Interesting Facts About Wildfires

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Interesting Facts About Wildfires

Wildfires have an important role in the development of an ecosystem, but they can also be highly dangerous. Wildfires are uncontrolled and can occur anywhere. They may often be in unpopulated areas, but once they begin to approach a home, it becomes essential to manage the fire so losses can be minimized. Although they can start by natural causes, 9 out of 10 wildfires are started by humans.

1. The Animals Know

Animals can sense when a wildfire could happen. They can also sense when a fire may switch directions. 99% of animals that are living in a habitat that is consumed by a fire will escape from that fire. The flames of a fire aren’t the greatest threat. It is the smoke from the fire that the animals inhale that will kill them more often than the actual fire.

2. A Warming Trend

As the climate continues to change, the threat of wildfires will continue to increase. Whenever there is a large biomass within a biome, there is a high threat of a wildfire occurring. Because the northern latitudes have seen large amounts of precipitation in the past, it is expected that the number of wildfires that occur will increase and proceed further north.

3. Life In the Fire

Melanophils. These beetles love wildfires. They love them so much, in fact, that this is where they tend to lay their eggs. They have evolved a heat-sensing ability that will let them sense a wildfire from far away so they can travel to it and mate with other beetles. The eggs are attached to the burned trees and because there is virtually no life present, the eggs aren’t threatened.

4. A Mighty Force

The biggest danger of a wildfire is the dreaded fire tornado. They can form at any time and produce wind speeds that may exceed 90 mph. The movement of a fire tornado is highly unpredictable and they can travel in the opposite direction of the wind, traveling up to 1,000 feet on the ground. Forget sharks in a tornado. Firefighters facing a fire tornado are in extreme danger.

Wildfires may help to bring new life to the world, but they can also be highly destructive. Because humans create a vast majority of wildfires, it is up to each of us to manage the environment responsibly to make sure each biome exists for future generations to enjoy.