Explained: What, Why and Where of Wildfires.

By Ezetu Precious Hart

As I wrote this article, more than half a dozen wildfires had ravaged several different areas of Los-Angeles, California.

The wildfires which began late last year, were started on suspicion of arson. However, authorities and eyewitnesses report, that the flames were ignited by sparks from power lines in the area.

And as firefighters struggled to contain the fires around LA, strong dry winds were observed to persistently fan the flames, thus increasing the severity of the wildfires and their likelihood of spreading out of control.

And as images emerged on social media of the carnage wrecked by the wildfires in California, the global community expressed concerns about the frequency of such natural hazards in the face of climate change.

It is obvious that wildfires have become more frequent over the last two-three decades, as global temperatures maintain an upward trajectory.

Increasing global temperatures result in more wildfires that release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, thus reinforcing global warning.

However, there remains unanswered questions and some uncertainty as to the causes of wildfires. Even though most fingers point to climate change, it is important to understand that there are several environmental and anthropogenic factors that may result in wildfires.

In this article, I explain what wildfires are, while highlighting their randomness and the consequences of their occurrence in places where they have become more frequent in recent years.

What are wildfires?

Wildfires are natural disasters that result from the uncontrollable burning of large areas of grassland, shrubland or forest vegetation, usually spreading into human settlements and resulting in the destruction of natural and municipal assets.

Such uncontrollable fires are triggered usually by people starting small fires, or by people carelessly using and discarding flammables, like cigarettes, matchsticks and firecrackers.?

This article on Wikipedia outlines different types of wildfires, but it is important to note that some wildfires can also be triggered and exacerbated by natural factors.

The availability of plenty of dry vegetation, and strong dry winds is the perfect combination for spreading wildfires. And when fires spread into human settlements, their destructive capabilities become even more devastating.

As sparks and ember from burning vegetation are easily carried by wind. Proximity of human settlements to burning natural landscapes in most cases result in the loss of lives and properties, by wildfires.

The negative consequences of wildfires are numerous, often directly affecting human health, ecosystem stability, and also derailing community development efforts.

Wildfires burning around and away from human settlements have the potential of releasing harmful air pollutants like smoke, ash and other noxious gases that can trigger health issues like asthma and bronchitis for people.

When fires spread from burning landscapes into nearby communities, they can destroy homes and other infrastructure, worth huge amounts of money, thereby setting back socioeconomic development for authorities in such areas.

Also, the immediate effect of wildfires are severely felt by organisms that inhabit burning landscapes. Wildfires displace and kill animals in their natural habitat, also destroying their sources of food, thereby unbalancing the intricate relationships that produce healthy and thriving ecosystems.

The impact of wildfires however, can be beneficial to some species, helping them propagate seeds, providing space for plants to sprout and re-establish themselves by? making use of nutrients from burnt organic matter.

Notwithstanding, the destruction of vital ecosystems, and endangered species within them by wildfires, remain an active contributor to the ongoing global crisis of biodiversity loss.

How Wildfires are ignited?

Despite the majority of wildfires being thought to be started by people, wild blazes are rarely ever started on purpose. Except in cases of arson, wildfires are typically lit up by people accidentally.

According to National Geographic, 95% of all fires are started by people. However, for wildfires to burn out of control, there has to be availability of combustible materials, otherwise fires would naturally burn out.

With natural factors such as weather, wind and topography playing vital roles in the starting and spread of wildfires. Areas with plenty of dried out grasses, shrubs and trees are seen as potential wildfire hotspots.?

Dry leaves, twigs, clippings, as well as hay and other animal fodder burn very well, and can easily escalate into uncontrollable blazes in the right environment, once lit up.

Matchsticks, cigarettes and lighters are regarded as typical triggers of accidental wildfires, and need to be handled cautiously in open areas with lots of dry vegetation.?

Wildfires can start off effortlessly from dry leaf litter and engulf large expanses of forests in a matter of minutes.

Natural sources of heat like lightning have also been observed to trigger wildfires. So also, lava from volcanic activity, when eruption ejects hot ash and cinder onto areas with combustible materials, wildfires can begin.

Failed or faulty equipment also have the potential to trigger infernos. When power lines surge and spark, the sparks can easily start a fire in the right environment.

These different factors that may potentially result in a wildfire make fire hazards a bit unpredictable for authorities. Hence reducing the effectiveness of firefighting systems in checking and putting out wild blazes even in the most advanced societies.

The increased occurrence of wildfires globally now brings to bear the need for better conservation efforts and greater public awareness, especially in rural communities where wildfires affect the most.

Where do wildfires burn the most?

The world is experiencing more frequent and more intense fire seasons across different regions, and this is largely attributed to increasing global temperature and changing weather patterns in most places.

As human induced climate change worsens, data from World Resource Institute (WRI) confirms that temperate and subtropical areas are heating up twice as fast as tropical regions, creating dry conditions that easily produce Wildfires.

Although the occurrence of wildfires are random in time and space, available data shows that some parts of the world are more prone to experiencing wild blazes than others, and for various reasons.

Boreal forests that span temperate climate zones including areas around south-west Canada, Siberia and north-east China, have experienced increased frequency in wildfires since 2015.

These areas are typically characterized by abundant woodlands and deciduous forest zones. Such landscapes have seen summer temperature values increase significantly in the last two decades.

Temperatures exceeding 30°C and accompanied by strong dry winds are increasingly priming these regions to become more susceptible to wildfires.

In tropical and sub-tropical climate zones, average temperature values have also changed significantly in the last couple decades.

Now areas with historically warm summer temperatures are beginning to experience extreme heat waves that directly impact vegetation, drying out large expanses of grasslands.

Annual rainfall in some of these regions is typically between 12-16 inches. And in areas around southern Africa, South and Central America, as well as in Australia, wildfires have become constant during summer seasons.

With controlled fires becoming necessary ways by which local authorities check the occurrence and reduce the likelihood of wildfires.

As part of efforts to prevent wildfires, the European Space Agency (ESA), through satellite monitoring applications, has launched the World Fire Atlas. A platform by which global wildfires can be tracked and analyzed.

This interactive fire monitoring platform has revealed extensive fires across Southern Europe, with recurrent fires recorded in countries including Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy over the last seven years.

The frequency of wildfire occurrences around the world has increased the need for fire monitoring and firefighting capabilities. With local authorities usually struggling to control wildfires in most cases.

And because available data suggests that wildfires will continue to burn as global temperatures rise, governments and local authorities will need to tailor solutions and adaptations to suit diverse national and sub-national realities.

Now more than ever, the need for monitoring has to be incorporated into firefighting systems, so as to reduce the occurrence of human induced and naturally occurring wildfires.