of climate protest."

Note: So Australia made a trade - make some money with coal in the present and in return Australia gets turned into a charred uninhabitable wasteland in the future. Lots of countries have made the same deal, though not many so wholeheartedly on a per capita basis as Australia. Seems to me that trading a survivable planet in the future for coal profits now was a mighty indulgent and selfish deal to make. And the funny thing about the future is that it does have a habit of turning into the present. Present, meet future!



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-07 - Oceans running out of oxygen and dead zones spreading as global temperatures continue rising:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50690995
http://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/07/climate/ocean-acidification-climate-change.html
http://metro.co.uk/2019/12/08/oceans-rapidly-becoming-oxygen-dead-zones-experts-warn-11409306/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/worlds-oceans-are-losing-oxygen-at-a-dangerous-unprecedented-rate-as-temperatures-rise/
http://www.ktva.com/story/41421096/worlds-oceans-are-losing-oxygen-at-a-dangerous-unprecedented-rate-as-temperatures-rise-study-finds
http://www.fasterthanexpected.com/2019/12/07/oceans-losing-oxygen-at-unprecedented-rate-experts-warn/
http://portals.iucn.org/library/node/48892

Quote: "‘Dead zones’ in the world’s oceans are expanding at a rapid rate, fuelled by a huge decrease in oxygen levels."

Quote: "While nutrient run-off has been known for decades, researchers say that climate change is making the lack of oxygen worse. Around 700 ocean sites are now suffering from low oxygen, compared with 45 in the 1960s."

Quote: "'If we run out of oxygen it will mean habitat loss and biodiversity loss and a slippery slope down to slime and more jellyfish,' said Minna Epps. 'It will also change the energy and the biochemical cycling in the oceans and we don't know what these biological and chemical shifts in the oceans can actually do.'"

Note: Slime (bacteria) and jellyfish, that is indeed where the oceans are heading. The biochemical changes are the threat. Low oxygen levels and warmer waters expand the environment in favor of the ancient anaerobic archaea and bacteria that produce hydrogen sulfide, which kills most life, and then they eat that dead biomatter and produce more hydrogen sulfide, which kills more life, and so on and so on. It will only take a small fraction of the oceans to turn seriously anoxic to result in enough hydrogen sulfide emissions into the atmosphere to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth. The process has already gathered such momentum that it is unstoppable. Though few yet perceive the effects - or understand what they are seeing - the escalating effects are already all around us.

This is the real threat of climate change run amok. The human race could survive warming, with a small population moving closer to the poles. The human race could survive rising sea levels, by retreating from the coasts. But widespread atmospheric poisoning? That's a whole different ballgame. Consider that the average human being inhales on average 12-20 times per minute. Call it 16 times as an average. That's 23,040 breaths per day, or 8,415,360 per year, or around 84 million breaths per ten years. It only takes ONE breath of 0.1% hydrogen sulfide (1 part per thousand) to kill a person. If the average person gets just ONE lethal breath per 84 million breaths in their first ten years, then they won't live to see the age of 10. If that happens - if the average person gets even 1 poisoned breath per 84 million breaths - then the human race will go extinct, because so few people will live long enough to have children. Is the Earth capable of poisoning the atmosphere to that degree? Easily. VERY easily. It'll probably be much worse than that before all is said and done. Year by year, this is where we're headed.

Also, poisoning via the air is just one way hydrogen sulfide poisoning can kill you. It can blow through at night and coat matter. Then you touch that matter and unknowingly get poison on your fingers - car handles and doorknobs and railings and trashcans, as a few examples. Then you eat something with your hands, and now you've just unwittingly eaten poisoned food. Hydrogen sulfide is also water-soluble. If you get contaminated water on your head then that can kill you. That's obviously already happening to water here and there around the world. Not everywhere all the time, but some places some of the time, and you won't know when or where. I think there's something in the Bible that talks about a third of the world's waters being poisoned. That may turn out to be substantially accurate, but it won't be the SAME third of the world's waters from day to day. It might be your shower water, or water in a swimming pool, or water in a stream or pond, or eventually sometimes even in the rain itself. There have already been some instances involving numerous people (and animals) dropping dead shortly after rainfall.

Directly poisoning you isn't even the only way hydrogen sulfide can kill you. It can ignite your car or your home or your business and burn you to death. It can knock you unconscious, and then you freeze to death in the winter or bake to death in the summer or crash your car into something or fall and hit your head on a rock or topple off a balcony or building, etc, etc. It can poison food sources (crops, animals) and cause starvation. It can degrade buildings and bridges and cause collapses that kill you. It can drive you insane and induce you to do such crazy stuff that cops are forced to shoot you dead. It can drive animals insane that then attack you and kill you. There are probably a thousand ways hydrogen sulfide contaminating the environment can kill you indirectly; use your imagination.

Life came from the oceans, but sometimes death comes from the oceans too...

2019-12-07 - Unknown odor blows through Delaware County (Pennsylvania):
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Mystery-Odor-Smell-Delaware-County-Pennsylvania--565948781.html

2019-12-07 - Mysterious explosion just before midnight alarms people in coastal Ellesmere Port (Britain):
http://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/terrifying-explosion-heard-cheshire-leaves-17383716

Quote: "Residents in Ellesmere Port have reported hearing a very loud bang last night. Before midnight last night (Saturday, December 7), residents said they heard a loud bang similar to an explosion. Whilst others suggested it could be fireworks, others clarified it was more than that and sounded like something exploding."

2019-12-07 - Megafire continues burning on the outskirts of coastal Sydney (Australia), people suffering from respiratory problems, worse to come:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=ED-20191207-70291-AUS
http://news.sky.com/story/australia-fires-sydney-warned-worst-is-yet-to-come-as-smoke-shrouds-city-11880241
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1214223/Australia-fire-map-Australia-bush-fire-firefighters-update-map-latest-today-video
http://watchers.news/2019/12/07/mega-fire-burns-out-of-control-just-north-of-sydney-australia/
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/12/07/world/asia/07reuters-australia-bushfires.html
http://taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/12/08/2003727166
http://twitter.com/photosSMH/status/1202540718985637890

Quote: "A giant bushfire on the edge of Sydney, which has blanketed the city in smoke causing a spike in respiratory illnesses and the cancellation of outdoor sports, will take weeks to control but will not be extinguished without heavy rains, firefighters said. Thousands of weary firefighters, who have been battling bushfires for a month, were on Saturday fighting nearly 100 blazes in New South Wales state."

Quote: "Approximately 2 million ha (5 million acres) have burned so far on the continent. Since the bushfire crisis began in September, more than 680 homes have been left in ruins, and six lives were taken."

2019-12-07 - Glaciers melting at record speed in Alaska, activists demand action:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/record-glacial-melt-alaska-climate-175533620.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-08 - Unknown foul odor periodically plaguing Tehran (Iran):
http://en.radiofarda.com/a/mysterious-foul-odor-tehran-investigated-jokes-abound/30314035.html
http://www.payvand.com/news/19/dec/1025.html

Quote: "Tehran Mayor on Sunday said results of the investigation to find the source a foul odor periodically plaguing various areas of the capital since January have been sent to the Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization. In an interview with the state-run television (IRIB) last night the mayor Pirouz Hanachi said there is still no definite answer about the source of the obnoxious smell."

Note: Iran's really known for two things: oil and gas. Both oil and gas often have hydrogen sulfide in them, caused by bacteria. The presence of hydrogen sulfide in oil or gas is what makes it 'sour'. If it has none then it's called 'sweet'. It could be that the oil and gas in the ground there is becoming more sour and leaking hydrogen sulfide into the surrounding area. The US Strategic Oil Reserve has also become contaminated with considerable amounts of hydrogen sulfide...

2019-12-08 - Volcano erupts on coastal White Island (New Zealand), 5+ killed, 20 injured, others missing:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_update&edis_id=VE-20191209-70299-NZL
http://ktla.com/2019/12/08/dozens-missing-after-volcano-erupts-on-new-zealands-white-island/
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/12/white-island-eruption-what-caused-the-explosion.html
http://fox5sandiego.com/2019/12/08/at-least-1-dead-others-missing-after-volcano-erupts-in-new-zealand/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2019/12/09/surprise-volcanic-explosion-rocks-new-zealand-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/
http://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/didnt-look-good-fisherman-says-white-island-eruption-looked-like-hell-explosion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/50709828/new-zealand-moment-of-white-island-volcano-eruption
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/massive-plumes-of-smoke-after-eruption-on-white-island/
http://globalnews.ca/news/6271319/new-zealand-volcano-eruption/

Quote: "At least five people were killed, up to 20 injured and several were reported missing after a volcano suddenly erupted off the coast of New Zealand's North Island on Monday, spewing a plume of ash thousands of feet into the air. More casualties were feared on White Island, where the volcano erupted at about 2:11 p.m. (0111 GMT), police said."

Note: I'm beginning to think about considering the possibility of pondering whether there's a chance that tourism to active volcanoes might not be the best idea!

2019-12-08 - RV trailer bursts into flame and explodes and kills person while parked near Alfalfa (Oregon):
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northwest/person-dies-when-travel-trailer-catches-fire-explodes/
http://ktvz.com/news/2019/12/09/person-dies-in-juniper-acres-travel-trailer-fire-explosion/

2019-12-08 - Deadly fire rips through factory at 5:22 AM in Delhi (India), dozens killed:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-india-fire/fire-at-new-delhi-factory-kills-43-idUKKBN1YC034
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/08/delhi-fire-india-factory-dozens-dead
http://www.foxnews.com/world/market-fire-in-new-delhi-india-kills-at-least-43-sparks-chaos-outside-hospital
http://www.bloombergquint.com/politics/43-killed-as-fire-breaks-out-in-factory-in-delhi
http://www.trtworld.com/asia/devastating-fire-kills-at-least-34-in-indian-capital-31999
http://www.dw.com/en/major-fire-rips-through-new-delhi-factory-dozens-killed/a-51575579
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-delhi-india-fire-1.5388562
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/191208045419013.html

2019-12-08 - Dozens of wildfires continue raging along the eastern coast in Australia as heatwave set to bake the area:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/wildfires-turn-sydneys-surroundings-into-an-inextinguishable-orange-furnace-11575809647
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/australia-braces-for-more-fires-as-extreme-temperatures-predicted-idUSKBN1YD06D
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/how-the-world-has-reacted-to-sydney-smoke-haze/news-story/c6782de9b2782287740099cb42ac0176
http://globalnews.ca/video/6269838/video-captures-australia-firefighters-trying-to-control-bushfires

Quote: "Conditions are expected to worsen from Tuesday, when temperatures are forecast to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and winds are expected to start picking up."

2019-12-08 - Our climate is like reckless banking before the crash – it's time to talk about near-term collapse:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-reckless-banking-crash-time-160201346.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-09 - Unknown rotten egg odor hits courthouse in coastal Bellingham (Washington):
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/crime/article238205429.html

Quote: "Captain Dave Pethick told The Bellingham Herald that the odor was reported throughout the building, but firefighters could not locate a source."

2019-12-09 - With 39 wildfires burning out of control, temps set to soar past 40C (104F) in New South Wales (Australia), beaches turn black from ash:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_update&edis_id=WF-20191204-70267-AUS
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/09/bushfires-nsw-faces-lethal-conditions-as-temperatures-forecast-to-soar-past-40c
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/video/2019/dec/09/new-south-wales-bushfires-turn-sydney-beach-black-with-ash-video
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/10/sydneys-air-11-times-worse-than-hazardous-levels-as-australias-bushfires-rage
http://www.thenational.ae/world/oceania/sydney-s-famous-landmarks-disappear-as-city-chokes-on-bushfire-smoke-in-pictures-1.949213
http://www.news.com.au/national/bushfire-ash-turns-sydney-beach-sand-black/video/6267195a3f27531ed24fa91de287f7fb
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/fears-for-drinking-water-as-ash-turns-sydney-s-beaches-black
http://www.france24.com/en/20191210-toxic-bushfire-haze-blankets-eastern-australia

Quote: "There were almost 90 fires burning across NSW on Monday evening with 39 of those out of control. The RFS is forecasting a 'severe' fire danger for Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Greater Hunter, the ACT and the southern and central ranges on Tuesday."

Quote: "Some of the city's commuter ferries were also cancelled 'due to thick smoke' and school kids were kept inside at breaktime as pollution levels soared far above 'hazardous' levels."

2019-12-09 - Passenger plane hit by smoke on approach to airport in coastal Washington DC:
http://valdostatoday.com/news-2/region/2019/12/tallahassee-flight-makes-emergency-landing/
http://wjla.com/news/local/american-flight-makes-emergency-landing-at-reagan-airport
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/american-airlines-aircraft-evacuated-washington-airport-smoke-in-cabin
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/reports-of-smoke-in-cabin-prompts-emergency-evacuation-of-plane-at-reagan-national
http://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2019-12-09/passenger-jet-lands-safely-after-report-of-smoke-in-cockpit
http://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/passengers-on-flight-at-ronald-reagan-airport-evacuated-following-reports-of-smoke-in-cabin/65-981163ff-ff7e-42c6-af97-eb7386682226

Quote: "According to officials, the CRJ jet landed due to reports by the pilot of smoke in the cockpit during the final approach to the D.C. airport, which landed safely at 9:40 a.m."

