A fire burns down a shopping complex housing 1,400 outlets in Poland’s capital

May 12, 2024, 9:25 p.m. ET

WARSAW, Poland — A major fire broke out Sunday morning in a vast shopping complex in the Polish capital that housed some 1,400 shops and service outlets and where many of the vendors were from Vietnam.

Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen rising over the vast area.

The fire department said that more than 80% of the Marywilska 44 shopping complex burned in the Bialoleka district of Warsaw, and that the roof caved in.

Police reported no injuries, but traders were in despair at the loss of their livelihoods.

The Gazeta Wyborcza daily reported that some Vietnamese vendors wanted to enter to save their goods from the complex, but were blocked by security guards.

The Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in Poland said the blaze meant “great financial losses for merchants,” calling it a “terrible tragedy for thousands of merchants and their families.”

Chemical and environmental rescue specialists were among the large numbers of rescue officials who took part in the operation.

Authorities sent a text message warning Warsaw residents about the fire, and telling them to stay home with the windows closed.

Mirbud, an industrial construction company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, owns the shopping center.

Warsaw police said it had begun investigating the blaze, which began at around 3:30 a.m. local time, but hadn’t yet determined the cause.

The Warsaw city administration planned on Monday to discuss financial support for the small traders whose livelihoods were destroyed.

Shopping centers and large shops are usually closed on Sunday because of a ban on trade imposed by the previous government, which had close ties to the catholic church.

However, small business owners are exempt from the ban, and many of the small shops at the center worked on Sundays.

https://nypost.com/2024/05/12/world-news/a-fire-burns-down-a-shopping-complex-housing-1400-outlets-in-polands-capital/

Low air quality alerts triggered in four northern US states over Canada wildfires

May 13, 2024 5:19pm

Four northern states have been placed under a low air quality alert as of Monday, as over 100 wildfires blaze in Canada, creating hazy conditions in the states.

Hundreds of wildfires in Canada last year caused some of the worst air quality in multiple cities across the United States, forcing millions of Americans to remain indoors. The fires impacted residents in New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and parts of the Midwest.

The fires this year have impacted residents in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana so far. Residents in Minnesota were placed in the red "unhealthy" zone on Sunday, because of a “band of very heavy smoke from wildfires in northeast British Columbia.” The alert expanded into Monday, but mostly affects the southern part of the state, per NBC News.

The other states had air quality ratings of either "moderate" or "unhealthy," which are marked by the red, orange, and yellow colors. The worst color on the air quality chart overall is maroon, which means the air quality is "hazardous."

Children, active adults, and people with respiratory diseases are instructed to avoid outdoor exertion if they are in the red zone. Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion, according to the American Lung Association. If people are under an orange alert, it means people with health conditions should limit outdoor activity, but if they are under a yellow alert then sensitive groups should consider limiting outdoor activities.

Cities in northern Montana remain in the yellow zone on Monday, but southern parts of the state are in the clear. Cities in North Dakota and South Dakota are primarily in the orange and yellow zones.

There are currently 146 wildfires spreading across Canada, and the Canadian government on Friday said that drought conditions “are expected to persist in high-risk regions in May.” This increases the “risk and intensity of both natural and human-caused wildfires.”

Dozens of fires in Alberta and British Columbia, which could affect Americans, are labeled "out of control" as of Monday.

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/low-air-quality-alerts-triggered-four-northern-us-states-over-canada-wildfires

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