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 What is a Wildfire?
Wildland fire is a natural occurrence in many ecosystems, like floods in stream systems. In fact, fire plays a very important role in maintaining the health of some ecosystems, such as prairies and oak savannas. However, when fire threatens human life or property, it is considered a natural hazard.
What are their main impacts in our lives?
- Loss of human lives
- Destruction of fauna and flora
- Vast amounts of ash are sent into the atmosphere and may inhibit plant growth, reduce visibility, and interfere with people and animal's breathing.
- The destruction of vegetation, which leaves hillsides vulnerable to heavy rains long after the fire has burned out, sets the stage for landslides.
- Destruction of habitats
- Costs of fire fighting
Wildland fires, which are large fires, often covering many squares of kilometres, may burn for many days. Wildland fires can generate hurricane-force winds and quickly climb up steep terrain, such as mountain slopes. In fact, the steeper the slope is, the faster a fire is likely to burn.
How do Wildfires occur?
The most common for a Wildfire is to affect forests; therefore wildfires are also called forest fires. In highly urbanised areas with high population density, so-called natural fires, they are caused by thunders or volcanic eruptions, but are likely rare.
Lightings and human activities, such as cigarette smoking and campfires, are the most frequent reasons for the ignition of fires.
The spread of fires is influenced by many natural factors such as:
- Drought.
- Wind speed.
- Topography.
How does science cope with Wildfires?
Fire fighting is a complicated business in general, and so it is its prediction too. Wildfires are more random events than e.g. floods, because the existence of a cause does not necessarily imply a fire.
Selected RTD Projects to be presented in SHIELD's Exhibitions
 Click here for Wildfires related RTD Projects
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