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Cedar Creek Fire tops 74,000 acres, puts up tall pyrocumulus clouds, lightning; wind shift sends smoke back into C.O.
(Update: New info late Saturday night)
Oakridge still evacuated, Hwy. 58 still closed; some power restored
OAKRIDGE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Cedar Creek Fire has more than doubled in size, topping 74,000 acres Saturday as winds shifted to push the blaze back toward the east, putting up towering pyrocumulus clouds that peppered the area with lightning and sent smoke again blowing into the High Desert.
“Easterly winds pushed the fire west until the early evening, when winds shifted and pushed towards the east,” fire officials said in a late Saturday night update on the fire’s Facebook page.
A late-Saturday update on the fire’s InciWeb page said the fire had reached 74,420 acres, with nearly 1,000 personnel battling it, and removed the earlier 12%c containment estimate.
“Giant pyrocumulus clouds formed directly above the fire, sending multiple lightning strikes into the fire footprint,” they said. “Lightning occurs when the clouds grow above 30,000 feet. These strikes did not influence the fire behavior.”
Despite the plume on the fire’s west side, it “did not make significant runs,” as it did on Friday, officials said late Saturday.
Thick, heavy smoke blanketed the fire Saturday, in, both the west and east zones, and ashfall was being reported over long distances amid some cooler temperatures.
Officials said seven task force teams of firefighters were prepared for direct and initial attack efforts overnight, strategically placed throughout the fire and surrounding communities with resources from the state fire marshal.
The fire remained north of state Highway 58, east of Kwiskwis Butte Road and south of Forest Road 19.
The fire grew by some 22,000 acres in 12 hours and 40,000 acres in a day, according to a Saturday afternoon posting.
The Oakridge, Westfir and High Prairie areas remained under a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation order Saturday, although Lane Electric Cooperative said it had begun restoring power in some places, bringing in mutual-aid crews from other areas. The live, interactive evacuation level map is at https://lcgisorg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fffd5cd4131d40bc885331fe3c905283
Officials said power restoration in the McKenzie area was delayed, requiring coordination with the Bonneville Power Administration, which also de-energized lines in the area as a precaution.
A red flag warning for critical fire weather stayed in effect until 11 p.m. Saturday.
Fire officials also noted that despite heat signatures showing on a map south of Oregon Highway 58 at Kitson Ridge, crews found no evidence of fire activity and said the fire had not crossed Highway 58.
Among the widespread recreation impacts were closures to public access of the Edison Butte, Kapka Butte and Virginia Meissner sno-parks. Officials said the lower parking area at Wanoga Sno-Park remained open for public use and trail access, and Swampy Lakes Sno-Park and trailhead also remained open.
Sunrise Lodge at Mt. Bachelor and the parking area were closed for use as an incident command post for the fire’s East Zone, being used by Alaska Incident Management Team 1.
A long stretch of Highway 58 over Willamette Pass remained closed Saturday, from about milepost 13 at the Lowell Bridge on the west to Crescent Lake, milepost 70 on the east. ODOT advised motorists to take alternate routes and avoid the area. Check our TripCheck page for the latest.
Power shutdowns to reduce fire risk also were affecting other highways Saturday, ODOT said, advising travelers to watch for darkened traffic signals and debris in the roads. They also advised to expect heavy traffic late Saturday afternoon on Interstate 5 in Eugene around the Oregon Ducks football game.
Here’s Saturday morning updates on the Cedar Creek and other large Oregon wild fires – remember that we have the state of Oregon’s live wildfires dashboard on our Fire Alert page:
Cedar Creek Fire
September 10, 2022
Daily Update – 8:00 AM
Cedar Creek Fire Quick Facts
Size: 51,814 acres Contained: 12% Start Date: August 1, 2022 Location: 15 miles E of Oakridge, OR
Cause: Lightning Total personnel: 862 Resources: 29 engines 19 crews 46 heavy equipment 8 helicopters
Current Situation: Yesterday, Governor Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act. Level 3 evacuation level remains in place for the greater Oakridge, Westfir, and High Prairie area. Fire activity is expected to be high again today. East winds, low humidity, and high temperatures will continue today and start to ease tomorrow. Where winds align with terrain, tree canopy fire and fire spotting are anticipated. Fire will be carried by lichens and heavy fuels.
Status of the fire on the Willamette National Forest and West Zone: The fire has not crossed west of Highway 19; firefighters are working to hold and improve the east side. Spot fires crossed south of Highway 58 at Kitson Ridge. Firefighters are working to keep the fire north of Forest Road 1928. Today’s fire activity is expected to be extreme with long-range spotting and crown runs. Expect a large smoke column to develop by mid-morning. East of Waldo Lake, the Alaska Incident Management Team has established two branches and six divisions to work in the Deschutes National Forest side of the Cedar Creek Fire. Where possible, direct attack water drops with helicopters is occurring on the southeast edge. Crews are preparing Road 4290 from Charlton Lakes to the Cascade Lakes Highway to control the spread of the fire to the southeast.
