What is a Wildfire?

WILDFIRE:

A Wildfire is also referred to as forest fires, bush fires or grass fires, a wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that is wiping out large fields and areas of land. It is typically a fire that started from a lightning strike, or was caused by people carelessly or accidentally starting it. These fires, that sometimes burn for days and weeks, has the ability to wipe out the entire forest. It can cause tremendous deforestation and increase the release of carbon dioxide into the air, creating a negative ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen imbalance. It can also damage the habitat of the environment - which depends on the soil type and the fire’s intensity. When there is a wildfire, heat from the flames forces the air to rise quickly making the water inside the plants and trees evaporate. A wildfire has the potential to make pyrocumulus clouds. They look like mushroom clouds and can be seen for kilometers together.

wildfire

Natural causes:

lightening is the most common cause of wildfire. There are three conditions for a forest fire to spread - fuel, oxygen, and a heat source. In the forest, anything that is flammable is a fuel. This includes tall, dry grass, bushes and trees. Warm temperatures encourage combustion.

Man-made disaster:

Human neglect such as downed power lines, sparks from tools or forest machinery, abandoned campfires or carelessly thrown cigarettes can trigger fires. Clearing forests for human settlements and cultivation and use of fires to scare away wild animals are some of the ways in which humans wreak havoc on the forest.

Where do they occur?

These violent infernos occur around the world, but are most common in the US West, dry places such as the vegetated areas of Australia, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Western Cape of South Africa, the forested areas of the United States and Canada, and the Mediterranean Basin. During summer, when there is no rain for months, where heat and frequent drought, the forests become littered with dry leaves and twigs, which could burst into flames ignited by the slightest spark, creates a perfect wildfire conditions. California experiences some of the worst blazes in the US. In California, wildfires are often made worse by the hot, dry Santa Ana winds.  

What’s the status of animals and wildlife?

Wild animals typically take care of themselves during a wildfire. But some of the animals couldn’t escape from the fire and they die. Some animals burrow into the ground, while others flee to more urban areas that are less affected by fires.

How to control them?

While traditional methods include water dousing and spraying fire retardants to extinguish existing fires, firefighters also fight wildfires by deliberately starting fires in a process called controlled burning. These prescribed fires remove undergrowth, bush, and ground litter from a forest, depriving a wildfire of fuel.