2019-12-09 - Passenger plane hit by smoke, windshield cracks too, plane lands at airport in Windsor Locks (Connecticut):
http://www.wfsb.com/news/plane-lands-safely-at-bradley-after-a-cracked-windshield-smoke/article_5bfcfe48-1ac3-11ea-9bf6-a3d62819ea5e.html
http://www.masslive.com/news/2019/12/plane-with-mechanical-problems-lands-safely-at-bradley-airport.html
http://www.westernmassnews.com/news/plane-lands-safely-at-bradley-after-a-cracked-windshield-smoke/article_3c818c68-6513-595f-b599-f8c9554748b8.html
http://globalnews.ca/news/6274498/air-canada-flight-connecticut/

Quote: "A plane has landed safely at Bradley International Airport after there was smoke reported in the cockpit. Emergency crews were responding to Bradley after the crew reported the windshield had cracked and there was smoke in the cockpit."

Note: These are the 149th and 150th aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019...

2019-12-09 - Tent goes up in flames and kills person along the Truckee River in Reno (Nevada):
http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/One-person-found-dead-after-tent-fire-565975881.html
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/12/09/rfd-one-person-killed-after-tent-homeless-encampment-catches-fire/2631927001/

Quote: "Reno Police confirm that one person was found dead inside a tent that had caught fire Monday, December 9, 2019 at approximately 8:30 AM. The tent was set up near North Edison Way at the Truckee River."

2019-12-09 - Waste site hit by fire at 4:50 AM, 250-ton pile of waste burns, on Cringle Street in Paddington area in coastal London (Britain):
http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2019/december/fire-at-a-waste-refuse-site-battersea/

2019-12-09 - Mulch bursts into flame outside home, fire spreads to home, on Aireys Road in coastal Cambridge (Maryland):
http://www.wboc.com/story/41425766/mulch-blamed-for-cambridge-house-fire



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-09 - Unknown rotten egg odor hits courthouse in coastal Bellingham (Washington):
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/crime/article238205429.html

Quote: "Captain Dave Pethick told The Bellingham Herald that the odor was reported throughout the building, but firefighters could not locate a source."

2019-12-09 - With 39 wildfires burning out of control, temps set to soar past 40C (104F) in New South Wales (Australia), beaches turn black from ash:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_update&edis_id=WF-20191204-70267-AUS
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/09/bushfires-nsw-faces-lethal-conditions-as-temperatures-forecast-to-soar-past-40c
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/video/2019/dec/09/new-south-wales-bushfires-turn-sydney-beach-black-with-ash-video
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/10/sydneys-air-11-times-worse-than-hazardous-levels-as-australias-bushfires-rage
http://www.thenational.ae/world/oceania/sydney-s-famous-landmarks-disappear-as-city-chokes-on-bushfire-smoke-in-pictures-1.949213
http://www.news.com.au/national/bushfire-ash-turns-sydney-beach-sand-black/video/6267195a3f27531ed24fa91de287f7fb
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/fears-for-drinking-water-as-ash-turns-sydney-s-beaches-black
http://www.france24.com/en/20191210-toxic-bushfire-haze-blankets-eastern-australia

Quote: "There were almost 90 fires burning across NSW on Monday evening with 39 of those out of control. The RFS is forecasting a 'severe' fire danger for Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Greater Hunter, the ACT and the southern and central ranges on Tuesday."

Quote: "Some of the city's commuter ferries were also cancelled 'due to thick smoke' and school kids were kept inside at breaktime as pollution levels soared far above 'hazardous' levels."

2019-12-09 - Passenger plane hit by smoke on approach to airport in coastal Washington DC:
http://valdostatoday.com/news-2/region/2019/12/tallahassee-flight-makes-emergency-landing/
http://wjla.com/news/local/american-flight-makes-emergency-landing-at-reagan-airport
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/american-airlines-aircraft-evacuated-washington-airport-smoke-in-cabin
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/reports-of-smoke-in-cabin-prompts-emergency-evacuation-of-plane-at-reagan-national
http://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2019-12-09/passenger-jet-lands-safely-after-report-of-smoke-in-cockpit
http://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/passengers-on-flight-at-ronald-reagan-airport-evacuated-following-reports-of-smoke-in-cabin/65-981163ff-ff7e-42c6-af97-eb7386682226

Quote: "According to officials, the CRJ jet landed due to reports by the pilot of smoke in the cockpit during the final approach to the D.C. airport, which landed safely at 9:40 a.m."

2019-12-09 - Passenger plane hit by smoke, windshield cracks too, plane lands at airport in Windsor Locks (Connecticut):
http://www.wfsb.com/news/plane-lands-safely-at-bradley-after-a-cracked-windshield-smoke/article_5bfcfe48-1ac3-11ea-9bf6-a3d62819ea5e.html
http://www.masslive.com/news/2019/12/plane-with-mechanical-problems-lands-safely-at-bradley-airport.html
http://www.westernmassnews.com/news/plane-lands-safely-at-bradley-after-a-cracked-windshield-smoke/article_3c818c68-6513-595f-b599-f8c9554748b8.html
http://globalnews.ca/news/6274498/air-canada-flight-connecticut/

Quote: "A plane has landed safely at Bradley International Airport after there was smoke reported in the cockpit. Emergency crews were responding to Bradley after the crew reported the windshield had cracked and there was smoke in the cockpit."

Note: These are the 149th and 150th aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019...

2019-12-09 - Tent goes up in flames and kills person along the Truckee River in Reno (Nevada):
http://www.kolotv.com/content/news/One-person-found-dead-after-tent-fire-565975881.html
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/12/09/rfd-one-person-killed-after-tent-homeless-encampment-catches-fire/2631927001/

Quote: "Reno Police confirm that one person was found dead inside a tent that had caught fire Monday, December 9, 2019 at approximately 8:30 AM. The tent was set up near North Edison Way at the Truckee River."

2019-12-09 - Waste site hit by fire at 4:50 AM, 250-ton pile of waste burns, on Cringle Street in Paddington area in coastal London (Britain):
http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2019/december/fire-at-a-waste-refuse-site-battersea/

2019-12-09 - Mulch bursts into flame outside home, fire spreads to home, on Aireys Road in coastal Cambridge (Maryland):
http://www.wboc.com/story/41425766/mulch-blamed-for-cambridge-house-fire



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-11 - Portents of runaway greenhouse warming:
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-portent-of-runaway-greenhouse-warming.html

Quote: "Hansen (2010) concludes: 'if we burn all reserves of oil, gas, and coal, there's a substantial chance that we will initiate the runaway greenhouse. If we also burn the tar sands and tar shale, I believe the Venus syndrome [runaway greenhouse warming] is a dead certainty'. Stephen Hawking (2017) appears to agree with Hansen’s warning, stating: 'if the US pulls out of the Paris climate agreement it may lead to runaway global warming, eventually turning Earth's atmosphere into something resembling Venus'."

Note: I don't think the Earth will turn into a replica of Venus. I do think we are having a repeat of the Permian-Triassic extinction event, the 'Great Dying', and that will eliminate human beings (along with most other life forms) from the surface of the planet. The reason I don't think we will initiate runaway greenhouse warming to the extent that we turn Earth into something like Venus is that we'll all be dead before we're able to do that much damage. Once food production plummets, human population will nosedive, civilization will collapse, hundreds of nuclear plants will go kablooey and our emissions will nosedive along with our population. The Earth will be saved from becoming like Venus by our extinction. It may still take 30 million years for the Earth to fully recover though, as it did after the Great Dying...

2019-12-11 - Methane pulse detected from wetlands in South Sudan:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/egu-oor120919.php
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50708544

2019-12-11 - Thousands of people rally to protest climate inaction as huge wildfires rage around coastal Sydney (Australia):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7779657/Thousands-protesters-gather-heart-city-climate-change-rally.html
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/11/sydney-climate-protest-thousands-rally-against-inaction-amid-bushfire-and-air-quality-crisis
http://twitter.com/CloverMoore/status/1204670650805174272
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50748419

Quote: "'Hey Scott, do something, you useless f***,' a cardboard poster said."

2019-12-11 - 2019 was the year when country-sized wildfires became the new normal around the entire planet:
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/burn-baby-burn-when-are-we-gonna-learn.html

2019-12-11 - How a mega fire spread toward Sydney (Australia):
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-size/how-a-mega-fire-spread-toward-sydney-idUSKBN1YF13Y
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-12-11/how-a-mega-fire-spread-toward-sydney

2019-12-11 - Wildfires this year in Indonesia cost $5.2 billion in US dollars:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6539085/fires-cost-indonesia-76b-world-bank/
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/indonesia-hit-5-2-billion-forest-fire-losses-092554656.html
http://www.brecorder.com/2019/12/11/552298/indonesia-hit-with-5-2-billion-in-forest-fire-losses-world-bank/

2019-12-11 - Industrial waste site erupts in flame, fire gets huge, in coastal Tuas (Singapore):
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/spreading-along-the-drains-fire-erupts-at-tuas-crescent-industrial-waste-management-site
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fire-tuas-crescent-building-scdf-operation-12174492
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne1C0T6keow

2019-12-11 - Metal recycling center hit by fire, pile of scrap metal burns, in Anderson (South Carolina):
http://www.independentmail.com/picture-gallery/news/2019/12/11/fire-cmc-recycling-scrap-yardfire-at-cmc-recycling-scrap-yard/4402100002/

2019-12-11 - Recycling plant damaged by fire in Rakitovo (Bulgaria):
http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2019/12/11/442894/fire-breaks-out-in-waste-plastic-recycling-plant-in-rakitovo.html

2019-12-11 - Thousands of holes discovered on the seafloor off the California coast:
http://www.newsweek.com/thousands-mysterious-holes-seafloor-california-coast-1476672
http://www.sott.net/article/425545-MBARI-Thousands-of-holes-discovered-on-seafloor-off-California-coast

2019-12-11 - Newly identified jet-stream pattern could imperil global food supplies:
http://www.fasterthanexpected.com/2019/12/09/newly-identified-jet-stream-pattern-could-imperil-global-food-supplies/



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-12 - Unknown rotten egg odor hits large area in Bellaire (West Virginia), schools evacuated:
http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2019/12/bellaire-schools-evacuated-following-reports-of-unidentified-odor/
http://www.timesleaderonline.com/news/local-news/2019/12/bellaire-schools-evacuate-following-reports-of-unidentified-odor/
http://www.wtrf.com/news/local-news/gas-smell-causes-multiple-evacuations-in-bellaire/
http://wtov9.com/news/local/unidentified-gas-leak-leads-to-school-evacuations-in-bellaire

Quote: "Throughout the village, crews inspected sewers, cracks and openings in the streets and sidewalks, lawns, and around buildings’ exteriors and interiors to ensure there was no leak, Rau said. 'They have a gas detector they use to test for methane, the primary component of natural gas,' he said. Crew members are well trained and thorough in detecting any leaks, Rau said. 'At this point we believe the odor is coming from somewhere else,' he said. After an extensive inspection around parts of the village, crews found no indication of a gas leak."

Quote: "Officials aren’t sure what they’re looking for, or where to look, as a smell was also detected across the river in Marshall County."

Note: Bellaire runs right along the Ohio River...

2019-12-12 - High school hit by rotten egg odor, likely hydrogen sulfide, in Mead (Washington):
http://www.khq.com/news/mt-spokane-high-school-briefly-evacuated-after-concerns-of-gas/article_6b15945e-1d24-11ea-8b66-dbe6012d97b0.html
http://www.kxly.com/news/mt-spokane-high-school-evacuated-for-possible-gas-leak/1150870542

Quote: "Mt. Spokane High School was briefly evacuated Thursday afternoon due to initial concerns of a gas leak. The Mead School District Superintendent's Office tells KHQ that the school was evacuated due to the smell of gas, but an investigation found it was methane from a sewer."

Note: There are two sewer gases, methane and hydrogen sulfide. They thought it was a gas leak, so that means a rotten egg odor, so they must have smelled hydrogen sulfide. Obviously they couldn't have smelled methane, since no human being has ever smelled methane, because it's odorless. There may have been methane present, but nobody smelled it if it was present...

2019-12-12 - Passenger plane hit by unknown odor, plane makes emergency landing in coastal Melbourne (Australia):
http://www.kiis1065.com.au/newsroom/tiger-flight-bound-for-sydney-reportedly-makes-emergency-landing-in-melbourne/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7784807/Tigerair-jet-forced-make-emergency-landing-Melbourne-fumes-board.html
http://7news.com.au/travel/air-aviation/unusual-odour-noticed-on-board-tiger-air-flight-before-emergency-landing-in-melbourne-c-603522
http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/tigerair-jet-is-forced-to-make-an-emergency-landing-in-melbourne-as-two-people-are-taken-to-hospital/ar-AAK3q1x
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/tigerair-flight-divert-odour-smell-plane-australia-a9245546.html
http://www.3aw.com.au/mid-air-scare-passengers-hospitalised-after-tiger-flights-rapid-landing/

Quote: "'Unusual odour' noticed on board Tiger Air flight before emergency landing in Melbourne..."

