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Japanese Tourists Die At Shooting Range (But Not How You Think)
You might think a shooting range could be a slightly dangerous place to visit on vacation because there's that small chance you could get shot. Unfortunately, eight Japanese tourists were killed at a Busan indoor shooting range in South Korea on the weekend, but ironically, because a fire burned the place down.
So far there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire, although they seem to think it started in a sofa near the entrance (cigarette butt, anyone?). The Japanese group was on a two-day trip to Busan, which is one of the closest parts of South Korea to Japan.
Tags: Entourage-Travel-Map / Entourage / Fires / Station Fire / Los Angeles Travel / → All Tags
Not Even The 'Entourage' House Can Escape a Fire
While every episode may end with bottle service at hot Hollywood clubs and toasts to the good fortune of the boys of Entourage, in real life, things aren't quite as awesome. The house used for the first two seasons of the HBO show, was spotted with its roof on fire over the weekend.
Perez Hilton reports that a fire broke out atop the Charles Toberman Estate in the Runyon Canyon area. But while much of Los Angeles north of Pasadena is suffering from serious wildfires, this fire appears to have started in the kitchen.
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Flight 1549 Golf Trip Thwarted Again, This Time By Myrtle Beach Fires
We knew Myrtle Beach would be hot this season but we never anticipated this. A dangerous coastal wildfire ripped through North Myrtle Beach early Thursday, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to evacuate from this beach community.
The blaze jumped the busy six-lane Coastal Bays Parkway on Wednesday, stopping not far from the Intracoastal Waterway. Firefighters were expecting the waterway to act as a natural firebreak, protecting the larger city of Myrtle Beach.
A gray-white smoke had engulfed restaurant row between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach on Wednesday evening. It looked like a winter fog, with car headlights and neon signs peeking through the haze.
Fortunately no one has been injured yet although the fires are predicted to get worse as the day goes on.
Also in danger are the area's numerous golf courses which are a heavy draw for tourists. And in a freaky "Final Destination" sort of twist, a group of six golfing buddies who were aboard the US Airways Flight 1549 plane when it crash-landed into the Hudson River in January were headed to Myrtle Beach this week for their annual trip.
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Victorian Fires Still Burning; Help Floods In
The deadly bushfires in the state of Victoria, Australia, have now been blazing since the weekend--and unfortunately, not all of them are under control yet. There have even been nervous times when the city of Melbourne looked like it could be under threat; this seems safer at the moment, but hot weather is forecast again in the next week.
In rural Victoria, life is definitely not normal right now, and many towns will be without basics like electricity for weeks. Traveling in the area at the moment is definitely not on, apart from many experts and volunteers from other parts of Australia and abroad who are flocking in to help with further firefighting, providing for those who've lost their homes and the grim task of identifying some of the probably 200 plus victims.
Within Australia there are numerous ways to help: if you're in Melbourne or nearby, they're still looking for blood donations to help burns victims, for example. And Coles Supermarkets are donating all of Friday's profits, so stop by for all your groceries there. From outside Australia, donations can be made via the Salvation Army--just direct your donation to the Victorian Bushfires Appeal.
Just for the record, this photo of the now famous Sam the Koala actually made us shed a tear. We realize it was actually taken during preventative burning last week before the fires hit, but it shows just how badly local wildlife is being affected by these fires. It's a horrific event on all accounts and one that there will be plenty of reminders of for any travelers passing through Victoria in the coming years.
Related Stories:
· Bushfires Coverage [The Age]
· Koala Man Footage Not What It Seems [The Age]
· Deadly Fires Rage in Australia's Victoria Region [Jaunted]
Tags: Fires / Australia Travel / → All Tags
Deadly Fires Rage in Australia's Victoria Region
Escaping the northern hemisphere winter for a summer Down Under might sound tempting, but spare a thought or ten for the south-east corner of Australia where bushfires have taken over a hundred lives so far. Many experts are saying the final death toll could be over two hundred.
The deadly fires are in the state of Victoria, most of them not that far away from the capital, Melbourne. There's plenty of outrage from the public that some of the fires were probably deliberately lit by arsonists. On top of that, the heat wave of temperatures over 40 degrees C (104 F) has made conditions nearly impossible for firefighters.
There is no word of travelers being amongst the victims as yet, although travel blogger Nora from the Professional Hobo site is reporting that she's had to evacuate her accommodation. Assistance in many forms is coming in from all parts of Australia and New Zealand and state and federal governments have already announced financial aid for those affected.
Related Stories:
· Fears Bushfire Toll May Double [Jaunted]
· Victoria's Bush Fires [The Professional Hobo]
· Victoria Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: The Professional Hobo]
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Big Sur Fire Forces Evacuation of Scenic Coastal Area
It's not going to be a very happy Fourth of July weekend for anyone in the Big Sur area or anyone headed there. A slow-growing fire has been waging war on the scenic coastal region for nearly 12 days. On Tuesday, things got much worse, prompting a major evacuation.
Tags: Universal Studios / Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Fires / → All Tags
New York's Gone, Universal Studios Moves on
Universal Studios is still recovering from the massive fire that broke out on Sunday, and we noticed that a bunch of FAQs about the fire were posted today on the park's website.
Not much has changed since we last reported on the fire on Monday. The King Kong attraction and New York streets are gone. But the theme park is operating normally, and there aren't any ticket discounts. A press release from the park boldly tell us that "The show must go on."
We were just at Universal on May 21 and snapped this shot of the backlot as we headed down to take the studio tour. You can see the New York set from here. Universal says it will be rebuilt--along with a new attraction to replace King Kong.
Related Stories:
· Universal Studios Catches Fire, Loses Important Movie Stuff [Jaunted]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]
