While the world is reeling under COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires in many countries have become a matter of great concern. When a wildfire takes place we often tend to think as to what caused them in the first place. These are uncontrolled fires that begin in forest areas and an ignition source can provide enough heat to create a spark. It is estimated that around 85 percent of wildfires over the past two decades were started by people. Some are caused by human intervention intentionally while others are accidental. The devastating wildfire in California has ravaged the entire natural habitat.

The Dixie Fire in California is the 11th largest wildfire which exploded to become the sixth largest thereafter. The wildfire has destroyed at least 91 structures through multiple counties in Northern California.  Not only this, but also Turkey’s thermal power plant engulfed by wildfire prompting authorities to evacuate people in nearby towns. Here we bring you a detailed study on what caused wildfire, how they spread and the countries highly affected by massive wildfire across globe.

Understanding the cause of wildfire

When we read of wildfires, the first question that pops up is what causes this massive burn that disrupts entire nature and various places nearby. Wildfire is termed as an unplanned fire that burns forests, grasslands and is often caused because of human activity or a natural phenomenon. Now, this natural phenomenon can be lightning any time and anywhere. California Forest Fire: Dixie Fire in Northern California Grows to Become Largest Wildfire in 2021

Knowing and understanding the cause of wildfire becomes essential for the firefighting process that often involves law enforcement. With climate change, the risk of various other natural calamities takes a toll and wildfire has been one of the growing crises. This can disrupt transportation, communication, power and gas services and also the water supply. It can also lead to degrading of air quality teamed up with the loss of property, resources, animals and people.

How does wildfire start?

Fuel is an essential property to ignite a fire and some plants, trees and shrubs contain oils and resin that burn more quickly and intensely. Not only this, the content of moisture also matters. When the moisture is less than 30 percent, the fuel is considered as dead and these dead fuels are suspected to burn in warmer conditions. Another important reason for the fire to spark is the wind. Strong winds can also blow embers and spark miles causing an initial fire. California Dixie Wildfire: Over 480,000 Acres Scorched in Blaze, More Than 10,000 People Across Eight Counties Evacuated; Here's What We Know So Far

Fire tends to move quickly in uphill areas and topography can promote such fire behaviour. This is partly because the heat that originates from the fire rises up the slope and preheats vegetation farther up ahead of the fire, which allows it to burn more readily once the fire reaches the spot.

Countries reeling under wildfires

The world was taken aback when ‘The Lungs of the World’ Amazon rainforest caught fire leading to major disruption. In 2020, Brazil reported almost 223,000 wildfire outbreaks. This is the largest in South America. Moving ahead, Argentina became the second largest with over 74,000 wildfire cases. French Guiana detected around 210 wildfire being the lowest among South America.  Wildfire Engulfs Power Plant in Turkey, Prompts Urgent Evacuation

Countries like Canada, US, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Chile have experience unusual wildfires claiming hundreds of lives in the recent past.  The Dixie Fire in the United States became the largest wildfire in the history of California destroying more than 1811 square km of land as of August 8. Countries around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Turkey and Italy have also forced their residents to evacuate because of wildfire. Russia’s Serbia also witnessed wildfire breaking an annual record for fire-related emissions. Southern California Wildfire in US: Around 8,000 Residents Evacuated Over 'Apple Fire' in Riverside County

In 2020 and 2021, the world saw an unexpected wildfire eruption behind the polar circle which makes the year a record-breaking wildfire emission. The wildfire eruption is largely caused due to human intervention and also the increasing complexities of climate change.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 12, 2021 03:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).