Wildfires cause evacuations at the Rio Olympics

Something tells me this report on't go very far.

Couldn't be anything to do with climate change could it? Dry conditions from last year's el-Nino - anything but....

“We see drier than normal conditions in the Amazon region, which has also historically led to more fire activity....So one particular impact there, is, depending on what is happening on the ground, and the direction of the winds, the Olympics could be affected if the smoke is blown into Rio.”

Wildfires cause evacuation of Olympic venues near Rio

(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Washington Post,

16 August, 2016

Wildfires near Deodoro, a suburb of Rio and a site for several events at the Games, caused the precautionary evacuation Monday of Olympic venues for mountain biking, canoe slalom and BMX racing, according toreports. In addition, high winds blew ash onto the field at the stadium where women’s field hockey quarterfinals were being played, although it did not disrupt any games.

The winds were part of a disruptive weather pattern Monday, one in which pouring rain caused a delay in the evening’s track and field events. Two women were injured when a television camera fell on them at Rio’s Olympic park, which could have been caused by the winds.

 

Bob WeiersVerified account‏@bobweiers

Watching the forest fires in Deodoro #Rio2106 venue burning live on the feed at the IBC. Flames spread by high wind

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9:01 AM - 16 Aug 2016

A strong El Niño this year left much of the Amazon in unusually dry conditions, providing ripe conditions for wildfires, per a CNBC report. Brazilian officials warned that winds could cause smoke and fire to spread to other Olympic venues by Tuesday.

“We see drier than normal conditions in the Amazon region, which has also historically led to more fire activity,” Robert Field, a researcher with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told CNBC in July. “So one particular impact there, is, depending on what is happening on the ground, and the direction of the winds, the Olympics could be affected if the smoke is blown into Rio.”

However, the fire Monday near Deodoro may not have been so “wild,” according to a report by the websiteCanadian Cyclist (via Deadspin), which claimed, “A controlled garbage burn got out of control after high winds over 90 kmph came up.” The website also passed along this statement from the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), the sport’s governing body:

“The UCI is aware that there was a fire this afternoon in the vicinity of the Rio 2016 Mountain Bike course. It is understood the fire is now under control. Assessment of any potential impact on the Mountain Bike course will be made tomorrow.”

Fires were also spotted near Deodoro last week during the rugby sevens competition held there.

 

Patrick Yuen‏@PatrickYuen_36

Forest fire about half-km from #Deodoro Stadium where #rugby is now playing has been raging for past 3-hrs. #Rio2016