Quote: "Three passengers were taken to hospital after a Tiger Air flight bound for Sydney was forced to make an emergency landing in Melbourne. Flight number TT644 touched down at Melbourne Airport just before 8pm on Thursday - after passengers complained of fumes in the cabin."

2019-12-12 - Small plane hit by smoke, plane crash-lands along I-5 in coastal Carlsbad (California):
http://www.wptv.com/news/national/planes-nosedives-onto-california-highway-after-smoke-in-cockpit
http://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/plane-lands-on-interstate-5-carlsbad/509-628e803e-059d-46ff-bd44-f331f7e9dbe6
http://ktla.com/2019/12/12/2-aboard-unhurt-after-small-plane-out-of-el-monte-crash-lands-on-5-fwy-in-carlsbad/
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2019-12-12/small-airplane-lands-on-i-5-in-carlsbad-no-reports-of-injuries
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/plane-makes-hard-landing-on-i-5-in-carlsbad/2230036/
http://fox5sandiego.com/2019/12/12/aircraft-lands-on-i-5-in-carlsbad/

Quote: "A male and female riding inside the crashed plane told firefighters that smoke was filling the cockpit and that the Cessna's system shutdown. Firefighters said the plane made a nosedive into the center divide and came to rest in the southbound lanes near Tamarack Avenue."

Note: This is the 151st aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019...

2019-12-12 - RV trailer goes up in flames and kills woman while parked on Hubbard-West Middlesex Road in Shenango Township (Pennsylvania):
http://www.wfmj.com/story/41447175/woman-killed-in-west-middlesex-camper-fire
http://www.sharonherald.com/news/woman-killed-in-camper-fire/article_957c8ca2-1d5b-11ea-a849-4b6cf52c2f5e.html
http://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/woman-dies-in-shenango-township-camper-fire/

2019-12-12 - Car parts warehouse heavily damaged by fire in the Moonah suburb of coastal Hobart (Australia):
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-13/tasmania-now-briefing-friday-dec-13/11794564

2019-12-12 - Electrical substation damaged by fire in coastal Shanklin on the Isle of Wight (Britain):
http://www.countypress.co.uk/news/18098323.fire-shanklin-leaves-homes-without-power/

2019-12-12 - Underground wood fire breaks out at landfill in Grenada County (Mississippi):
http://www.grenadastar.com/2019/12/12/freak-fire-at-county-landfill/

2019-12-12 - Wildfires burning since August have spewed almost half of Australia's annual greenhouse gas emissions:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/13/australias-bushfires-have-emitted-250m-tonnes-of-co2-almost-half-of-countrys-annual-emissions

Quote: "Bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland have emitted a massive pulse of CO2 into the atmosphere since August that is equivalent to almost half of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, Guardian Australia can reveal."

Note: So if this is the 'new normal' then even if Australia were to reduce its emissions to zero, its emissions would still continue rising simply from the burning of wildfires across Australia. Imagine how much emissions will rise as more and more of the Earth burns up. And that's already begun, with the raging wildfires in recent years in Siberia, Alaska, California, Indonesia, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Australia, Southern Africa, above the Arctic Circle in Norway and Sweden, etc, etc. Even Greenland has begun to see once-unheard-of peat fires as the ground there thaws...



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-13 - Unknown rotten egg odor hits shopping center in Pleasant Hills (Pennsylvania):
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/12/13/southland-shopping-center-evacuation/
http://www.wtae.com/article/gas-leak-reported-at-southland-shopping-center-plaza-evacuated/30223745
http://www.wpxi.com/news/southmoreland-shopping-center-evacuated-gas-odor/W2OU75OZEZD53HR5PBD3IWYBDQ/
http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets/reporter-update-chris-hoffman-gas-odor-at-southland-shopping-plaza/vp-AAK6KOW

Quote: "Just before 1:00 p.m., more than 10 fire crews from around the South Hills raced over to the Southland Shopping Center on Clairton Boulevard in Pleasant Hills for a call of a natural gas smell from one of the businesses. Then other stores started calling for a similar situation until the whole plaza had to be investigated."

Quote: "Firefighters say two people were treated at the scene for not feeling well but did not go to the hospital."

Quote: "This is the second time fire crews have had to deal with a gas smell in the area in the last 24 hours. Around midnight they had a call right down the street from the shopping center."

Quote: "People’s Gas crews said they don’t know the cause of the smell but do know it was not gas."

2019-12-13 - Australia bracing for possible highest recorded temperature ever which is currently 50.7C (123F):
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/australia-is-bracing-for-its-highest.html
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-australian-bushfires-13-december.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-12/australia-could-see-hottest-day-on-record-as-heatwave-hits-perth/11795006
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-climate-highest-temperature-record-paris-climate-agreement-a9246651.html

2019-12-13 - Up to 90 towns may be evacuated if they run out of water in New South Wales (Australia):
http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/articles/day-zero-might-mean-tough-choices-for-90-towns-looking-at-new-locations/
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-catastrophic-consequences-of.html

2019-12-13 - Underground electrical fire causes blackouts in Scunthorpe (Britain):
http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/road-closed-residents-evacuated-after-3643722

2019-12-13 - Transformer bursts into flame on pole and causes blackouts in Kinsman (Ohio):
http://www.wytv.com/news/local/transformer-fire-cuts-power-to-customers-in-kinsman/

2019-12-13 - Research indicates that wildfire smoke may distribute microbial life:
http://wildfiretoday.com/2019/12/12/research-indicates-that-wildfire-smoke-may-distribute-microbial-life/

2019-12-13 - Cricket ball-sized hailstones destroy home in Queensland (Australia):
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/crazy-cricket-ball-sized-hailstones-105946934.html
http://www.sott.net/article/425647-This-is-crazy-Cricket-ball-sized-hailstones-destroy-home-in-Queensland-Australia



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-14 - Refinery damaged by fire at in the wee hours in Gonfreville (France):
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-total-refinery-fire/total-says-fire-at-french-gonfreville-refinery-under-control-idUSKBN1YI07A
http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/large-flames-seen-as-fire-burns-at-french-refinery/vi-AAK7x4q
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-14/total-halts-production-at-normandy-refinery-after-fire
http://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/total-halts-production-at-normandy-refinery-after-fire
http://www.thelocal.fr/20191214/fire-erupts-at-total-oil-refinery-in-northern-france
http://www.france24.com/en/20191214-firefighters-master-blaze-at-france-s-largest-oil-refinery

2019-12-14 - Sewerage and Water Board plant damaged by explosion in coastal New Orleans (Louisiana), 2 injured:
http://www.wwltv.com/article/news/explosion-heard-at-swb-carrollton-plant-residents-say/289-01615bc9-f302-4df7-9522-885ca5df4d13
http://www.wdsu.com/article/sandwb-responding-to-incident-at-carrollton-water-plant/30229900
http://www.fox8live.com/2019/12/15/swb-assessing-damage-after-carrolton-plant-explosion/
http://www.nola.com/news/article_0bde2c62-1eaf-11ea-ba39-fb1e999efbdd.html

2019-12-14 - More than 100 wildfires continue burning across New South Wales (Australia):
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/15/western-australia-bushfire-emergency-continues-as-sydney-braces-for-a-smoky-sunday

Quote: "Temperatures could reach the high 40s in the west of the state by Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said. There were 111 fires burning across the state on Saturday night, 60 of them not contained."

2019-12-14 - Huge wildfire rages along the coast near Perth (Australia):
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-13/yanchep-and-two-rocks-bushfire/11796064
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-15/water-bomber-aircraft-sent-to-join-wa-firefighting-effort/11800970
http://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/residents-in-woodridge-guilderton-told-to-evacuate-as-out-of-control-bushfire-moves-north-20191215-p53k2r.html
http://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/perth-fires-live-bushfire-emergency-as-city-in-the-grip-of-a-heatwave-20191213-p53jtw.html
http://www.themercury.com.au/technology/large-air-tanker-arrives-to-fight-perth-bushfires-while-heatwave-conditions-make-firefighters-job-even-more-difficult/news-story/dfc3c951ff559f9c44b165028e16f3a4

Quote: "About 400 firefighters are battling a fire near Two Rocks, about 60 kilometres north of Perth, that remains at an emergency level for a fifth consecutive day. The fire alert levels cover a 45-kilometre stretch of coast including the towns of Guilderton, Seabird and Woodridge."

Note: So it's not just Australia's east coast burning around Sydney, it's also the west coast burning around Perth...

2019-12-14 - Brush fire breaks out in coastal Paia on the island of Maui (Hawaii):
http://mauinow.com/2019/12/14/breaking-brush-fire-near-old-maui-high-school/
http://www.khon2.com/news/smoke-seen-for-miles-as-firefighters-battle-brush-fire-in-paia/
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/12/14/breaking-news/maui-brush-fire-burns-nearly-600-acres/

2019-12-14 - Strange things are happening in the waters along the US West Coast, and the fish are starting to disappear:
http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/strange-things-are-happening-in-the-waters-along-the-west-coast-and-the-fish-are-starting-to-disappear
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2019/12/fish-are-starting-to-disappear-along.html

Quote: "Something is causing the waters just off the west coast to heat up dramatically, fish are dying off in staggering numbers, birds that feed on those fish are also dying off rapidly, and scientists have discovered 15,000 holes in the ocean floor off the coast of California. Oh, and scientists don’t know for certain why any of these things are happening."

2019-12-14 - Life expectancy stopped increasing in the United States in 2010 and has been decreasing since 2014:
http://www.startribune.com/schafer-falling-life-spans-show-u-s-economy-failing-many/566185121/

Note: That's a sign that we've gone over the Seneca Cliff. At the bottom of the cliff is a human population of zero...

2019-12-14 - Person has 'medical emergency' in wetlands nature preserve in coastal Conwy (Britain):
http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/18102021.air-ambulance-called-medical-emergency-conwy-rspb-beauty-spot/

Quote: "Wales Air Ambulance and paramedics were called to a popular Conwy beauty spot earlier this morning following reports of a 'medical emergency'. The Air Ambulance landed at the Conwy RSPB nature reserve, a wetland on the east bank of the Conwy estuary, shortly after 9am this morning (Saturday December 14)."

2019-12-14 - From Amazon fires to black holes, 50 stunning science images from 2019:
http://thestacker.com/stories/3712/amazon-fires-black-holes-50-stunning-science-images-2019



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-15 - Van goes up in flames at 4:40 AM and burns man to death while parked at home in Kankakee (Illinois), 2400 feet from the Kankakee River:
http://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/man-dies-in-van-fire/article_69d411fe-2014-11ea-998c-2728f863873b.html

Quote: "The body of a Kankakee man was found in the burnt-out remains of a van after Kankakee firefighters had extinguished the blaze on Sunday. Donald Whitaker, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene, Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner said. An autopsy was scheduled for today. Whitaker had been living in the conversion van in the backyard of a house in the 100 block of West Oak Street, Gessner said."

2019-12-15 - Underground fire spews flames from manhole in Dhaka (Bangladesh):
http://www.daily-bangladesh.com/english/Fire-erupting-from-manhole-in-Dhaka/33322

2019-12-15 - Wildfire smoke declared a public health emergency in coastal Sydney (Australia):
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_update&edis_id=WF-20191204-70267-AUS
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-15/sydney-s-wildfire-smoke-declared-a-public-health-emergency
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/australia/2019/12/15/sydneys-wildfire-smoke-declared-a-public-health-emergency.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7796505/Sydney-facing-public-health-emergency-caused-bushfire-smoke-doctors-warn.html
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-sydneys-drinking.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOSN9As8FHY

Quote: "New South Wales has had four times more wildfires than average in 2019..."

2019-12-15 - Recycling center fire breaks out on Mugga Lane in Hume (Australia):
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6543870/fire-breaks-out-at-hume-recycling-centre/

2019-12-15 - As permafrost melt accelerates in Alaska, roads sink, homes tilt and greenhouse gases are released:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/as-climate-change-melts-alaskas-permafrost-roads-sink-homes-tilt-and-greenhouse-gases-release/
http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/weather/2019/12/17/as-alaska-permafrost-melts-roads-sink-bridges-tilt-and-greenhouse-gases-escape/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alaskas-coastal-communities-face-a-growing-climate-threat/
http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/12/12/21011445/permafrost-melting-arctic-report-card-noaa
http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/the-arctic-may-have-crossed-tipping-point-into-destructive-climate-feedback-loop-noaa-report-says
http://www.fasterthanexpected.com/2019/12/12/the-arctics-grand-reveal/

2019-12-15 - Magnitude 6.8+ earthquake strikes the island of Mindanao (Philippine Islands), buildings collapse, 3+ killed:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_update&edis_id=EQ-20191215-70330-PHL
http://fox43.com/2019/12/15/6-year-old-girl-among-3-killed-as-6-8-magnitude-earthquake-rocks-southern-philippines/
http://www.euronews.com/2019/12/15/at-least-one-dead-and-several-injured-as-strong-quake-hits-southern-philippines
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/philippines-earthquake-one-dead-after-68-magnitude-earthquake-rocks-mindanao/ar-AAK8QS3
http://cbs4indy.com/2019/12/15/6-8-magnitude-earthquake-in-southern-philippines-leaves-3-dead/
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/15/asia-pacific/6-8-philippine-quake-causes-damage-least-one-dead-several-injured/
http://watchers.news/2019/12/15/very-strong-m6-9-earthquake-series-of-aftershocks-hit-mindanao-philippines/
http://twitter.com/AlertsPea/status/1206118180327813121

Quote: "It's the latest in a serious of quakes to strike the island in recent months. In October another series of 6.6 and 6.5-magnitude quakes struck Mindanao, killing 14 and injuring more than 400."