To prevent the spread of the fire toward the east, efforts are focused on shaded fuel breaks 100-200 feet in depth on both sides of the Cascade Lakes Highway. Crews are working in the Brown Mountain area south of Crane Prairie Lake and working north. From the north, crews are working from the 2017 Nash Fire burned area near Elk Lake and improving the fuel breaks on both sides of the Cascade Lakes Highway working south. Additional contingencies are being scouted for east of the Cascade Lakes Highway.
Weather: A RED FLAG Warning is in effect today due to hot, dry, and windy conditions. East winds will continue today and switch to westerly winds tomorrow. Toward the afternoon the valley will become windy. Poor humidity levels overnight will allow for an extended burn window.
Closures: The Deschutes National Forest and Willamette National Forest have implemented closures for the Cedar Creek Fire. Please visit Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest for detailed closure orders and a joint map. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place. The use of drones is prohibited in the fire area, please make it safe for our firefighters to use aircraft on the fire. Pacific Crest Trail hikers should visit pcta.org for current information.
Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on the Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest.
Smoke: Smoke Forecast Outlooks are available at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook.
Online: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8307/ | https://www.facebook.com/CedarCreekFire2022/ |
YouTube: https://www.tinyurl.com/cedarcreekfireyoutube
Evacuations: Sign-up for emergency mobile alerts by going to oralert.gov Please check with Lane County Sheriff’s Office 541-682-4150 and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office 541-693-6911 for updates and changes. Go to https://bit.ly/3D51kvC to view a map.
Fire Information: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM | Phone: 541-201-2335 | Email: 2022.cedarcreek@firenet.gov
Van Meter Fire Update:
Incident Commander: Tyler McCarty, ODF Team 3
Van Meter Fire
Klamath Falls, Ore. – Overnight, firefighters completed fireline around the southern end of the fire and continued to secure the perimeter in other areas. Matt Flock, Operations Section Chief, reminded resources at briefing “Completing that line helps to lock in the fire, but there is still an incredible amount of work left out there as we transition to mop-up and continue to widen the cold area around the fire.” Smoke may be visible today as unburned fuels within the fire are consumed.
As the work transitions to mop-up and securing fireline in the southern area of the fire, hose-lays will be constructed to provide water to all parts of the fire. Air resources will continue to provide support to moderate fire behavior as needed. In the northern area of the fire, where mop-up is already underway, firefighters will be patrolling for hotspots and smoke and gridding for heat. The goal is to widen the area from the established fireline toward the interior of the fire.
Structural resources will continue to monitor areas around homes, coordinating with wildland resources which will be working to grid for heat and cold trail these areas. Cold trailing is a process where firefighters look for signs of fire or smoke, feel the ground for heat, and use water to put out any areas where fire remains.
Due to minor growth Friday and improved mapping of the existing perimeter, the fire is currently 2,502 acres.
Evacuation levels will continue to be re-evaluated throughout the day. For the latest up-to-date evacuation information, please visit the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KlamathSheriff or call 541-205-9730. An evacuation shelter has been established at the Klamath County Fair and Event Center in Klamath Falls for anyone displaced by the fire. Space for large and small animals is available as well.
Residential traffic is allowed, but to ensure public and firefighter safety the public is asked to stay out of the fire area. Bureau of Land Management lands in and around the fire area remain closed to the public.
No reportable accidents have occurred on the fire. Falling snags and trees, ash pits and rattlesnakes continue to be safety concerns for firefighters on the line.
Low humidity and high temperatures remain in the forecast with some increased wind activity.
A Temporary Flight Restriction exists around the fire to limit any aircraft not associated with firefighting activities in the airspace. Wildfires are always a no-fly zone for drones. A drone flying in the area can ground all operational aircraft and impact suppression activities.
Double Creek, Sturgill, Nebo, Goat Mountain Two Fires
September 10, 2022
Daily Update – 8:00 AM
Highlights: The cooler weather has moderated fire behavior somewhat in the timber, but the fire is still actively spreading in the grass. Structure protection preparations are complete along Lostine Road. Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) task forces continue to assist with operations on the south side of Double Creek.
Double Creek Fire: 147,582 acres | 15% contained | 796 personnel assigned The west side of the fire has been secured and Upper Imnaha Road from Imnaha to Freezeout Road is in patrol status. The fire continues to actively spread in the dry grass on the north, east, and south side of the fire. Firefighters are working in Horse Creek drainage on the north side of the fire to secure structures and look for opportunities to build control line to the east. River boats are being used to patrol and assess structure protection needs along the Snake River. Firefighters continue to protect structures along Upper Imnaha Road on the south side of the fire and to scout for potential control lines to tie the road to the Snake River to the east. The OSFM task forces are engaged in structure protection preparations in Imnaha River Woods four miles south of the fire’s edge.
Weather: Elevated fire weather conditions occurred yesterday with wind out of the northeast and very dry conditions. Similarly sunny and dry conditions are expected again today, but with a wind coming from the south. It is important to note that we will not be experiencing the conditions that are the cause for the Fire Weather Watch on the west side of the Cascades.
Smoke: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued an Air Quality Advisory that is in effect until 2:00 p.m. Saturday for Wallowa, Union, Deschutes, and Umatilla Counties. For additional information, visit the DEQ website. A smoke outlook for northeast Oregon is available from the wildland fire air quality response program. Additional information can be found at PurpleAir website.
