A MAN accused of starting fires that forced the evacuation of 20,000 residents in southern California sent a text to a volunteer fire chief warning: “The place is going to burn”, its has emerged. Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, has been charged with felony arson for allegedly starting the Holy Fire that has been ripping through the Orange and Riverside counties. The blaze started in Cleveland National... 

Kostas Bakoyannis, the Governor of Central Greece Region, has declared a state of emergency on the island of Evia because of strong forest fires. According to him, at the moment local authorities are helping extinguishing the fire. The main fires are near the village of Kondodespoti; its residents have been evacuated. Also, residents of the neighboring village of Stavros have left their homes. 186... 

Multiple wildfires across Greece’s Attica region have claimed the lives of at least 60 people, firefighters say. With dozens of others injured, authorities have warned of further casualties and pleaded for an EU-wide response. Around half of the victims are from the village of Mati, a holiday resort on the east coast of the Attica region, just 30km from Athens, the local fire brigade said. Local... 

Blocked fire exits, a shut-down alarm system, and “glaring violations” of safety rules exacerbated the human toll of a fire that swept through a busy Siberian shopping mall, killing 64 people as panicked visitors jumped from windows and banged on doors in an attempt to escape, Russian investigators say. An Investigative Committee statement on March 26 suggested that the effects of the... 

This situation is not getting as much media attention as it deserves. Thousands of people have already been evacuated and more are expected to do the same. From CNN: Wildfires blaze in Gatlinburg, TN; thousands evacuated Gatlinburg, Tennessee (CNN) Fanned by strong winds and the Southeast’s worst drought in nearly a decade, at least 14 wildfires burned in and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, forcing... 

The Romanian cabinet has resigned in response to nationwide mass protests that followed a deadly fire in a Bucharest nightclub in which 32 people died, Ministers said they would continue to carry out their duties until a new government is formed. “I’m handing in my mandate, I’m resigning, and implicitly my government too,” AP cited Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta as saying in... 

A fire broke out at a warehouse in the city of Tianjin, China on Monday night. The blaze was caused by an alcohol spill, according to People’s Daily China. It comes just two months after deadly blasts rocked a chemical warehouse in Tianjin. The blaze was located in the Beichen district of Tianjin municipality. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene and rescue work is still ongoing, according... 

Massive fire is seen raging in the Whiteman Park area of the Australian city of Perth on December 14, 2014. Towering flames near Western Australian city of Perth have prompted evacuation of many homes as water-bombing helicopters and firefighters battle the blaze. The wildfire began in the Whiteman Park area of the major city, which has a population of 1.5 million, at 1:11 pm local time, threatening... 

A Spanish mayor has been charged for setting a town on fire after ignoring a fireworks ban. The illegal pyrotechnics resulted in a massive hillside blaze, which forced some residents of the town to evacuate from their homes. Despite a ban, which had been implemented because of an extremely high risk of forest fires, Mayor Ernesto Sanjuan gave the go ahead for a fireworks display on April 26 in the... 

A wildfire in Chile has destroyed over 500 homes in six hours and continues to sweep the area, with strong winds fanning the flames. A state of emergency has been declared by the country’s president in an effort to help the army battle the fires. At least two people have been killed in the fire that swept more than 2.5 million square meters (660 acres), according to Chile’s National Emergency... 

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire in a warehouse storing sugar at the Brazilian port of Santos, the biggest of Latin America, on October 18, 2013. A massive fire has ravaged about 180,000 tons of raw sugar in Brazil’s largest port, pushing international prices to a one-year high. The blaze, which started at around 06:00 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) on Friday, damaged all of Copersucar’s... 

A view of the scene of the explosion in a Belgian train on May 4, 2013 Many have been forced to leave their homes after several train cars containing chemicals derailed and caused a major fire near the Belgian city of Gent. On Saturday, Belgian authorities evacuated nearly 300 residents living near the site of the accident after the blaze led to a series of explosions in the railway cars. Infrabel,... 

Fire burns along the Pacific Coast Highway close to Naval Base Ventura County, California on May 3, 2013. A wildfire burning through coastal wilderness in the US state of California has nearly doubled in size since Friday morning, growing to almost 18,000 acres. A Ventura County fire spokesman said the fire is burning new fuel in mostly unpopulated canyons, and that fire officials have managed to contain... 

Nearly 20 cases of deadly blazes at medical facilities have been registered in Russia over the past seven years. At least 38 people, including two medical workers, have been killed in a fire that broke out at a psychiatric hospital in Russia, authorities say. The deadly blaze erupted around 2:30 a.m. local time (2230 GMT) on Friday in Psychiatric Hospital 14 in Ramensky on the outskirts of the Russian... 

A massive fire that engulfed Moscow’s Federation Tower for hours has been put out. Firefighters struggled to tackle the flames in a 300-square meter area of the under-construction skyscraper set to become Europe’s tallest upon completion. The fire broke on the building’s 67th floor (250 meters above the ground) and spread to several sections on the 66th and 65th floors. Fourteen people...