2019-12-15 - Worst drought in over a century pushes Namibia closer to famine:
http://watchers.news/2019/12/15/worst-drought-in-over-a-century-pushes-namibia-closer-to-famine/

2019-12-15 - The water crisis in cities everywhere is worsening already terrible inequality:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/water-crisis-worsening-inequality-130000472.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-16 - Unknown rotten egg odor causes evacuations at school in Butler (Pennsylvania):
http://butlerradio.com/emily-brittain-school-evacuated-due-to-gas-odor/
http://www.butlereagle.com/article/20191216/NEWS12/712169866
http://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/smell-gas-forces-butler-co-elementary-school-evacuate/QI45R2ZZJZCJLBEOJMVX3DG24E/

Quote: "According to Butler City Fire Department Lieutenant Donald Crawford, the source of the smell was not able to be located."

2019-12-16 - Passenger plane hit by engine fire, plane makes emergency landing in Albuquerque (New Mexico):
http://www.wcax.com/content/news/United-Airlines-flight-diverts-after-apparent-engine-fire-566256561.html
http://www.cnn.com/2019/12/16/us/united-plane-engine-flames-emergency-landing-trnd/index.html
http://www.kron4.com/news/california/san-diego-chicago-flight-diverts-after-apparent-engine-fire/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-nm--emergency-landing-albuquerque-20191216-story.html
http://www.abqjournal.com/1401803/san-diego-chicago-flight-diverts-after-apparent-engine-fire.html
http://www.whsv.com/content/news/United-Airlines-flight-diverts-after-apparent-engine-fire-566256561.html

Quote: "A United Airlines flight from San Diego was forced to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque after flames were seen shooting from one of the plane's engines."

Note: This is the 152nd aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019..

2019-12-16 - Underground methane explosion and fire just after 5 AM blows 4 manhole covers off, ignites car, in coastal New Orleans (Louisiana):
http://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_b567acd8-2065-11ea-b5fb-93ce78fa5215.html
http://wgno.com/2019/12/16/sewer-leak-led-to-french-quarter-explosion-that-tossed-manhole-covers-burned-car/
http://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/police-investigating-reported-car-explosion-in-french-quarter/289-0af788cb-d1b3-4992-b04a-aea4a3dbb0b9
http://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_b567acd8-2065-11ea-b5fb-93ce78fa5215.html
http://www.wafb.com/2019/12/16/police-fire-department-investigates-small-explosion-french-quarter/
http://localnews8.com/news/2019/12/16/sewer-leak-led-to-french-quarter-explosion-that-tossed-manhole-covers-burned-car/

Quote: "NOFD chief Tim McConnell said the fiery situation began with a sewer leak. 'We don’t know the source of it [the leak], but it got into the electrical vault,' McConnell said. 'The power lines all run underground in the French Quarter, and the methane gas that was produced from the sewer was ignited by an electrical arc, and that’s what caused the explosion.'"

2019-12-16 - Recycling center destroyed by huge fire in coastal Keasbey (New Jersey):
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2019/12/17/woodbridge-fire-destroys-bayshore-recycling-facility-keasbey-nj/2675970001/
http://patch.com/new-jersey/woodbridge/woodbridge-fire-bayshore-recycling-center-plant
http://abc7ny.com/large-fire-burns-through-nj-warehouse-causing-partial-roof-collapse/5760082/
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/massive-fire-erupts-in-new-jersey-recycling-plant/2242745/
http://twitter.com/NYCFireWire/status/1206679456842207232

2019-12-16 - Ethanol fuel plant damaged by fire in the Point Breeze area in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), 2100 feet from the Schuylkill River:
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/12/16/fire-crews-battle-two-alarm-blaze-chemical-plant-in-southwest-philadelphia/
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/firefighters-battle-blaze-at-point-breeze-terminal-in-sw-philadelphia/2260862/
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/no-cause-yet-in-another-fuel-facility-fire-in-philadelphia/2261152/
http://www.inquirer.com/news/industrial-fire-passyunk-southwest-philadelphia-20191217.html

2019-12-16 - Car bursts into flame and burns dog to death while parked at Walmart in Ottawa (Illinois):
http://www.lcbcradio.com/wlpo/dog-dies-in-vehicle-fire-outside-ottawa-walmart/article_afb81ffc-2100-11ea-b6a2-4b382ce09ab9.html
http://www.mywebtimes.com/2019/12/17/dog-dies-in-a-vehicle-fire-in-ottawa-walmart-parking-lot/ak65ps5/
http://www.newstrib.com/2019/12/17/dog-dies-in-a-vehicle-fire-in-ottawa-walmart-parking-lot/ak65ps5/
http://www.1430wcmy.com/2019/12/17/car-fire-claims-dogs-life/

Quote: "A dog was killed in a fire that broke out in the parking lot of Walmart in Ottawa. Firefighters were first called about a car fire Monday night just past 9 o’clock. When they arrived they saw a vehicle fully engulfed in flames. They eventually discovered a dog was killed while stuck in the back seat of the burning vehicle."

Note: No different than the children who've burned to death exactly like this after their parents left them unattended in parked cars...

2019-12-16 - Megafire destroys 20 homes, could burn coal plant, near coastal Sydney (Australia):
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50804199
http://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-satellite-image-shows-grim-australian-fire-devastation-from-space/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-17/morning-briefing-bushfire-fears-for-power-station/11804498
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7800321/Mega-blaze-edges-metres-power-station-coal-1200km-fire-rages.html
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nsw-firefronts-uncontrollable-as-state-braces-for-heatwave/news-story/4f006855e6b1598ba3a6d53c66391516
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/16/australia-bushfires-wa-nsw-qld-fires-new-south-wales-gospers-mountain-sydney-heatwave-latest-updates-live-news

Quote: "Authorities in Australia have issued fresh warnings about a 'mega blaze' after it spread beyond containment lines and razed 20 houses near Sydney. The fire, burning over about 400,000 hectares, has moved further into the Blue Mountains - a popular tourist area which lies west of the city. It is a blow to crews who are already battling over 100 fires and bracing for extreme temperatures this week. The heatwave could bring the nation's hottest day on record, forecasters say."

Quote: "There are fears the Gospers Mountain 'mega-fire' could burn through a coal power station and mine in the coming days."

Quote: "Nearly 100 fires have torched an area bigger than Connecticut in New South Wales."

Quote: "The firefronts have joined, and the firefront is now huge. Containment is not an option..."

2019-12-16 - Professor says Australia must retrofit houses to make them heat and smoke-proof:
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/16/australia-faces-massive-rethink-to-prepare-for-long-term-bushfires-and-air-pollution

2019-12-16 - Northwest killer whales shrinking in size and so are the chinook salmon they eat:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/northwest-killer-whales-are-shrinking-in-size-and-so-are-their-prey-chinook-salmon-new-research-shows/



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-17 - Unknown foul odor hits GM plant in Fort Wayne (Indiana):
http://fortwaynesnbc.com/2019/12/17/foul-odor-leads-to-partial-evacuation-at-fort-wayne-gm-plant/

Quote: "Company spokesperson, Stephanie Jengten, tells Fort Wayne's NBC News that several employees smelled a foul odor in what she called 'sporadic areas' of the plant, and those areas were evacuated."

2019-12-17 - The world's coral reefs are dying off as the oceans continue heating up:
http://phys.org/news/2019-12-world-coral-reefs-dying-scientists.html

Quote: "The oceans are already warming rapidly—absorbing more than 90% of the extra heat the planet now produces—and even if humans radically change their behavior tomorrow, they will continue to warm. The result is an existential crisis for coral. Many scientists fear the shallow-water varieties that form reefs may not survive the century. Coral reefs build up over centuries but can die in just two successive summers of abnormal heat."

2019-12-17 - Too hot for humans? First Nations people fear becoming Australia's first climate refugees:
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/18/too-hot-for-humans-first-nations-people-fear-becoming-australias-first-climate-refugees

Quote: "Last summer was the hottest on record, and the driest in 27 years in central Australia. Five per cent of the town’s street trees died. A heat monitoring study showed that on some unshaded streets the surface temperature was between 61C [141.8F] and 68C [154.4F]."

Quote: "Temperature records have already been broken. In the year to July 2019, Alice Springs had 129 days over 35C [95F], and 55 days over 40C [104F]."

2019-12-17 - Highest average temperature ever recorded bakes Australia, and temps expected to go higher:
http://www.cnn.com/2019/12/18/australia/australia-hottest-day-record-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/it-s-sizzling-australia-experiences-hottest-day-record-n1103651
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/in-summer-that-hasnt-officially-started.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/world/australia/record-heat.html

Quote: "The average maximum temperature across the country on Tuesday was 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 Fahrenheit), according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology -- beating the previous 2013 record of 40.3 Celsius (104.5 Fahrenheit)."

Note: They call it summer there. Apparently they start their seasons on the 1st of the month in Australia instead of on the 21st. If they were in the northern hemisphere it would still be spring. And the horrendous fires began ramping up in September, which would be the same as March in the northern hemisphere, so either late winter or very early spring...

2019-12-17 - Fish dying in overheated waters around Australia:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-18/marine-heatwave-kills-fish-as-australia-faces-record-temperature/11808268

Quote: "Mainland Australia is bracing for a heatwave so intense it could reset the history books, but it is not just the land that is sweltering. The warm waters are believed to have contributed to a number of fish kills in the past month."

2019-12-17 - Man found dead near burning dumpster(s) in Cudahy (California):
http://mynewsla.com/crime/2019/12/17/body-located-after-dumpster-fire-in-cudahy-extinguished/
http://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2019-12-17/mans-body-found-after-trash-bins-burn-in-los-angeles-county
http://onscene.tv/cudahy-body-found-burned-behind-store/

Quote: "The body of a man was found next to a burned out dumpster in Cudahy, but authorities said Tuesday morning his death was likely accidental."

2019-12-17 - In separate incidents, parked fire truck bursts into flame at 2:30 AM at station in Hamilton, another fire truck bursts into flame in coastal Wellington (New Zealand):
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118281124/two-fire-trucks-catch-alight-in-one-day-firefighters-confidence-in-fleet-low-union-says

Quote: "Two fire trucks caught alight in separate incidents in Wellington and Hamilton on Tuesday morning."

Quote: "Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) said the fact the blazes happened on the same day was a coincidence."



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-18 - Metal recycling center erupts in flame at 4 AM, fire gets huge, in Waxahachie (Texas):
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/2019/12/18/large-fire-burns-at-metal-recycling-company-in-ellis-county/
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/12/18/flames-out-smoke-lingering-waxahachie-recycling-plant-fire/
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/12/18/crew-working-large-fire-recycling-plant-waxahachie/
http://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/large-recycling-plant-fire-waxahachie/287-5144605d-7ad9-4e4b-a7e4-c71d1a8f3d06
http://delrionewsherald.com/news_ap/texas/article_5aff9bdc-9179-533d-a7ef-14f2ffa62682.html
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/large-fire-at-recycling-plant-in-waxahachie/2276117/
http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Texas-recycling-plant-fire-prompts-school-closures-566311951.html
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/video/dramatic-video-shows-huge-fire-burning-in-waxahachie/2276265/
http://krld.radio.com/articles/news/crews-fighting-large-fire-at-waxahachie-recycling-plant
http://www.waxahachietx.com/news/20191218/large-fire-breaks-out-at-recycling-plant
http://twitter.com/AlannaNBC5/status/1207291960362450950

Quote: "According to the Oak Cliff Metals website, the company collects and recycles, among other things: iron, rebar, steel, aluminum and copper."

2019-12-18 - Battery fire breaks out at power plant along the Housatonic River in Milford (Connecticut):
http://www.wfsb.com/news/fire-reported-at-nrg-power-plant-in-milford/article_cd348fe0-21df-11ea-903f-6f7c2b7d131c.html
http://fox61.com/2019/12/18/battery-fire-breaks-out-in-milford/

Quote: "According to fire officials, about 50 large lead acid batteries caught fire at the plant off of Naugatuck Avenue."

2019-12-18 - Fish plant destroyed by fire in coastal Tangier (Canada):
http://www.halifaxtoday.ca/local-news/a-total-loss-tangier-fish-plant-destroyed-by-fire-1972496
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/fish-plant-on-eastern-shore-of-n-s-destroyed-by-fire-1.4736198
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/huge-loss-tangier-fish-plant-completely-destroyed-in-fire/ar-BBY8pCP
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/tangier-fish-plant-fire-crews-201406973.html

2019-12-18 - Wildfires continue raging as heatwave broils the state, state of emergency declared, in New South Wales (Australia):
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50837025
http://www.dw.com/en/australia-on-fire-as-it-marks-hottest-day-ever/a-51716548
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7807215/Sydney-blanketed-smoke-temperatures-expected-soar-40C.html
http://au.news.yahoo.com/fears-two-huge-bushfires-could-merge-into-mega-blaze-around-sydney-014713454.html
http://nationalpost.com/news/world/australia-records-hottest-day-ever-bushfires-scorch-land-half-the-size-nova-scotia
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/18/australia-experiences-hottest-day-on-record-and-its-worst-ever-spring-bushfire-danger
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-sydney-is-now.html
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/18/bush-d18.html

Quote: "A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales, Australia, amid fears a record-breaking heatwave will exacerbate the state's bushfire crisis."