Evacuations: Level 3 “Go Now” is in effect for the Town of Imnaha north to the Snake River at Dug Bar and south to Highway 39. Level 2 “Get Set” is in effect for Lostine River Road from Fir Road south to Two Pan (including all campgrounds and trailheads). Level 1 “Be Ready” is in effect for Lostine River Road from Highway 82 to Fir Road.
Wallowa Whitman National Forest Temporary Area Closures: The Wallowa Whitman National Forest issued Temporary Area Closures for the Double Creek Fire, Nebo Fire, and Sturgill Fire (includes Goat Mountain 2 Fire) on Monday. Closure Orders and Maps are available on the Wallowa Whitman National Forest Fire Incident Updates page.
Wallowa County Road Closures: Lostine River Road from Moffitt’s south is closed. Lower Imnaha Road and Dug Bar Road are closed. Upper Imnaha Road is closed. Hat Point Road is closed. FS 39 Road is closed from Target Springs Junction to Ollokot Campground [including the Canal Rd (3920) and Lick Creek Road (3925)].
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Closures: Highway 350 (Little Sheep Creek Highway) in Wallowa County is closed between milepost 6 and milepost 29, where the highway ends. Local traffic will be allowed. https://www.tripcheck.com/
Airspace: Airspace restrictions have been issued for the Double Creek, Nebo, Sturgill, and Goat Mountain 2 Fires. Temporary Flight Restrictions were updated for the Double Creek Fire (TFR 2/4975) and the Sturgill Fire (TFR 2/3189) to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operations over the fires. Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) 08/234 and NOTAM 08/235 were issued to provide safe airspace for the Nebo and Goat Mountain 2 Fires. Flight restrictions also apply to drones. Drones flying in areas of wildfire activity will cause firefighting aircraft to be grounded.
Restrictions: Forest Order #06-16-00-22-04 covers Phase B Fire Restrictions for all National Forest System Lands within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, except for the area within a ¼ mile of the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam, River Mile 247.5, downstream to the Oregon-Washington border at Snake River Mile 176.0, which is regulated by Forest Order #06-16-04-22-01.
Fire Information
Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Phone: 541-216-4579
Email: 2022.doublecreek@firenet.gov
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8366/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/doublecreekfire2022
YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/Double-Creek-Fire
Crockets Knob Fire Update
NORTHWEST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM 12
Incident Commander: Bobby Shindelar
September 10, 2022
Today is Northwest Incident Management Team 12’s last day on the Crockets Knob Fire. Management of remaining firefighting resources will transition to the High Desert Type 3 Incident Management Team tonight. Northwest IMT 12 would like to thank the Prairie City School District for hosting our team and the local community for your support and hospitality!
Weather: East winds will be gusty in the morning but will become calmer by the afternoon. Temperatures will be slightly warmer today with highs in the low-80s. Conditions will still be dry with relative humidity dropping into the low teens.
Operations: Yesterday fire activity was minimal, allowing firefighters the opportunity to mop up remaining heat along containment lines. Crews also continued pulling hoses and excess equipment from containment lines. Chipping and cleanup were ongoing along FSR 45 yesterday and will continue today. Resource advisors are assessing the impacts of the fire suppression activities. They are determining what repair work may be required to protect natural and cultural resources and minimize the potential for future erosion. Helicopters assisted local small fires yesterday and will be available to assist the Crockets Knob Fire and initial attack fires today as needed.
Closures and Evacuations: Grant County has lifted the Level One evacuation advisory in the area of the fire, and County Road 20 (Middle Fork Road) has been fully reopened. Today the closure area remains in effect on the Malheur and Umatilla National Forests. Sunday the Forests will be decreasing the closure area. For complete closure information, please go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/malheur/notices/.
Smoke may be visible to nearby communities and Forest visitors. Smoke and air quality impacts within the state can be monitored by visiting: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
The Malheur National Forest’s Public Use Restriction is Phase C on the Blue Mountain and Prairie City Ranger Districts. No campfires or personal chainsaw use is allowed. The Umatilla National Forest remains in at Phase B, which allows campfires only in designated campgrounds and recreation sites. For more information, please go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/malheur/fire, and https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/alerts-notices.
Fire Danger remains High for the surrounding area. The vegetation is still very dry, and one spark or ember could start a significant fire. The public can help us by making good decisions when they recreate on public lands and by following local fire restrictions.
Quick Facts:
SIZE: 4,331 Acres
CONTAINMENT: 60%CAUSE: Lightning
PERSONNEL: 448
LOCATION: 19 miles north of Prairie City
FIRE INFORMATION: 541-625-08922022.crocketsknob@firenet.gov
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CrocketsKnobFire
INCIWEB: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8355/
TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTION: There is a Temporary Flight Restriction over the Crockets Knob Fire area. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone – if you fly, we can’t.
Rum Creek Fire Morning Update for Saturday, Sept. 10
Quick Stats –
Acreage – 21,347
Resources Assigned – 1,042
Containment – 55%
Fire Information: 541-625-0849
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8348/
Evacuations: https://tinyurl.com/JOCOEvacMap
Road closures still in place at Rum Creek Fire
MERLIN, Ore. – While evacuation levels have been reduced near the Rum Creek Fire, road closures are still in place. Only residents (must show proof of residency) are allowed past the roadblocks.
