fires – The News Desk

Beyoncé’s childhood home in Houston burns on Christmas morning

26Dec

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Entertainment

Beyoncé’s childhood home in Houston burns on Christmas morning

HOUSTON, Texas -- Beyoncé’s childhood home caught fire early on Christmas morning, though the family living there escaped safely. The fire was reported at about 2 a.m. Monday and the Houston Fire Department arrived on the scene of the two-story brick house within three to five minutes, the Houston Chronicle reported. “We had it contained in about 10 minutes,” Houston Fire Department District Chief Justin Barnes told the newspaper.Beyoncé Knowles' family bought the home on the 2400 block of Rosedale in 1982 and Beyoncé lived there until she was 5 years old. She was seen taking photos of the property when she was in her hometown for her Renaissance World Tour.The home in the historic Riverside Terrace neighborhood was built in 1946. A messages sent to Beyoncé's publicist was not immediately...

28Aug

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Technology

Justin Trudeau blasts Facebook for blocking news as Canada’s wildfires rage

CNN — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted Facebook for “putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety” as the social media platform continues to block news content while wildfires rage in Canada’s Northwest Territories and British Columbia. “It is so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of ensuring that local news organizations can get up-to-date information to Canadians, and reach them where Canadians spend a lot of their time; online, on social media, on Facebook,” Trudeau said during a news conference Monday. Some 60,000 people across the Northwest Territories and British Columbia have been placed under evacuation orders since thi...

26Aug

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Technology

Maui conspiracy theories are spreading on social media. Why this always happens after a disaster

CNN — A slew of viral conspiracy videos on social media have made baseless claims that the Maui wildfires were started intentionally as part of a land grab, highlighting how quickly misinformation spreads after a disaster. While the cause of the fires hasn’t been determined, Hawaiian Electric — the major power company on Maui — is under scrutiny for not shutting down power lines when high winds created dangerous fire conditions. (Hawaiian Electric previously said both the company and the state are conducting investigations into what happened). Maui experienced high winds from Hurricane Dora in the south while it was also grappling with a drought. Wildfires across the region have long been a concern. ...

Maui Fires Present a Huge Test for Hawaii’s Governor

21Aug

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Travel

Maui Fires Present a Huge Test for Hawaii’s Governor

In early 2020, with state health officials downplaying signs of the coming pandemic, Josh Green, who was then Hawaii’s lieutenant governor, went outside the political pecking order and called the White House himself to ask for a temporary ban on cruise ships, a linchpin of Hawaii’s economy.The move by Mr. Green, an emergency-room physician, infuriated his colleagues and the governor’s office, but “no one would listen to me here,” he said in his Capitol office overlooking Honolulu last week.Now the 53-year-old governor, a Democrat less than a year into his first term, is confronting the horrific wildfires on Maui that have killed at least 114 people and perhaps many more.Thousands have been displaced. One of the world’s most scenic beach towns is now a toxic ruin. President Biden is arrivi...

10Aug

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Technology

Portable cell sites arrive in Maui to bring internet to residents and tourists

New York CNN — Portable mobile hotspots have arrived in Maui to help bring internet service to the thousands of people who may have been unable to call for help since the wildfires started to rage out of control on the island. Verizon told CNN on Thursday its teams are currently deploying the first batch of satellite-based mobile hotspots at evacuation sites in areas of greatest need, particularly the west side of the island, west of Maalaea, Lahaina and Northern Kapalua. Verizon’s larger equipment, which is being barged over from Honolulu, is expected to arrive later in the day. This includes COLTs (Cells on Light Trucks) — a mobile site on wheels that connects to a carrier’s service via a satell...

Planning to Visit Hawaii? What to Know About Fires on Maui and Big Island

10Aug

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Travel

Planning to Visit Hawaii? What to Know About Fires on Maui and Big Island

Large wildfires burning across the islands of Maui and Hawaii, fueled by intense winds, turned scenic beach destinations into smoky, catastrophic scenes on Wednesday. The fast-moving flames have scorched hundreds of acres, destroyed homes and businesses, and prompted a series of evacuation orders, road closures, and power and cellphone service outages. At least six people have died.The fires are most intense along the western coast of Maui, according to local news reports, with the historic town center of Lahaina severely damaged.Declaring a state of emergency in all counties, the Hawaiian state government has asked travelers to leave West Maui as soon as possible and is discouraging travel to the affected areas.Here’s what travelers need to know.Where are the fires?According to the local...

9Aug

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Technology

Why cell phone service is down in Maui — and when it could be restored

CNN — Thousands of people in Maui are without cell service as the wildfires continue to rage out of control on the island, preventing people from calling emergency services or updating loved ones about their status. It could take days or even weeks to get the networks back up and running. “911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down,” Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke told CNN on Wednesday morning. Although strong winds can sometimes threaten cell towers, most are strong enough to handle the worst that even a Category 5 hurricane can bring. Fire, however, complicates the issue. “When the fires get too close to cell sites, they will obviously burn equipment, antennas, and feedlin...