2019-12-18 - Australia sets new all-time high temperature record one day after setting new all-time high temperature record:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50850386
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/19/419c-australia-records-hottest-ever-day-one-day-after-previous-record
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-heatwave-bushfires-temperature-record-emergency-nsw-a9252881.html
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-australia.html

Quote: "Temperatures in Australia soared to an average maximum of 41.9C on Wednesday, breaking the record made just the day before as New South Wales declared a seven-day state of emergency. On Tuesday, the mercury hit 40.9C, beating the previous record of 40.3C which was set in 2013."

Note: The heat is on!

2019-12-18 - November 2019 was 2nd hottest on record for the planet, 2019 likely to be the 2nd hottest year on record:
http://www.noaa.gov/news/november-2019-was-2nd-hottest-on-record-for-planet
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/november-2019-was-2nd-hottest-on-record.html
http://www.kjct8.com/content/news/Earth-just-had-its-2nd-hottest-November-on-record-566244341.html
http://time.com/5750852/temperature-record-2019-climate-change/



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-19 - Unknown rotten egg odor evacuates school in Pullman (Washington):
http://www.kxly.com/news/students-at-franklin-elementary-in-pullman-evacuated-for-natural-gas-smell/1152808462
http://www.khq.com/news/franklin-elementary-students-evacuated-in-pullman-due-to-smell-of/article_be34c68a-2280-11ea-aee5-83f3d9c88144.html
http://lmtribune.com/students-removed-from-pullman-elementary-school-because-of-natural-gas/article_2da1e208-2283-11ea-9b72-db8faa8ff07e.html

2019-12-19 - Inmate has 'medical event' and employee has 'medical event' shortly later, at Riverbend prison along the Cumberland River in Nashville (Tennessee):
http://fox17.com/news/local/guard-transported-inmate-ill-amid-hazmat-situation-at-riverbend-prison-in-nashville
http://www.wkrn.com/news/nashville-fire-department-responds-to-multiple-people-sick-at-riverbend-maximum-security-prison/
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2019/12/19/unknown-substance-sickens-people-nashville-prison-hazmat-responds/2699827001/

Quote: "Upon further investigation, NFD said HAZMAT crews did not find a substance at the prison. TDOC said it requested HAZMAT to respond after an inmate experienced a medical event then an employee experienced an unrelated medical event a short time later."

Note: Cumberland River, that sounds awfully familiar. Oh right, a man in his 40s was just found dead with a burned head shortly after 12:30 AM along the Cumberland River in Nashville, mentioned in the 2019-12-17 update. And the day before that, a person was found dead in the Cumberland River in Nashville, mentioned in the 2019-12-16 update. And now here are two different people having medical events at the same place and within a short period of time along the Cumberland River in Nashville...

2019-12-19 - Metal recycling center erupts in flame, fire gets huge, in Greenville (South Carolina):
http://www.wyff4.com/article/live-large-plume-of-smoke-seen-over-white-horse-road-adams-recycling/30284284
http://www.facebook.com/WYFF4/videos/fire-at-adams-recycling-near-white-horse-road/1202790169910635/
http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/firefighters-battling-blaze-at-scrap-metal-recycling-center-off-old/article_b5e0de28-2281-11ea-b728-d33dba3ffb2a.html
http://www.facebook.com/foxcarolinanews/videos/huge-fire-fire-fighters-are-battling-a-massive-blaze-at-adams-recycling-off-of-h/450415178979046/

2019-12-19 - Metal recycling center hit by fire in Malahide Township (Canada):
http://www.iheartradio.ca/kfun-99-5/smoke-poured-from-difficult-scrapyard-fire-chief-1.10358438
http://london.ctvnews.ca/smoke-poured-from-difficult-scrapyard-fire-chief-1.4737509

2019-12-19 - Metal recycling center hit by fire at 5:28 AM, 300-ton pile of scrap metal burns, on Wallace Way in Hitchin (Britain):
http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/large-fire-at-hitchin-scrapyard/
http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/investigation-hitchin-fire-launched/
http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/hitchin-walsworth-industrial-estate-fire-3663235
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-50849219

Quote: "Fire crews from across Hertfordshire are currently dealing with a large fire reportedly involving 300 tonnes of scrap metal at a scrapyard on Wallace Way in Hitchin."

2019-12-19 - Passenger plane hit by engine fire, plane makes emergency landing in coastal Fukuoka (Japan):
http://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/plane-makes-emergency-landing-after-engine-catches-on-fire
http://sputniknews.com/asia/201912191077624555-boeing-767-makes-emergency-landing-in-japans-fukuoka-over-engine-fire--reports/
http://www.novinite.com/articles/202324/Boeing+767+Made+an+Emergency+Landing+in+Fukuoka+Because+of+a+Fire
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20191219/p2a/00m/0na/004000c
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191219_19/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYgdJYrH0B8

Quote: "The aircraft, flying from Fukuoka to Tokyo, returned to the airport one hour after its departure. According to the agency, shortly after takeoff, a fire broke out in one of the engines. The plane requested an emergency landing permit in Fukuoka and landed without a problem, airport authorities said."

Quote: "Some people tweeted that they heard a boom, looked up and saw fire coming out of the airplane."

Note: This is the 153rd aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019..

2019-12-19 - Wildfires continue raging outside coastal Sydney (Australia), dozens of homes destroyed, 2 firefighters killed:
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/19/australia-bushfires-20-structures-destroyed-as-nsw-firefighters-hospitalised-with-severe-burns
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/firefighters-die-australia-fires-rage-pm-cuts-short-holiday-191220000256382.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7810243/Bushfires-Sydney-turn-deadly-firefighters-killed-truck-slammed-tree.html
http://nypost.com/2019/12/19/australia-wildfires-new-south-wales-declares-weeklong-state-of-emergency/
http://www.axios.com/australia-wildfires-historic-heat-wave-31783212-2b75-45d8-b668-0c6c444257db.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/wildfires-sydney-nsw-state-of-emergency-1.5402008
http://time.com/5752838/australia-new-south-wales-wildfires/

2019-12-19 - Vape pen explodes into flame inside car, car destroyed by fire, while parked at business in Dudley (Massachusetts):
http://whdh.com/news/exploding-vape-pen-blamed-for-vehicle-fire-that-damaged-building-in-dudley/

2019-12-19 - Moscow wonders where winter went as temps reach 133-year high:
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2019/12/temperatures-in-moscow-reach-133-year.html
http://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3042698/moscow-wonders-where-winter-has-gone-temperatures



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-20 - East Siberian Arctic Shelf now pluming methane into the atmosphere at an accelerating rate:
http://earth.org/methane-emissions-in-the-arctic-could-amplify-global-warming/

Quote: "In October, scientists from the Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia recorded the highest-ever amounts of methane in the air over the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) during a 40-day research voyage led by chief scientist Igor Semiletov."

Quote: "The scientists surveyed 60 sites across the ESAS known to have had methane emissions from underwater permafrost in the past. Each emission site varies in size, ranging from 100 square metres to a square kilometre. The water at these sites looks as though it’s boiling as methane bubbles to the surface."

Quote: "'The methane emissions, which look like torches or flares, are all increasing,' Semiletov said."

Quote: "Professor Shakhova warns that the release of only a small fraction of the methane held in the ESAS could trigger further abrupt climate warming via positive feedback mechanisms..."

2019-12-20 - Metal recycling center hit by fire, pile of scrap metal burns, in Albuquerque (New Mexico):
http://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/recycling-plant-catches-fire/

Quote: "Bernalillo County says a pile of metal caught fire at Albuquerque Metal Recycling Friday evening."

2019-12-20 - Ice plant destroyed by huge fire on the oceanfront in coastal Charleston (Oregon):
http://www.portofcoosbay.com/news-releases/2019/12/20/port-responds-to-charleston-ice-plant-fire
http://kval.com/news/local/the-public-is-required-to-evacuate-fire-in-charleston-sends-toxic-plume-into-air
http://theworldlink.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/charleston-ice-house-on-fire-public-warned-to-stay-away/article_bf86c187-784f-5228-adc6-dd7ab280abbc.html

2019-12-20 - Lumber business destroyed by massive fire in Chilliwack (Canada):
http://www.abbynews.com/news/fire-on-vedder-road-at-windsor-plywood/
http://www.theprogress.com/news/fire-on-vedder-road-at-windsor-plywood/
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/crews-battle-blaze-at-building-supply-store-in-chilliwack

2019-12-20 - Wildfires are raging outside every major city in Australia, and it's going to get worse, temp hits 50C (122F) in Nullarbor:
http://time.com/5753584/bushfires-australia-catastrophic-fire-alert/
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sydney-bushfires-raze-at-least-40-homes-phq3dp3f2
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-no-10-first.html
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-no-11-fire.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-50862349

Quote: "Hundreds of bushfires are raging across Australia, with hotspots in every state. And a fire tracker map maintained by researchers in Western Australia, shows that they are also threatening areas around every major city in the country."

Quote: "How big are these fires? 2.7 million hectares have burned in NSW alone, since June the 1st. The massive 2018 Californian fires consumed 1.8 million hectares. The 2019 Amazon fires consumed just under 1 million hectares."

Note: So the wildfires in just New South Wales alone in Australia have burned almost as much land as the monstrous 2018 California wildfires and the mammoth 2019 Amazon fires in Brazil and Bolivia COMBINED. The escalating planetary fires should subside once everything that CAN burn HAS burned, so we've got that to look forward to!

2019-12-20 - Electrical substation damaged by fire at 2:33 AM on London Road in Sandbach (Britain):
http://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/news-events/incidents/electrical-substation-fire-in-sandbach

2019-12-20 - Around 100 previously catalogued stars have vanished:
http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/stellar-mystery-how-could-100-stars-just-vanish-180973821/
http://www.sott.net/article/425992-100-previously-catalogued-stars-just-vanished



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-21 - Tire recycling plant erupts in flame at 2 AM, fire gets huge, in Minto (Canada):
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fire-tracc-tire-recycling-minto-1.5405753
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/12/21/fire-crews-from-around-the-region-battle-tire-fire-at-nb-recycling-plant.html
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/fire-rips-through-tire-recycling-business-in-new-brunswick
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-tire-fire-at-recycling-plant-results-in-air-advisories-in-central-new-2/
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/crews-continue-to-fight-to-stop-minto-n-b-tire-fire-1.4740918

2019-12-21 - Transformer explodes and b8urns at geothermal plant in The Geysers near Cloverdale (California):
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10501708-181/explosion-sparks-fire-chemical-spill

Quote: "Sonoma County officials are investigating what caused a transformer to explode and a fire to break out Saturday night at a geothermal power plant in The Geysers east of Cloverdale, not far from the energy facilities where October’s destructive Kincade fire started."

2019-12-21 - Three passenger buses destroyed by fire while parked at airport in coastal Los Angeles (California):
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=FR-20191222-70374-USA
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019/12/22/lafd-electrical-problem-caused-lax-fire-that-destroyed-three-buses/
http://patch.com/california/manhattanbeach/2-buses-destroyed-third-damaged-fire-lax
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/passenger-buses-on-fire-at-lax/2279962/
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/stringer-buses-engulfed-in-flames-at-lax/2279983/
http://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-21/fire-erupts-at-lax-inciting-panic-and-snarling-traffic
http://ktla.com/2019/12/21/3-buses-go-up-in-flames-at-lax-it-lot/
http://abc7chicago.com/3-passenger-buses-engulfed-in-flames-at-lax/5777025/
http://abc7.com/three-passenger-buses-engulfed-in-flames-at-lax/5776402/
http://fox8.com/2019/12/22/three-passenger-buses-catch-fire-at-lax/

Quote: "LAFD investigators believe an electrical problem started the fire that engulfed three propane-fueled buses at LAX Saturday night."

Note: These are the 619th, 620th and 621st buses to burn in 2019...

2019-12-21 - Wildfires continue blazing across New South Wales (Australia), no end in sight:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=WF-20191221-70364-AUS
http://www.dw.com/en/australia-catastrophic-conditions-fan-major-bushfires/a-51767608
http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/news/20191221/australia-battles-8216catastrophic8217-wildfires
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7816305/Police-pull-people-homes-residents-use-hoses-batttle-Monster-Lithgow.html
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/21/australia-bushfires-catastrophic-conditions-declared-for-nsw-after-horror-day
http://news.sky.com/story/australian-bushfires-to-get-worse-as-strong-winds-and-high-temperatures-create-catastrophic-conditions-11891891
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/catastrophic-fires-continue-to-rage-in-australia-as-temperatures-to-reach-47c-38805425.html
http://metro.co.uk/2019/12/21/death-toll-rises-as-catastrophic-bush-fires-rage-across-australia-11944788/
http://phys.org/news/2019-12-catastrophic-conditions-bushfires-rage-australia.html

Quote: "Six fires in Australia's southeastern state of New South Wales (NSW) were rated at emergency level on Saturday, as the country continues to battle blazes that have been burning for weeks, destroying hundreds of homes. 'Today has been an awful day,' NSW Rural Fire Services (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters, speaking of conditions that were rated as 'catastrophic,' the highest danger level."