The public is reminded not to drive past or around road closures, as this creates a hazard for firefighters and residents trying to return home. There are reports of people driving at excessive speeds, not paying attention to the road or traffic, or taking their half of the road out of the middle. Traffic congestion interferes with movement of fire equipment and personnel working on the fire, and may impede the response to a flare-up. If you do not need to be in the fire area, please stay out.
Burned areas are hazardous for people to enter. Dead and green burned trees can fall, often without warning. Burned areas that have not been cooled may have smoldering stump holes and deep pockets of hot ashes. Stepping into these can cause serious injury. Even with extensive training, firefighters are killed or injured by these fire hazards every year.
The Red Flag Warning and Heat Advisory issued by the National Weather Service extend into this evening. Friday night’s very dry, warm conditions were described by Fire Behavior Analyst Nate Perrine as “like day shift for fire activity, but dark.” Relative humidity levels will be critically low again today, below 10% in some areas. Wind gusts up to 18 mph from the southeast are expected at Rum Creek Fire, along with high temperatures around 100 degrees.
Despite the critical fire weather Friday, the Rum Creek Fire stayed within its footprint with no acreage gain. One interior flare-up was suppressed using water drops from helicopters to ensure fire did not threaten the containment line. On most of the fire, personnel took advantage of the increased fire behavior to continue mop up near the fire’s edges. Containment has increased to 55%.
A group of firefighters is staying in a temporary camp near the northwest edge of the fire, to avoid the long transportation time into this remote area. This allows firefighters to easily monitor and work on the fire overnight and during the day. With winds from the southeast in the forecast, having eyes on this area is critical to keeping fire within containment lines.
After today, fire weather is expected to abate, with cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity. After the extensive dry spell, fuels remain dry and the potential for new fire starts will stay high. Any new fire is expected to spread rapidly. Resources from the Rum Creek Fire are available to help with initial attack on new fire starts nearby.
The unmanned aerial system (UAS) has been reassigned to a fire with greater need for its special functions. On the Rum Creek Fire, the UAS assisted with aerial reconnaissance, infrared mapping, and tactical ignitions.
Evacuations: Evacuation orders and notifications have not changed. An interactive map showing evacuation levels according to address can be found at //JosephineCounty.gov/FireMap. For the most current evacuation information and resources, go to Josephine County Incident Information (rvem.org).
Road control: Josephine County Sheriff’s Office has established traffic access points around the fire zone. Road blocks are located at Galice Road near Crow Road; Galice Store; Bear Camp Road at Peavine (top intersection); Lower Grave Creek Road at Angora Creek (Grays Ranch); Quartz Creek Road about 3 miles up (end of County maintenance); Dutch Henry Road near Kelsey Creek (42 44’56.2/123 40’35.4); and Hog Creek at Galice Road. Only residents (must show proof of residency) and permitted users will be allowed through.
River status: The Wild section of the Rogue River below Grave Creek will remain open unless fire conditions warrant closure. River status is determined on a day-to-day basis. Please call 541-471-6535 for more information regarding Rogue River permits. No new boating permits will be issued at this time.
Who Stood Tall After 8/31 AEW Dynamite Went Off The Air
Will Ospreay & Aussie Open of United Empire had the last laugh despite losing to Kenny Omega & Young Bucks of The Elite in the main event of the 7/31 “AEW Dynamite.”
After the show went off the air, Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Mak Davis rushed back to the ring to carry out a vicious attack on The Elite, using steel chairs while executing their signature moves on the AEW originals. This included Ospreay hitting a Stormbreaker on Nick Jackson and a Hidden Blade on Omega. According to fans at the arena, Don Callis stood outside the ring and watched helplessly. Michael Nakazawa and Brandon Cutler didn’t get involved, either.
A video of the attack can be seen below.
More stuff happen between #unitedempire and #theelite after the show 😳#aew #AEWDynamite #AEWAllOut pic.twitter.com/sbUu9AUXoa
— Christine (@ShiningPolaris) September 1, 2022
A little later, Young Bucks shared a photo of themselves & Omega recovering in the backstage area with ice packs taped to various parts of their body, possibly selling the attack at the hands of the United Empire.
AEW’s social media also released official post-show footage, while questioning if Omega & Bucks will be 100% going into the final of the AEW World Trios tourney this Sunday at the All Out pay-per-view.
It appears The Elite vs. United Empire rivalry will continue going forward. The Elite will face either Best Friends & Orange Cassidy or Dark Order & Hangman Page, with the winners being crowned the inaugural AEW World Trios Champions.
Dollar stands tall as traders brace for Fed to go large
SINGAPORE, June 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar stood just below a 20-year peak on Tuesday and just about everything else nursed losses as investors braced for aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes and a possible recession.
Markets have scrambled to bet on rapid-fire hikes in the wake of an unexpectedly hot inflation reading on Friday. Consecutive 75 basis point rate rises in June and July are close to fully priced, sending shockwaves across asset classes.
The dollar has gained with yields and as investors seek shelter from the storm. The dollar index scaled a two-decade peak of 105.29 on Monday and held near that level in Asia.
