Winds can work against a fire that is trying to move up a slope. Then it went uphill. In addition to the damage that fires cause as they burn, they can also leave behind disastrous problems, the effects of which might not be felt for months after the fire burns out.
When fires destroy all the vegetation on a hill or mountain, it can also weaken the organic material in the soil and prevent water from penetrating the soil. One problem that results from this is extremely dangerous erosion that can lead to debris flows. An example of this occurred following a July wildfire that burned about 2, acres of forest and underbrush on the steep slopes of Storm King Mountain, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Two months after the fire, heavy rains caused debris flows that poured tons of mud, rock and other debris onto a 3-mile stretch of Interstate 70, according to United States Geological Survey.
These debris flows engulfed 30 cars and swept two into the Colorado River. While we often look at wildfires as being destructive, many wildfires are actually beneficial.
Some wildfires burn the underbrush of a forest, which can prevent a larger fire that might result if the brush were allowed to accumulate for a long time. Wildfires can also benefit plant growth by reducing disease spread, releasing nutrients from burned plants into the ground and encouraging new growth.
Every year, thousands of firefighters put their lives at risk to battle merciless blazes. The elite, ground-based firefighters fit into two categories:.
In addition to building firebreaks and dousing the fire with water and fire retardant, ground crews may also use backfires. Backfires are fires started by the ground crew that advance toward the burning wildfire. The goal of setting a backfire is to burn up any potential fuel in the path of the progressing wildfire.
While the Hotshots, Smokejumpers and other support crews fight the battle on the ground, they are given a lot of support from the air. Air tankers are often used to drop thousands of gallons of water and retardant onto fires.
The red stuff that you often see being dropped from planes and helicopters is a chemical retardant that contains phosphate fertilizer, which helps to slow and cool down the fire.
Helicopters are also used as a method of attacking the fire from above. Carrying buckets that can hold hundreds of gallons of water, these aircraft fly over the fire and drop water bombs.
Helicopters are also valuable for transporting firefighters to and from the fire. Wildfires are powerful forces of nature that can burn for as long as they have fuel, oxygen and heat. The job of the firefighters is to eliminate one, if not all three, sides of the fire triangle to prevent further damage. For additional information on wildfires and related topics, check out the links on the next page.
Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Forces of Nature. Glowing combustion is a later stage of the fire and is characterized by a slower rate of combustion and blue flame.
Forest fires can also be classified by what part of the forest they burn in: Ground fires occur on the ground, often below the leaves. Surface Fires occur on the surface of the forest up to 1. Crown fires are the most dangerous fires and can spread the fastest. They occur in the tops of the trees.
They can be: a dependent upon surface fires to burn the crowns, b active in which they occur at the same rate as surface fires, or c the most destructive, independent, where fire can "jump" from crown to crown. It is not uncommon for two or three types of fires to occur simultaneously. Firefighters may also employ controlled burning, creating backfires , to stop a wildfire.
This method involves fighting fire with fire. These prescribed—and controlled—fires remove undergrowth, brush, and litter from a forest, depriving an otherwise raging wildfire of fuel. Although they can be dangerous to humans, naturally occurring wildfires play an integral role in nature. By burning dead or decaying matter, they can return otherwise trapped nutrients to the soil. They also act as a disinfectant, removing disease-ridden plants and harmful insects from an ecosystem.
Wildfires thin forest canopies and undergrowth, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor and a new generation of seedlings to grow. In fact, some species of trees, like sequoias , rely on fire for their seeds to even open. Wildfires devastate anything in their path. While they are difficult to stop, there are many steps people can take before, during, and after wildfires to limit their damage. All rights reserved. Climate Wildfires. How wildfires start Though they are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as natural disasters , only 10 to 15 percent of wildfires occur on their own in nature.
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Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. As it gets even hotter those "fuels" can ignite and that's why wildfires tend to rage in the afternoon, when temperatures are at their highest. It's all about removing the fuel because you can't control the weather. Fire experts use wildfire prediction tools which look at the wind speeds, slopes, the fire's direction and fuel to work out how to put out the blaze.
Then you can win and suppress it really effectively. We tend to get them in England and Wales, as well as part of Northern Ireland and Scotland near urban and rural areas. According to a major report by the UN , the effects of climate change are even more severe than previously thought.
The report warned that increasingly severe weather patterns that can fuel wildfires, such as heatwaves and droughts, will become more common if action is not taken soon. In the UK, there is even a practice guide on preventing wildfires. This involves picking less flammable trees, planting them in places where they're less likely to set on fire and harvesting them regularly. Listen to Newsbeat live at and weekdays - or listen back here.
Then and now: The burning issue of wildfires. Are wildfires getting worse?
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