2019-12-21 - Sweden's reindeer herders forced to adapt to climate change:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/swedens-reindeer-herders-forced-adapt-143424680.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-22 - Underground electrical explosion and fire causes blackouts in West Swindon (Britain):
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/18118188.electrical-fault-swindon-like-explosion-leaves-homes-sn5-without-power/

Quote: "People living in Plattes Close heard a loud bang at around 2pm this afternoon and were shocked to see a section of the pavement dislodged and flames coming from the hole."

2019-12-22 - Snow plow trucks and highway department building destroyed by fire in Sodus (New York):
http://13wham.com/news/local/sodus-supervisor-highway-department-fire-a-huge-steback
http://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2019/12/22/supervisor--town-highway-department-fire-causes-massive-loss
http://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/local-news/town-of-sodus-holds-meeting-to-prepare-plan-following-fire-at-highway-department-barn/
http://www.fltimes.com/news/towns-villages-offer-assistance-to-sodus-after-highway-garage-fire/article_aa2150e1-0374-5b1c-a8ae-797d6d64514f.html

Quote: "Town Supervisor Steve LeRoy says the fire appears to have started on the east side of the building where the town's seven trucks are located. He believes all of them were damaged or destroyed in the fire — that makes up the majority of the town's fleet of trucks."

2019-12-22 - Wildfire mostly destroys the coastal town of Balmoral (Australia):
http://news.sky.com/story/australia-bushfires-not-much-left-of-town-near-sydney-as-pm-apologises-for-hawaii-holiday-11893737
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/22/australian-bushfires-nsw-devastation-laid-bare-as-72-homes-destroyed-in-sa
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/23/nsw-fires-live-news-near-sydney-new-south-wales-south-australia-bushfires-victoria-latest-updates
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50885772

Quote: "Ms Berejiklian confirmed the small community of Balmoral about 75 miles from Sydney had been almost totally destroyed."

Quote: "Elsewhere, at least 86 homes have now been destroyed in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia - where a 69-year-old man was found dead at his property on Saturday. As of Sunday night there were still 98 fires burning in New South Wales, including 50 yet to be contained."

Quote: "Four of Australia's five hottest days on record were last week..."

2019-12-22 - River of ice flowing off the Vavilov Ice Cap and dumping billions of tons of ice into the ocean:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-russian-ice-cap-is-collapsing-it-could-be-a-warning/
http://scitechdaily.com/unprecedented-look-at-ice-stream-formation-on-remote-russian-glacier-video/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2019/12/21/watch-as-a-rare-ice-river-is-born-in-the-arctic/
http://www.livescience.com/first-evidence-glacier-surges-become-ice-streams.html
http://strangesounds.org/2019/12/glacier-surge-creates-ice-flow-video.html

Quote: "'If you look at the satellite images, it seems like the entire west wing of the ice cap is just dumping into the sea,' Whyjay Zheng, said in a statement. 'No one has ever seen this before.'"

Quote: "The area is a polar desert, so little new ice is added from one year to the next. And 11% of the ice mass in the region — about 10.5 billion tons (9.5 billion metric tons) of ice — has already flowed into the ocean, causing the average elevation of the ice cap to drop significantly."

Note: Just think if this same process starts with the much larger ice sheets in Greenland or Antarctica. They could puke trillions of tons of ice into the oceans in just a few years. Sea level could suddenly surge 20 feet, not creep along millimeter by millimeter. That's what happens with various other natural events like landslides and avalanches. Everything's okay then suddenly everything's not okay at all...

2019-12-22 - As the ice melts around the planet, potentially dangerous lifeforms are awakening:
http://www.asiantribune.com/node/93288

Quote: "Deep permafrost is a thawing reservoir of ancient microbiota, including pathogens that humanity was effectively quarantined from. NASA scientists were able to successfully resurrect bacteria from a frozen Alaska pool, that had lain dormant for 32,000 years."

2019-12-22 - Birds and frogs dropping dead from the heat in Australia:
http://www.ladbible.com/news/animals-its-so-hot-in-australia-that-animals-are-literally-dropping-dead-20191223
http://au.news.yahoo.com/australia-weather-birds-drop-dead-from-trees-extreme-heat-043403067.html
http://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/pics-animals-in-australia-are-literally-dropping-dead-from-heat-exhaustion/530646
http://www.indiatimes.com/trending/environment/birds-are-falling-dead-in-australia-because-of-heat-exhaustion-even-as-koalas-die-of-wildfire-502865.html



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-23 - Man, 53, found dead near burned car in Thetford (Vermont):
http://vtdigger.org/2019/12/23/fairlee-man-found-dead-by-burned-car-police-say/
http://www.vnews.com/Fairlee-Man-Found-Dead-Near-Burned-Vehicle-in-Thetford-31518759

2019-12-23 - The 2019 wildfire season in Australia is like nothing seen before:
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/25/factcheck-why-australias-monster-2019-bushfires-are-unprecedented
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/24/australian-bushfires-the-story-so-far-in-each-state
http://watchers.news/2019/12/23/australia-bushfires-2019/

2019-12-23 - Military factory damaged by fire in Yekaterinburg (Russia):
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=FR-20191224-70384-RUS
http://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/fire-erupts-at-tank-gun-factory-in-russias-y-794492.html
http://sputniknews.com/russia/201912241077754647-fire-erupts-at-tank-gun-factory-in-russias-yekaterinburg/

2019-12-23 - Transformer bursts into flame shortly after 4 AM on West Main Street and causes blackouts in Canfield (Ohio):
http://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/transformer-fire-knocks-out-power-for-some-canfield-residents/

2019-12-23 - Transformer bursts into flame on Learn Road in Tannersville (Pennsylvania):
http://www.poconorecord.com/news/20191223/transformer-fire-knocks-out-power-in-pocono-twp

2019-12-23 - Coal train bursts into flame in Kantabanji (India):
http://www.orissapost.com/coal-laden-freight-train-catches-fire-in-bolangir/
http://kalingatv.com/state/coal-laden-goods-train-catches-fire-in-odisha/

2019-12-23 - Six significant earthquakes, two of them M6.0, strike in the ocean near Vancouver Island (Canada):
http://www.straight.com/news/1340691/bcs-haida-gwaii-hit-sixth-earthquake-region-north-vancouver-island
http://strangesounds.org/2019/12/vancouver-island-overdue-big-earthquake-5-strong-earthquakes-december-23.html

2019-12-23 - Woman has 'medical incident' at 2:48 AM on the seafront in coastal Broadstairs (Britain):
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/woman-taken-to-hospital-after-medical-incident-218999/

Quote: "A woman has been taken to hospital following a medical incident on the seafront in the early hours of this morning. Police, paramedics and fire crews attended the call-out near Viking Bay in Broadstairs at 2.48am."

2019-12-23 - Invasive bee-slaughtering Asian giant hornets found in Washington State and in Nanaimo (Canada):
http://www.citynews1130.com/2019/12/23/washington-hornet-spotting-threat-ecosystem/
http://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/24/us/asian-giant-hornet.html

Quote: "This warning comes from the Invasive Species Council of BC after the Washington State Department of Agriculture found an Asian giant hornet across the border in Blaine, Washington, earlier this month. A nest of the insects was also discovered in Nanaimo this September."

2019-12-23 - Freakish multi-colored cloud photographed over Siberia (Russia):
http://strangesounds.org/2019/12/rainbow-chemtrail-picture-russia-crazy.html
http://www.facebook.com/KazinaSvetlana/posts/769638110172389



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-24 - Car bursts into flame and burns man to death on road near Sonti (India):
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/kurukshetra-man-burnt-alive-as-car-catches-fire-in-ladwa/articleshow/72958236.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/bank-official-burnt-alive-as-his-car-catches-fire/articleshow/72965479.cms
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bank-employee-dies-after-car-catches-fire-16614

Quote: "An assistant manager at the Ladwa branch of Central Bank of India in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana was burnt alive in his car after the vehicle caught fire at around 10am on Ladwa-Pipli Road near Sonti village in the district on Tuesday."

2019-12-24 - Landfill fire breaks out near the Rock River in Rockford (Illinois):
http://wrex.com/2019/12/24/crews-battle-massive-fire-at-winnebago-landfill-in-rockford/

2019-12-24 - Wildfire breaks out and burns dozens of homes on the outskirts of coastal Valparaiso (Chile):
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dozens-homes-damaged-wildfire-hills-chile-city-67921114
http://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/24/fire-destroys-homes-on-christmas-eve-in-valparaiso-chile/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-fire/fire-in-chilean-city-of-valparaso-destroys-about-50-homes-firefighters-idUSKBN1YT00F
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/12/24/fire-destroys-homes-on-christmas-eve-in-valparaiso-chile/
http://www.france24.com/en/20191225-fire-destroys-dozens-of-houses-in-suburb-of-chilean-city-of-valpara%C3%ADso
http://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/world/americas/chile-wildfire-christmas.html
http://www.dw.com/en/fire-engulfs-chilean-port-city-of-valparaiso/a-51790460

Quote: "The federal government in Chile declared an alert Tuesday over a wildfire that had damaged dozens of homes on the outskirts of the port city of Valparaiso."

Quote: "'This fire presents characteristics of evident intentionality,' Mr. Sharp told the national television station, citing the fact that fire appeared to start in several places at around the same time."

Note: That doesn't mean anything anymore. Maybe those places all had some rusty iron or steel or electrified copper in the area. One cloud of gas could cause numerous simultaneous fires, and Chile is on the western coast of South America, the side most likely to have flammable methane and/or hydrogen sulfide blowing in off the ocean. There have been many examples of mysterious simultaneous fires occurring, but an early one that I recall offhand was an event where an SUV burst into flame while parked at one home while an exterior dimmer switch burst into flame simultaneously at the home next door, at 3:30 AM, in Stuttgart (Arkansas), mentioned in the 2013-02-05 update. Only something in the atmosphere could have caused both fires at the same time at adjacent homes like that. So 'whatever' it was that caused those simultaneous fires in Stuttgart, how could the authorities in Chile know that the same thing didn't cause the simultaneous fires there? There's no way they could know. They're just making assumptions based on ignorance of reality as it is now. Garbage in, garbage out...

2019-12-24 - Wildfires causing turmoil in the property insurance market in California:
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/12/24/california-wildfires-cause-turmoil-in-property-insurance-market/
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/12/24/wildfires-california-property-insurance/

2019-12-24 - Father, son and daughter, 52, 16 and 9, die in swimming pool at seaside resort in coastal Málaga (Spain):
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50907667
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/24/three-holidaymakers-die-in-costa-del-sol-pool-accident
http://news.sky.com/story/three-members-of-british-family-die-in-costa-del-sol-pool-tragedy-11894885
http://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/breaking-british-dad-and-two-kids-dead-in-costa-del-sol-holiday-tragedy
http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10617398/brit-family-drown-costa-del-sol-resort-swimming/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-brit-family-three-including-21159166
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/breaking-british-dad-two-kids-21159203
http://metro.co.uk/2019/12/24/three-members-british-family-dead-drowning-spanish-holiday-resort-11958232/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-del-sol-family-death-swimming-pool-spain-christmas-eve-a9259791.html
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-12-24/british-father-two-children-drown-in-spanish-pool-on-christmas-eve

Quote: "A dad and his two children - all believed to be British - have died at a resort in the Costa del Sol. The tragedy happened after the youngest child - a nine-year-old girl - got into trouble in the hotel's swimming pool and her dad and older brother jumped in to rescue her, reports claim. It is believed that the dad was aged 52 and the boy who died was aged 16. The horror incident happened at around 1.30pm on Christmas Eve at Club Costa La World, a sprawling holiday resort overlooking the Med not far from Fuengirola."

2019-12-24 - Denver could have first snowless December in 113 years:
http://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/24/denver-snowless-december/

2019-12-24 - Unknown drones flying at night over northeast Colorado:
http://gazette.com/news/night-drone-flights-remain-a-mystery-to-colorado-authorities/article_b5d0b1de-97d8-5602-9aff-e9d32d478cda.html
http://www.denverpost.com/2019/12/23/drones-mystery-colorado/

Quote: "The purpose of recent nighttime drone flights over northeast Colorado has remained a mystery to authorities who are trying to learn the identities of the operators. The drones have flown over Phillips and Yuma counties for the last week, The Denver Post reported earlier this week. The Phillips County Sheriff’s Office cannot explain where the drones are coming from or who is flying them."