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It has hit one-month highs on the euro, Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar, Swiss franc and Canadian dollar and it made a fresh one-month top of $1.0397 per euro on Tuesday, before retreating slightly to $1.0438.
Sterling scraped from a two-year low to $1.2180, but is weighed down as the Fed is seen outpacing the Bank of England, which is expected to deliver a 25 bp hike on Thursday.
Even the Norwegian crown , which has been supported by firm oil prices and a central bank that began hiking last year, touched a two-year low of 9.9295 per dollar in Asia.
“The dollar seems to be the stagflation hedge of choice,” said Bank of Singapore strategist Moh Siong Sim.
“The market is starting to turn a lot more fearful,” he said. “On the inflation front, things do not look good and the Fed needs to respond.”
The Aussie was the best performer throughout the Asia session, attempting a bounce with S&P 500 futures . It was last up 0.5% to $0.6962, though that is still close to May’s trough at $0.6829 and analysts remained cautious.
Nerves about official intervention also gave brief respite to the yen, but it was soon on the back foot after the Bank of Japan expanded a round of bond purchases, knocking the 10-year government bond yield back to its 0.25% cap.
It last traded at 134.55 per dollar after hitting a 24-year low of 135.22 on Monday.
“Given Wednesday may see the Fed go 75bps and flag more, while the BOJ on Friday will only flag more bond buying, JPY is not going to stay at these levels for long. It’s going to get much, much worse,” said Rabobank strategist Michael Every.
FED WATCH
The Fed concludes a two-day meeting on Wednesday and CME’s FedWatch tool shows markets priced for a 96% chance of a 75 basis point hike, which would be the biggest since 1994. read more
Goldman Sachs tips 75 basis point moves at both the June and July meetings and rates at 3.25-3.5% by year end. read more
Futures show expectations of nearly 200 bps of tightening by September and the two-year Treasury yield is up about 50 basis points since Thursday’s close at 3.3091% .
The 10-year yield similar, at 3.3085%, in a signal that investors fear the rapid tightening path will hurt growth and possibly bring on a recession.
“The policy challenge is that the Fed has no idea how much monetary tightening is needed and will only find out it has done too much, long after the event,” said Societe Generale strategist Kit Juckes.
Dollar gains have punished emerging market currencies, and the flight from risky investments has battered cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin is down 30% in June and came close to dropping below $20,000 in Asia before steadying around $22,000, while ether also tested resistance around $1,000.
India’s rupee hit a record low on Monday.
South Korea’s won touched its lowest level since March 2020 on Tuesday at 1,292.5 per dollar, though it was kept from further losses by official hints at intervention and dealers’ suspicion that authorities were selling dollars.
The Malaysian ringgit , Thai baht and Indonesian rupiah made multi-year lows.
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Currency bid prices at 0640 GMT
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Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ
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Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Richard Pullin and Sam Holmes
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Exclusive: Zelensky rejects ‘tall tales’ his forces need months of training to operate advanced weapons
“I’ve heard these tall tales that we would need months to train our troops to use new tanks. OK, give us a Soviet-era tank,” Zelensky said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. “We are prepared to use any type of equipment, but it needs to be delivered very quickly. And we have the ability to learn how to use new equipment. But it needs to come fast.”
Zelensky said in the interview from the office of the president in Kyiv that the weapons the US and other countries have provided to date, including the Biden administration’s new $800 million security assistance package, have helped his country resist Russia’s invasion. But he said that more would be needed, and his country’s trainers would be able to get his forces up to speed quickly.
“I have heard many times from certain states that did not want to give us weapons quickly because our soldiers are not ready, from a technical standpoint, to use them,” he added. “But instructors of such equipment, our instructors, will get our troops ready to fight in them. If it’s a plane, for example, pilots can be ready in two weeks. Whether it’s Kamikaze drones, artillery, Howitzers, or (multiple launch rocket system) MLRS complexes, we have very smart people for these. We’ve had training with NATO countries.”
Zelensky’s interview with CNN comes as Russia is preparing for a new phase in the war after failing to capture Kyiv. Russian forces are preparing to ramp up their offensive in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, including Mariupol. Ukrainian forces rejected Russia’s ultimatum to surrender in Mariupol on Sunday.
In the interview, Zelensky said Ukraine would give not give up territory in the east to Russia and is prepared to fight, while also warning that the world should be prepared for the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons.
Zelensky vows forces in Mariupol will not surrender
Zelensky told CNN that Ukraine’s forces remaining in the besieged city of Mariupol will not surrender to Russia, saying that he does not believe Russia will allow people to leave Mariupol unharmed.
“They say they are ready to let all the military go if they surrender. But they are not going to surrender. They don’t want to do so and this is why it is a complicated and tragic situation because the military don’t want to surrender. And without it, Russians are not ready to let them go,” Zelensky said. “When you can make an agreement with Russians to let them go, unarmed, but after, what they will do is shoot them dead. That is why no one trusts Russia now.”
Zelensky added that Ukraine wanted to take away the wounded from Mariupol but Russian forces would not let them.
