Huge Fire South of L.A.

INTERNATIONAL: About 200 L.A. County firefighters battled a roaring blaze at a commercial warehouse in the Southern California city of Carson on Thursday, where the flames were being fed by stocks of wooden pallets and shipping containers that may have contained rubbing alcohol.

The fire happened about 24 kilometers south of downtown Los Angeles and it appeared as if the flames were moving across multiple commercial warehouse buildings. The aerial footage from the scene shows numerous shipping containers burning on the property and some of the building structures were badly damaged. So much fire retardant foam was used to smother the blaze that firefighters appeared to be walking in ankle-deep 'snow' and had to search beneath the foam to locate hoses. The blaze had been brought under control by Thursday evening. Three firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, with two treated at the scene and one taken to a hospital. The fire is believed to have started in boxes of rubbing alcohol.

Hawaii’s Most Active Volcano Erupts Again

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano that recently erupted for five months has started spewing lava again, nearly a year on from last December. Its filling the crater at its summit with hot red lava and clouding the skies with volcanic smog. The latest eruption of Hawaii's youngest and most active volcano began on Wednesday afternoon. The Hawaii Volcanic Observatory says that there is no indication that lava is moving into the lower part of the east rift zone where people live, but residents who live downwind of Kīlauea were warned of possible exposure to sulfur dioxide and other volcanic gases that can irritate the respiratory system.The eruption was taking place within the confines of the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, which remained open to visitors who wished to observe the lava's glow and the plume of smoke from a safe distance. The volcano's alert level has been raised to "warning" and the aviation code changed to red. Kīlauea's last eruption took place in December 2020, when a water-filled lake that had formed at the crater evaporated, replaced by a lava lake. Officials confirm an increase in earthquake activity and ground swelling had been detected. Kilauea had a major eruption in 2018 that destroyed more than 700 homes and displaced thousands of residents. Before that, Kilauea last erupted in 1983.

Another Weapons Test by North Korea

And, North Korea has fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile, the latest in its recent series of weapons tests amid deadlocked de-nuclearisation talks with the United States. The Academy of Defence Science has verified the new type of anti-aircraft missile has what it called a “remarkable performance” with features of rapid responsiveness and guidance accuracy of its missile control system, as well as the substantial increase in the distance of downing air targets with the introduction of new key technologies like twin-rudder control technology and a double-impulse flight engine. The test aimed at confirming the practical functionality of the missile’s launcher, radar, comprehensive battle command vehicle and combat performance. It’s the country’s second known weapons test this week after launching a previously unseen hypersonic missile on Tuesday. It has also fired ballistic missiles, and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities, in recent weeks. The tests highlighted how North Korea has been steadily developing increasingly sophisticated weapons, raising the stakes for efforts to press it to give up its nuclear and missile programs in return for U.S. sanctions relief.