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-25 - Three fire trucks, ambulance and fire station destroyed by fire at 6 AM in North Massapequa on coastal Long Island (New York), nobody there:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/fast-moving-flames-rip-through-long-island-firehouse/2249597/
http://nypost.com/2019/12/25/long-island-firehouse-pretty-much-destroyed-in-christmas-morning-fire/
http://longisland.news12.com/story/41493258/officials-blaze-at-north-massapequa-fire-headquarters-destroys-3-engines
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/25/fire-ravages-firehouse-in-long-island-hamlet/
http://abc7ny.com/fire-tears-through-long-island-firehouse-destroying-3-trucks/5785536/
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/north-massapequa-firehouse-fire-1.39833033
http://www.pix11.com/news/local-news/long-island/fire-rips-through-long-island-fire-house-damages-fire-trucks-police
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-long-island-firehouse-fire-20191225-4xh77zejgrd2hg37zsbevzuqki-story.html

Quote: "Nassau County police say nobody was inside the North Massapequa firehouse when the inferno began around 6 a.m. Wednesday."

Quote: "North Massapequa Fire Chief Joseph Pascale said it appeared that the fire somehow may have been started by one of the trucks, and spread quickly."

Quote: "Three fire trucks — two engines and a ladder truck — and an ambulance parked inside the structure were destroyed in the fire."

2019-12-25 - Auto salvage yard hit by fire, multiple cars burn, in Billerica (Massachusetts):
http://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/fire-in-billerica-calls-for-mutual-aid/2053051/
http://twitter.com/bpdpatrol_145/status/1209634181774483456

Quote: "As of 8:18 p.m., a heavy bulk of the fire had been suppressed, but firefighters planned to remain on the scene for another hour, hosing down cars."

2019-12-25 - Recycling center hit by fire, 600 tons of vegetable oil burn, in North Cave (Britain):
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-50916734

2019-12-25 - Hoverboard bursts into flame inside home, fire spreads to home, on Mill Haven Drive in Hurst (Texas):
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/charging-hoverboard-blamed-for-christmas-day-house-fire/2281540/
http://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/charging-hoverboard-sparks-house-fire-in-hurst-officials-say/287-1271580b-6252-4aa0-add8-261277779f82
http://dfwscanner.net/2019/12/26/hoverboard-sparks-fire-at-house-in-hurst-on-christmas-day/

2019-12-25 - Moscow records highest winter temperatures in December:
http://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2051876/moscow-records-highest-winter-temperatures-december

2019-12-25 - Volcano Popocatepetl erupts, spews ash and gases, near Mexico City (Mexico):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7828009/Mexicos-Popocatepetl-volcano-spews-smoke-incandescent-material-Christmas-Day.html

Quote: "Mexican authorities have issued an alert after the Popocatepetl volcano began spewing ash and gasses on Christmas Day. The 17,797-foot volcano is located just 45 miles southeast of the capital Mexico City."



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-26 - Passenger plane hit by smoke, plane makes emergency landing in McAllen (Texas):
http://www.krgv.com/news/smoke-in-cabin-prompts-flight-to-mexico-city-to-emergency-land-in-mcallen/
http://www.facebook.com/KRGVChristian/posts/1426908394137762

Note: This is the 154th aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019..

2019-12-26 - Auto salvage business destroyed by fire in coastal Surrey (Canada):
http://www.citynews1130.com/2019/12/26/fire-destroys-auto-salvage-facility-in-bridgeview-area-of-surrey/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/no-injuries-in-large-surrey-fire-but-building-likely-destroyed-1.5408936
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/no-injuries-in-large-surrey-fire-but-building-likely-destroyed-says-fire-service/ar-BBYno0s
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/fire-engulfs-surrey-auto-salvage-business-1.4744420

Quote: "An auto-salvage facility in Surrey’s Bridgeview area has been completely destroyed by fire."

2019-12-26 - Tire business destroyed by huge blaze in the Adelaide Hills near coastal Adelaide (Australia):
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-26/fire-engulfs-mount-barker-tyre-business-in-adelaide-hills/11827974?pfm=sm

Quote: "A fire has caused the 'almost total destruction' of a tyre business at Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, coming close to a nearby petrol station and sending out huge plumes of smoke."

2019-12-26 - Recycling center fire breaks out near Shepparton (Australia):
http://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/stay-indoors-out-of-control-fire-burning-through-waste-facility-in-state-s-north-20191226-p53n28.html

2019-12-26 - Refuse business heavily damaged by fire in Millwood Township (Minnesota):
http://knsiradio.com/news/local-news/fire-heavily-damages-shed-toms-refuse
http://kduz.com/2019/12/27/fire-near-melrose-causes-extensive-damage/
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/12/27/investigation-underway-after-building-fire-causes-800k-in-damage-in-stearns-county/
http://www.kare11.com/article/news/regional/stearns-county-sheriff-fire-causes-800k-in-damage/89-4013f09e-08e3-46f9-8f2c-5835829b7fa7
http://www.fox9.com/news/shed-fire-in-stearns-county-causes-estimated-800000-in-damage

2019-12-26 - Dozens of golf carts and storage building destroyed by fire at golf course in Dulles (Virginia):
http://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/loudon-co-golf-course-fire-destroys-storage-building/65-164f45e1-e88f-49bd-b963-b118ddc624c1
http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/golf-club-fire-near-dulles-seen-for-miles/article_88fa7c28-2814-11ea-a7ee-ff1d1d6f38e3.html
http://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2019/12/1757-golf-club-fire-destroys-storage-shed-course-partly-reopens/
http://www.facebook.com/LoudounFireRescue/posts/1323513204476875

Quote: "A golf course in Loudoun County had multiple firefighter units respond after a building holding dozens of golf carts caught on fire Thursday around 12:30 p.m. The fire at the 1757 Golf Club destroyed the carts and equipment being held inside the large storage building."

2019-12-26 - Planetary arson and amplifying feedbacks, no alternative to CO2 drawdown:
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2019/12/planetary-arson-and-amplifying-feedbacks-no-alternative-to-co2-drawdown.html

2019-12-26 - Another extreme heatwave expected to bring worse wildfire conditions over the weekend to New South Wales (Australia):
http://www.foxnews.com/world/australia-wildfires-worse-extreme-heatwave
http://time.com/5755525/australia-wildfires-heatwave/
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/uk_national_news/18123310.australia-firefighters-braced-extreme-heatwave-weekend/
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/national/18123310.australia-firefighters-braced-extreme-heatwave-weekend/
http://www.msn.com/en-au/video/sport/severe-to-extreme-heatwave-to-hit-south-east-australia/vp-BBYn666

Quote: "More than 12.35 million acres have burned nationwide over the past few months, killing nine people and destroying more than 950 homes."

2019-12-26 - Very unusual seismic activity on the US West Coast has some experts extremely concerned about what could happen:
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/very-unusual-seismic-activity-on-the-west-coast-has-some-experts-extremely-concerned-about-what-could-happen



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-27 - Unknown rotten egg odor hits downtown Springfield (Massachusetts):
http://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/columbia-gas-responds-to-natural-gas-odors-in-springfield/

Quote: "Columbia Gas responded to multiple calls of natural gas odors in downtown Springfield Friday evening. Springfield Fire Captain Brian Tetreault confirmed to 22News that their investigation turned up no evidence of a leak."

2019-12-27 - Ocean temperatures way above normal off the coast of New Zealand:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/27/hot-blob-vast-and-unusual-patch-of-warm-water-off-new-zealand-coast-puzzles-scientists

Quote: "Area of water in the Pacific Ocean off NZ is 6C hotter than normal, possibly due to a lack of wind in the region..."

2019-12-27 - Ocean temperatures rising fast around Tasmania (Australia), almost all of the kelp now dead:
http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/406304/marine-heatwave-pushes-temperatures-5c-above-normal
http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/world/climate-environment/climate-change-tasmania/
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.com/2019/12/are-people-like-profjames-renwick-paid.html

2019-12-27 - New heat warning issued as wildfires continue burning in South Australia:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7831695/New-Years-Eve-nightmare-Bushfire-danger-heatwave-sweeps-Australia.html
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/uk_national_news/18124509.new-heat-warning-issued-south-australia-wildfires-persist/

2019-12-27 - Wildfires may have killed up to 30% of koalas in New South Wales (Australia):
http://www.cnn.com/2019/12/27/australia/koala-bushfire-australia-intl-scli/index.html
http://www.pressherald.com/2019/12/28/thousands-of-koalas-feared-dead-in-australia-wildfires/
http://nypost.com/2019/12/28/australian-bushfires-may-have-killed-up-to-30-percent-of-koalas/
http://news.sky.com/story/australia-bushfires-kill-up-to-a-third-of-new-south-wales-koalas-11896493
http://www.axios.com/thousands-koalas-dead-australia-fires-97f8bf51-9d72-4b3c-aac9-ae0d4ebf07d8.html
http://www.itv.com/news/2019-12-28/thousands-of-koalas-feared-dead-as-massive-australian-wildfires-destroy-habitat/
http://www.foxnews.com/world/australia-koala-wildfires

2019-12-27 - Woman, 57, found dead in burned car near her home on Regan Island Road in Claiborne County (Mississippi):
http://www.wapt.com/article/woman-found-burned-to-death-inside-car/30339678
http://www.dailyleader.com/2019/12/27/womans-burned-body-found-in-car-in-utica/
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2019/12/27/burned-body-found-vehicle-mississippi/2755493001/
http://www.magnoliastatelive.com/2019/12/27/investigators-search-for-clues-after-womans-burned-body-found-in-mississippi/

Quote: "Jefferson said it is not known if a crime was committed. The incident may have been a tragic accident he confirmed."

2019-12-27 - Small plane bursts into flame while parked at Vance Brand Municipal Airport in Longmont (Colorado):
http://www.dailycamera.com/2019/12/27/longmont-authorities-investigate-fire-that-destroyed-airplane/
http://kdvr.com/2019/12/27/plane-on-fire-reported-in-longmont-arson-investigators-on-scene/

Quote: "Miller said the incident is being investigated as an arson, although that is standard protocol given that the cause of the fire is not yet known. 'Right now is kind of unknown why it suddenly caught on fire,' Miller said."

2019-12-27 - Small plane bursts into flame while parked at Santa Monica Airport in coastal Santa Monica (California):
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/4317254-fire-department-investigating-after-small-plane-catches-fire-at-santa-monica-airport/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZhoNWks8kM

Note: These are the 155th and 156th aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019...

2019-12-27 - Pickup truck bursts into flame at 5:25 AM while parked at home, fire spreads to two homes, on Beard Avenue in Wichita Falls (Texas):
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2019/12/27/beard-avenue-fire-burns-two-homes-truck/2761105001/
http://www.newschannel6now.com/2019/12/27/fire-beard-ave-burns-two-houses-one-truck/

Quote: "An early morning blaze began in a pickup's engine compartment and spread to two homes Friday on Beard Avenue, according to a Wichita Falls Fire Department official. The fire did nearly $70,000 of estimated damage altogether to the truck and two homes next door to each other, according to the official."



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-28 - Record set for most ice to melt in Antarctica in one day:
http://www.newsweek.com/record-hit-ice-melt-antarctica-day-climate-emergency-1479326
http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/record-hit-for-most-ice-to-melt-in-antarctica-in-one-day-data-suggests-we-are-in-a-climate-emergency/ar-BBYotUl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka9ZEUSuQLs

Quote: "The record in recent decades for the highest level of ice to melt in Antarctica in one day was reached on Christmas Eve, data suggests. Around 15 percent of the continent's surface melted on Monday, according to the Global Forecast System (GFS) by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)."

2019-12-28 - Twin-engine plane smokes then crashes and burns in Lafayette (Louisiana), 5 killed, 1 injured:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-plane-crash-near-post-office-lafayette-today-2019-12-28/
http://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/radiocom/5-confirmed-dead-in-plane-crash-on-way-to-peach-bowl
http://www.winknews.com/2019/12/28/5-dead-in-plane-crash-near-post-office-in-louisiana/
http://www.foxnews.com/us/plane-with-6-people-on-board-crashes-in-lafayette-near-walmart
http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/12/29/lafayette-louisiana-plane-crash-investigation/2769933001/
http://whdh.com/news/authorities-small-plane-crashes-in-louisiana-killing-5/
http://time.com/5756269/small-plane-crash-louisiana/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50935208

Quote: "'I was right outside before the crash,' said local resident Kevin Jackson. 'I noticed (the plane) was low and smoking like hell.'"

Quote: "Witnesses told KLFY-TV the plane was clearly in trouble and putting out a lot of smoke as it was on its way down."

Note: This is the 157th aircraft to smoke/burn/explode in 2019...

2019-12-28 - Gas field erupts in flame on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia (Russia), 2 killed, 1 injured:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=FR-20191228-70406-RUS
http://sputniknews.com/russia/201912281077886455-two-people-die-as-fire-hits-novatek-gas-field-on-yamal-peninsula/
http://newstral.com/en/article/en/1142585145/two-people-die-as-fire-hits-novatek-s-gas-field-on-yamal-peninsula
http://www.uniindia.com/news/world/fire-russia-dead/1835785.html

Note: The Yamal Peninsula is where methane has been exploding out of the ground and leaving gigantic craters in recent years...