“We wanted to take away the wounded. We talked about it being a humanitarian mission. Give us the wounded back,” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to be a mediator and get the wounded, civilians and the military. They don’t let them out because we understand Russia just wants to shoot them dead.”
“We wanted to take away the wounded. We talked about it being a humanitarian mission. Give us the wounded back!” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to be a mediator and get the wounded, civilians and the military. They don’t let them out because we understand Russia just wants to shoot them dead.”
The situation in Mariupol is bleak. Much of the city has been destroyed by Russian shelling. Civilian structures targeted included a maternity hospital and a theater where up to 1,300 people were seeking refuge.
Though many have fled, an estimated 100,000 people still remain in the city and its immediate surroundings, which are reported to be largely under Russian control.
Zelensky has pushed for European countries to cut off Russian oil. Asked about the Russian fuel that flows through pipelines in Ukraine, Zelensky said, “Yes, we understand this problem.”
“We understand how much money Russia makes on energy carriers. And yes, first of all, we are calling for an oil embargo because they make 1 billion a day on oil. And we are calling for a gas embargo afterwards,” Zelensky said. “And we are fighting together and looking into these options. But this is transit. We have a transit agreement. That is why it is necessary to have an agreement between Europe and Russia, so they have an embargo on gas supply. And then there will be no transit.”
Zelensky added that Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian gas pipelines to try to suggest to European countries they can’t rely on Ukraine.
“This is what Russia is aiming at. They are trying to act this way in order to show that Ukraine is not able to safely supply gas,” Zelensky said. “They are doing it and they have been doing it for a while now because they want an opportunity to reopen Nord Stream 2. And we are constantly observing it. I’ve already talked about it to our European partners, I don’t want to say what leaders I talked to. I told them, please put embargo on gas, please. We are ready to lose money. Money is not the most important thing for us. People are most important.”
We (might) finally know how tall Elden Ring’s Erdtree is
If you have ever attempted to beat an Elden Ring boss or just accidentally hit yourself trying to play, then you are familiar with the Erdtree. It’s that big, bright tree that derives its power directly from the Elden Ring and stands at the center of Leyndell. Looking at it, it clearly looms over the surrounding mountains and hills. Which is to say it’s a really enormous tree.
Just how big is the really, incredibly tall Erdtree, though? Well, thanks to YouTuber Zullie the Witch, we have at least some estimations.
With various parts you can explore, it’s clear the thing is, scientifically speaking, fucking massive; as Zullie notes, you can see the tree “dominating” the scenery from every part of the map. But those bits offer up some comparison for how large different portions of the tree are.
The trunk appears to continue for hundreds of meters below the surface, and while it cuts off at the top, there are branches that reach above that point. By their measurements, from the very (underground) base of the Erdtree to the tallest branch point is about 5,048 meters tall — or approximately 16,562 feet.
To put that in perspective, that’s a good chunk of the height of Mount Everest (about 29,000 feet). Alternately, you can think of it as about 15.3 Eiffel Towers (1,083’ tall, if you measure to the tip) or 3,365 Danny DeVitos (4’10”, according to the internet) stacked on top of each other.
Of course, the actual above-ground height of the tree is a little different, and it sort of depends on where you’re able to stand next to it. That might shave about 1,000 meters (or 2,000 feet or so) off the height by Zullie’s calculations. Even still, we can all agree: big tree.
Tall people may have an elevated risk for colorectal cancer
BALTIMORE — Tall individuals may want to screen for colorectal cancer more often than their vertically challenged peers, according to new research from Johns Hopkins Medicine. Scientists report tall adults might have a greater risk of developing colorectal cancer or malignant colon polyps.
While this isn’t the first research project to investigate the link between height and colorectal cancer risk, the study authors explain those prior initiatives yielded conflicting results, employed inconsistent height measurements, and failed to account for adenoma risk. Adenomas are precancerous colon polyps.
“This is the largest study of its kind to date. It builds on evidence that taller height is an overlooked risk factor, and should be considered when evaluating and recommending patients for colorectal cancer screenings,” says Dr. Gerard Mullin, associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in a press release.
‘Tallest individuals had 24% higher risk’
To be clear, researchers caution that this work does not definitely prove a causal effect. Similarly, it is uncertain whether being tall is as dominant a risk factor for cancer as age or genetics. However, the current findings strengthen long-observed associations between a taller stature and higher colorectal cancer risk.
“One possible reason for this link is that adult height correlates with body organ size. More active proliferation in organs of taller people could increase the possibility of mutations leading to malignant transformation,” adds co-first study author Dr. Elinor Zhou.
The team reviewed 47 international studies covering 280,660 colorectal cancer cases and 14,139 cases of colorectal adenoma. They also included data from a study featuring 1,459 adult patients undergoing outpatient colonoscopies to better understand the relationship between cancer and bacteria stuck to colon walls.
One big consideration study authors kept in mind is the definition of “tallness.” Depending on country and nationality, the term can mean different things for different people. To tackle this aspect of the calculations, the team made comparisons among the highest versus the lowest height percentiles of many study groups.
“The findings suggest that, overall, the tallest individuals within the highest percentile of height had a 24% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than the shortest within the lowest percentile. Every 10-centimeter increase (about 4 inches) in height was found to be associated with a 14% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and 6% increased odds of having adenomas,” Dr. Mullin explains.
How tall is too tall?
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says the average height of a male American adult is 5 feet, 9 inches, and 5 feet, 4 inches for women. According to these calculations, American men who are 6 feet, 1 inch tall and women who measure at 5 feet, 8 inches (4 inches higher than average U.S. height) or taller have a 14% increased risk of colorectal cancer and a 6% percent further risk of adenomas.
They adjusted percentage results based on demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and other known risk factors linked to colorectal cancer. Risk factors with “non-modifiable” elements include age, a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or adenomas, and a personal history of chronic inflammatory bowel disease. In the United States, doctors associate over half of colorectal cancer cases with various modifiable lifestyle factors, such as poor diet, neglecting exercise, a smoking habit, and excessive alcohol consumption.
While these risk factors are not directly comparable to tallness, the study authors stand by their thesis that tallness may provide a degree of elevated colorectal cancer risk similar to modifiable risk factors like cigarette smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, and eating lots of red meat. Today, most gastroenterologists focus entirely on genetics and age-related considerations to decide on whether their patient gets a colorectal cancer screening.
Colorectal cancer diagnoses are rising in young adults
Per the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women. Older adult colorectal cancer diagnoses have gradually declined in recent years. However, deaths linked to colorectal cancer among individuals younger than 50 have increased by 2% annually between 2007 and 2016. The reasons for this uptick remain unknown.
“Greater awareness by the public and government will help promote more interest and funding for more research, which ultimately could change guidelines for physicians to consider height as a risk for cancer,” Dr. Mullin notes. “There are well-known modifiable dietary associations for colorectal cancer, such as processed red meats and smoking, but guidelines currently are fixated on family history, and height is clinically neglected when it comes to risk screening.”
Future research should focus on which tall adult populations are at an increased risk for colon cancer. “For instance, tall athletes and individuals with inherited tallness, such as those with Marfan syndrome, could be screened earlier and the impact of height further explored,” Dr. Zhou concludes. “We need more studies before we can definitively say at what height you would need earlier colorectal cancer screening.”
The study is available to read in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.
Giant Space Rock Blast Wiped Out Ancient City With 1,000 Times Hiroshima’s Ferocity
As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph (61,000 kph).
Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the ground. The blast was around 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
The shocked city-dwellers who stared at it were blinded instantly. Air temperatures rapidly rose above 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius). Clothing and wood immediately burst into flames. Swords, spears, mudbricks and pottery began to melt. Almost immediately, the entire city was on fire.
Some seconds later, a massive shockwave smashed into the city. Moving at about 740 mph (1,200 kph), it was more powerful than the worst tornado ever recorded. The deadly winds ripped through the city, demolishing every building.
They sheared off the top 40 feet (12 m) of the 4-story palace and blew the jumbled debris into the next valley. None of the 8,000 people or any animals within the city survived – their bodies were torn apart and their bones blasted into small fragments.
About a minute later, 14 miles (22 km) to the west of Tall el-Hammam, winds from the blast hit the biblical city of Jericho. Jericho’s walls came tumbling down and the city burned to the ground.
It all sounds like the climax of an edge-of-your-seat Hollywood disaster movie. How do we know that all of this actually happened near the Dead Sea in Jordan millennia ago?
(NASA/CC BY-ND)
Above: Now called Tall el-Hammam, the city is about 7 miles northeast of the Dead Sea in what’s now Jordan.
Getting answers required nearly 15 years of painstaking excavations by hundreds of people. It also involved detailed analyses of excavated material by more than two dozen scientists in 10 states in the US, as well as Canada and the Czech Republic.
When our group finally published the evidence recently in the journal Scientific Reports, the 21 co-authors included archaeologists, geologists, geochemists, geomorphologists, mineralogists, paleobotanists, sedimentologists, cosmic-impact experts, and medical doctors.
Here’s how we built up this picture of devastation in the past.
Firestorm throughout the city
Years ago, when archaeologists looked out over excavations of the ruined city, they could see a dark, roughly 5-foot-thick (1.5 m) jumbled layer of charcoal, ash, melted mudbricks, and melted pottery.
It was obvious that an intense firestorm had destroyed this city long ago. This dark band came to be called the destruction layer.
Above: Researchers near the ruins, with the destruction layer about midway down each exposed wall.
No one was exactly sure what had happened, but that layer wasn’t caused by a volcano, earthquake, or warfare. None of them are capable of melting metal, mudbricks, and pottery.
To figure out what could, our group used the Online Impact Calculator to model scenarios that fit the evidence. Built by impact experts, this calculator allows researchers to estimate the many details of a cosmic impact event, based on known impact events and nuclear detonations.
It appears that the culprit at Tall el-Hammam was a small asteroid similar to the one that knocked down 80 million trees in Tunguska, Russia in 1908. It would have been a much smaller version of the giant miles-wide rock that pushed the dinosaurs into extinction 65 million ago.
We had a likely culprit. Now we needed proof of what happened that day at Tall el-Hammam.
Finding ‘diamonds’ in the dirt
Our research revealed a remarkably broad array of evidence.