2019-12-28 - People told to evacuate an area half the size of Belgium due to fire threat, in East Gippsland (Australia):
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/database/index.php?pageid=event_update&edis_id=WF-20191228-70407-AUS
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/29/victoria-bushfires-australia-thousands-evacuate-vast-east-gippsland-fire-threat-zone
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-bushfires-evacuations-victoria-nsw-scott-morrison-fireworks-a9263601.html
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/30/australia-victoria-bushfires-evacuated-east-gippsland-fires-news-live-latest-updates
http://watchers.news/2019/12/29/east-gippsland-evacuation-extreme-fire-danger-australia/
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2019/12/aussie-bushfire-update-no-13-shocker.html

Quote: "Visitors and residents told to ‘get out of’ an area half the size of Belgium immediately, in the face of historic fire threat day on Monday..."

Quote: "Around 480 million animals are feared to have died in the bushfires sweeping Australia, including nearly a third of the koalas in New South Wales's main habitat. Ecologists at the University of Sydney estimate around 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been killed, directly or indirectly, by the devastating blazes since they began in September."

Note: What happens when the fire threat zone encompasses the whole country? 'Everybody head to the ocean and start swimming!'

2019-12-28 - US saw the highest number of mass killings on record in 2019:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50936575
http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/406354/us-has-highest-number-of-mass-killings-on-record-in-2019



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-29 - Mysterious explosion at 10:43 PM shakes homes and causes sky to glow green in Saratoga County (New York):
http://poststar.com/news/local/police-seek-source-of-explosion-in-saratoga-county/article_f3dff7e8-4c18-5a6b-877b-7df349b0e8bc.html
http://cbs6albany.com/news/local/saratoga-county-sheriff-searching-for-source-of-multiple-reports-of-an-explosion
http://dailygazette.com/article/2019/12/30/boom-light-reported-over-saratoga-county-sunday-evening-cause-unsure
http://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2019/12/30/saratoga-county-explosion-mystery
http://www.news10.com/news/mysterious-explosion-rattles-homes-and-nerves/

Quote: "Police are trying to figure out what caused a large 'explosion' that was heard, felt and seen in southwestern Saratoga County late Sunday. The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office received an estimated 30 calls from people about the explosion around 10:43 p.m. Sunday. Some reported their homes shook, and others described a green glow in the sky as it occurred."

Quote: "Possible electrical problems, such as a transformer explosion, were also reviewed, as an ice storm hit part of the region, but no widespread power issues were found. There was also no lightning in the area at the time."

Quote: "The Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with National Grid, National Weather Service, the U.S. Navy base in West Milton, and the Federal Aviation Administration, and none of them report any issues or problems that could account for the explosion."

Quote: "Some suggested the possibility of a meteor landing in a rural part of the county, but the sheriff said an observatory was contacted and nothing was seen crossing the sky."

2019-12-29 - Car bursts into flame while parked on street by river, starts itself and takes off, pushes another car, in Ljubljana (Slovenia):
http://rumble.com/v8mhgx-car-fire-causes-engine-to-start-itself.html
http://www.onenewspage.com/video/20191230/12587955/Car-Fire-Causes-Engine-to-Start-Itself.htm
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ptuk0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPsQH4VE_T0

Quote: "Occurred on December 25, 2019 / Ljubljana, Slovenia 'I was walking by the river and I saw a fire, so I start filming.'"

2019-12-29 - Transit bus bursts into flame on street in coastal Selangor (Malaysia):
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/12/30/rapidkl-bus-catches-fire-en-route-to-depot
http://www.msn.com/en-my/news/national/rapidkl-bus-catches-fire-en-route-to-depot/ar-BBYrMGL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shxL6pdE4H0

2019-12-29 - In separate incidents, two more transit buses burst into flame, at dawn, two days apart in Rome (Italy):
http://www.wantedinrome.com/news/another-rome-bus-goes-up-in-flames.html
http://www.news1.news/2019/12/rome-another-bus-on-fire-in-the-night-no-injuries.html

Quote: "Another Rome bus has been engulfed by flames while in service, the second in two days, along Via Cristoforo Colombo on 29 December. As with the bus that turned into a fireball on 27 December, the latest bus fire also occurred at dawn, with no passengers on board."

Note: These are the 627th, 628th and 629th buses to burn in 2019...

2019-12-29 - Van explodes into flame while parked at home, fire spreads to 2 homes and garage, in Cumberland (Rhode Island):
http://turnto10.com/news/local/fire-in-van-spreads-to-two-houses-in-cumberland
http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20191229/possible-van-explosion-in-cumberland-driveway-ignites-2-houses-garage

Quote: "A van that caught fire in a possible explosion Sunday in a driveway between 5 and 9 Maple St. ignited both houses and the garage at 9 Maple, a Cumberland fire official said Sunday night."

2019-12-29 - Freight train hit by unknown mist, two workers sickened, in coastal Suffolk (Virginia):
http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/2019/12/29/383093/
http://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/suffolk/crews-respond-to-possible-hazmat-situation-at-train-tracks-in-suffolk/291-5b52dd33-b9b7-4bb6-8f2f-d9af4fe8d390

Quote: "A Norfolk Southern train stopped at Lake Meade Drive and Lake Cohoon Road after two workers on the train took ill after the train reportedly passed through what was described as a mist at the Saratoga Street crossing, the post stated."



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-30 - Wildfires rage into coastal Mallacoota and coastal Batemans Bay (Australia), people flee to beaches, firefighter killed by firenado:
http://www.dw.com/en/australia-thousands-trapped-on-beach-as-fires-approach/a-51841665
http://www.cnn.com/2019/12/30/australia/australia-mallacoota-beach-fire-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/video/2019/dec/31/mallacoota-bushfire-thousands-evacuate-to-sea-as-victorian-town-burns-video-report
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/30/one-firefighter-killed-australian-bushfires-rip-through-four-states
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/31/mallacoota-fire-mayhem-armageddon-bushfires-rage-victoria-east-gippsland
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/raging-wildfires-trap-4000-australian-towns-waterfront-67994183
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/mass-evacuation-columns-fire-threaten-australian-holiday-area-n1108446
http://news.sky.com/story/australia-bushfires-tourists-ignoring-pleas-to-evacuate-hotspot-11897582
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sydney-new-years-fireworks-1.5411177
http://twitter.com/heldavidson/status/1211826836277096448
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50952253

Quote: "People reported hearing gas bottles explode as the fire front reached the town [of Mallacoota], and the sound of sirens telling people to get in the water. By 1.30pm the fire had reached the water’s edge. A local man, Graham, told ABC Gippsland he could see fire in the centre of the town, and 20m high flames on the outskirts where he believed homes were alight."

Quote: "In the seaside town of Batemans Bay, New South Wales, residents also fled to beaches for safety as fires encroached upon the town. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether buildings have been affected, but Youtuber Chloe Morello, a resident of the town, tweeted 'We lost our home' after documenting herself fleeing from her house."

Quote: "Thousand of people have evacuated to a beach in southeast Australia as raging fires encircled communities and cut off roads. A firefighter was killed when a 'fire tornado' lifted a fire truck into the air."

Quote: "Temperatures reached above 40C in all states, including Tasmania, where Hobart recorded 40.8C, its hottest December day ever. Several properties were reportedly lost in fires near Fingal in the north of the island state."

2019-12-30 - Dangerous pyrocumulonimbus cloud system forms over East Gippsland (Australia):
http://abc7chicago.com/weather/fire-breathing-storm-system-forms-over-australian-wildfires/5799362/
http://abc7news.com/weather/fire-breathing-storm-system-forms-over-australian-wildfires/5799362/
http://abc13.com/weather/fire-breathing-storm-system-forms-over-australian-wildfires/5799362/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fires-in-australia-pyrocumulonimbus-thunderstorm-clouds-victoria-sydney/

Quote: "What NASA describes as a dangerous 'fire-breathing storm system' has formed over a region of Australia threatened by wildfires. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology tweeted Monday that a pyrocumulonimbus cloud developed 16 kilometers (10 miles) over the East Gippsland region of Victoria, where out-of-control wildfires were forcing thousands of residents to evacuate."

Quote: "A normal cumulonimbus cloud is dangerous enough: The massive, anvil-shaped storm systems can hurl thunderbolts, wind and rain. Yet once it absorbs smoke and fire, it becomes an even more dangerous and powerful pyrocumulonimbus, according to NASA. These storms can spew massive amounts of lightning and generate dangerous winds."

2019-12-30 - Methanol storage tank explodes and burns near port in coastal Gujarat (India), 2 killed:
http://www.ndtv.com/cities/1-dead-after-methanol-storage-tanker-catches-fire-at-kandla-port-in-gujarat-2156422

2019-12-30 - Transformer bursts into flame on Spring Street in Morristown (New Jersey):
http://patch.com/new-jersey/morristown/transformer-fire-shuts-down-spring-street-morristown

2019-12-30 - Volcano Anak Krakatau erupts in Indonesia:
http://watchers.news/2019/12/30/anak-krakatau-erupting-december-2019/
http://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/anak-krakatau-erupts-spewing-out-200-meter-high-column-ash



Category: Variety Pack

2019-12-31 - Person found dead and burned along Carolina Beach Road in coastal Wilmington (North Carolina):
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2019/12/31/wilmington-police-investigating-after-body-found-following-fire/
http://www.wect.com/2020/01/01/wilmington-police-fire-crews-investigate-death-after-fire-off-carolina-beach-road/
http://www.wect.com/video/2020/01/01/wilmington-police-fire-crews-investigate-death-after-fire-off-carolina-beach-road/

2019-12-31 - Recycling plant hit by fire, cardboard burns, in El Paso (Texas):
http://cbs4local.com/news/local/crews-responding-to-recycling-plant-fire-in-northeast-el-paso
http://kfoxtv.com/news/local/crews-responding-to-recycling-plant-fire-in-northeast-el-paso

2019-12-31 - Wildfires continue raging across Australia, smoke blows into New Zealand:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/01/apocalyptic-new-zealand-shrouded-in-smoke-from-australian-bushfires
http://www.wkbw.com/news/world/wildfires-in-australia-have-trapped-4-000-people-on-a-beach-with-no-way-in-or-out
http://news.sky.com/story/australia-increasingly-menacing-bushfires-force-4000-to-take-shelter-on-beach-11898506
http://wnep.com/2019/12/31/thousands-of-australian-residents-take-refuge-on-beach-as-wildfires-rage/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-wildfires-1.5411727

Quote: "New Zealanders in the South Island of the country have woken up to a red sun and orange skies on new year’s day, with the smoke from Australia’s catastrophic bushfires drifting east overnight."

2019-12-31 - Pickup truck bursts into flame while parked in garage at home on Pollock Road in East Mahoning Township (Pennsylvania):
http://www.indianagazette.com/news/firefighters-save-house-blaze-guts-truck/article_0dd46388-2cb5-11ea-84cd-87ccd73ad075.html
http://www.wccsradio.com/2020/01/01/fire-inside-a-garage-in-east-mahoning-township/

Quote: "Fire broke out Tuesday evening in a truck parked in a garage along Pollock Road, fire officials said, but the truck was pulled from the structure before the flames could spread."

2019-12-31 - Melting Himalayan glaciers increase risk for glacial lake outburst floods:
http://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/as-the-himalayas-melt-thousands-of-dangerous-floods-could-sweep-through-the
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2019/12/31/Melting-Himalayan-glaciers-increase-risk-for-glacial-lake-outburst-floods/8021577815908/
http://phys.org/news/2019-12-simulations-thousands-lakes-himalaya-mountains.html
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/12/24/1914898117

Quote: "The Himalaya Mountains, known for their cold and snow, are melting. But where's all that water going? Into lakes — thousands upon thousands — nestled high in the mountains. As the climate warms, glacial water collects in mountain crevasses, creating new bodies of water. One study reported that 85 new lakes emerged between 2003 and 2010 in the Sikkim Himalaya, a relatively small region of the mountain range in northeastern India. And existing lakes appear to be expanding as well. A study from 2017 revealed they grew 14.1 percent over two and a half decades. As water levels rise, so does the risk of glacial lake outburst floods, or GLOFs."

Note: If we weren't already effed, now we're gonna get GLOF'd!

2019-12-31 - Regrowth of logged Amazon forests is much slower than previously thought:
http://e360.yale.edu/digest/regrowth-of-logged-amazon-forests-is-much-slower-than-previously-thought
http://www.fasterthanexpected.com/2019/12/30/regrowth-of-logged-amazon-forests-is-much-slower-than-previously-thought/

2019-12-31 - Bank of England boss warns climate change will wipe out assets:
http://www.independent.ie/business/world/bank-of-england-boss-warns-climate-change-will-wipe-out-assets-38823903.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/carney-says-global-warming-could-make-assets-of-many-companies-worthless-1.4127339
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1222341/climate-change-news-mark-carney-bank-of-england-finance-news

Note: Especially real estate. Like, do you want to buy a home on a continent that's on fire, like Australia? In Florida, which will be underwater? In Alaska or Siberia, where melting permafrost is destabilizing the ground and chunks of land are sloughing off into the ocean? In California, which has begun burning at an accelerating rate and where insurance is already hard to get and getting harder? Etc, etc. Somebody already owns a lot of these real estate assets, and they will be worth less as time goes on until eventually they're worthless. Eventually, as food production continues its decline - and that has already begun - money won't buy food. At that point, food will BE money!

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