Above: Electron microscope images of numerous small cracks in shocked quartz grains.
At the site, there are finely fractured sand grains called shocked quartz that only form at 725,000 pounds per square inch of pressure (5 gigapascals) – imagine six 68-ton Abrams military tanks stacked on your thumb.
The destruction layer also contains tiny diamonoids that, as the name indicates, are as hard as diamonds. Each one is smaller than a flu virus. It appears that wood and plants in the area were instantly turned into this diamond-like material by the fireball’s high pressures and temperatures.
Above: Diamonoids (center) inside a crater, formed by the fireball’s high temperatures and pressures on plants.
Experiments with laboratory furnaces showed that the bubbled pottery and mudbricks at Tall el-Hammam liquefied at temperatures above 2,700 F (1,500 C). That’s hot enough to melt an automobile within minutes.
Above: Spherules made of melted sand (upper left), palace plaster (upper right) and melted metal (bottom two).
The destruction layer also contains tiny balls of melted material smaller than airborne dust particles. Called spherules, they are made of vaporized iron and sand that melted at about 2,900 F (1,590 C).
In addition, the surfaces of the pottery and meltglass are speckled with tiny melted metallic grains, including iridium with a melting point of 4,435 F (2,466 C), platinum that melts at 3,215 F (1,768 C) and zirconium silicate at 2,800 F (1,540 C).
Together, all this evidence shows that temperatures in the city rose higher than those of volcanoes, warfare, and normal city fires. The only natural process left is a cosmic impact.
The same evidence is found at known impact sites, such as Tunguska and the Chicxulub crater, created by the asteroid that triggered the dinosaur extinction.
One remaining puzzle is why the city and over 100 other area settlements were abandoned for several centuries after this devastation. It may be that high levels of salt deposited during the impact event made it impossible to grow crops.
We’re not certain yet, but we think the explosion may have vaporized or splashed toxic levels of Dead Sea salt water across the valley. Without crops, no one could live in the valley for up to 600 years, until the minimal rainfall in this desert-like climate washed the salt out of the fields.
Was there a surviving eyewitness to the blast?
It’s possible that an oral description of the city’s destruction may have been handed down for generations until it was recorded as the story of Biblical Sodom. The Bible describes the devastation of an urban center near the Dead Sea – stones and fire fell from the sky, more than one city was destroyed, thick smoke rose from the fires and city inhabitants were killed.
Could this be an ancient eyewitness account? If so, the destruction of Tall el-Hammam may be the second-oldest destruction of a human settlement by a cosmic impact event, after the village of Abu Hureyra in Syria about 12,800 years ago. Importantly, it may the first written record of such a catastrophic event.
The scary thing is, it almost certainly won’t be the last time a human city meets this fate.
Tunguska-sized airbursts, such as the one that occurred at Tall el-Hammam, can devastate entire cities and regions, and they pose a severe modern-day hazard.
As of September 2021, there are more than 26,000 known near-Earth asteroids and a hundred short-period near-Earth comets. One will inevitably crash into the Earth. Millions more remain undetected, and some may be headed toward the Earth now.
Unless orbiting or ground-based telescopes detect these rogue objects, the world may have no warning, just like the people of Tall el-Hammam.
This article was co-authored by research collaborators archaeologist Phil Silvia, geophysicist Allen West, geologist Ted Bunch, and space physicist Malcolm LeCompte. 
Christopher R. Moore, Archaeologist and Special Projects Director at the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program and South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
SpaceX stacks the full Starship launch system for the first time, standing nearly 400 feet tall – TechCrunch
SpaceX has achieved another major milestone in its Starship fully reusable launch system: It stacked the Starship spacecraft itself on top of a prototype of its Super Heavy booster, which itself is loaded up with a full complement of 29 Raptor rocket engines, and the Starship on top has six itself. The stacked spacecraft now represents the tallest assembled rocket ever developed in history.
This stacking, which happened at SpaceX’s development site in south Texas, is a significant development because it’s the first time the two elements of the full Starship system have been united as one. This is the configuration that will be used for launching the next Starship prototype on its test mission that will hopefully achieve orbit.
Taken together, the massive combined launch system reaches nearly 400 feet tall (around 390 feet, to be more precise), and combined with the orbital launch stand on which it rests, the whole thing is about 475 feet high, which is taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The stacking itself is impressive, but don’t expect it to last: The likely next step is for the two halves of the launch system to be separated again, with both undergoing more work, analysis and testing ahead of a reassembly in preparation for the actual eventual orbital launch test.
As for when the orbital launch test will actually take place, it’s not currently clear. The disassembly, testing and reassembly will take some time, but the company is definitely still aiming to make that happen before end of year.
Stream above from NASASpaceflight.
Updated: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed more details about what’s next for the Starship system after the two halves are separated. In a tweet, he said that next up for the system will be adding the final heat shield tiles on the Starship spacecraft – a task that is around 98% complete, he added in a tweet. The other items on the to-do list are adding thermal protection to booster engines, ground propellant storage tanks, and a QD arm for the ship.
Of course, that’s not all SpaceX needs to do to get Starship flight-ready: receiving a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration. That can’t happen until the regulator has completed an environmental assessment, a process that could take months.