Wildfire

A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled <a href="/facts/Fire/M6XwR3am">fire</a> in an area of <a href="/facts/Combustibility_and_flammability/1QexTQ4T">combustible</a> <a href="/facts/Vegetation/nAHr9kjk">vegetation</a>. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire (<a href="/facts/Bushfires_in_Australia/XQGfcI1j">in Australia</a>), desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, <a href="/facts/Peat/F0kJcsLt">peat fire</a>, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or <a href="/facts/Veld/Tvddfml0">veld</a> fire. Some natural forest ecosystems <a href="/facts/Fire_ecology/zABpjqff">depend on wildfire</a>. Modern <a href="/facts/Forest_management/llmQfj9c">forest management</a> often engages in prescribed burns to mitigate fire risk and promote natural forest cycles. However, controlled burns can turn into wildfires by mistake.
Wildfires can be classified by cause of ignition, physical properties, combustible material present, and the effect of weather on the fire. Wildfire severity results from a combination of factors such as available fuels, physical setting, and weather. Climatic cycles with wet periods that create substantial fuels, followed by <a href="/facts/Drought/LVW0rfuV">drought</a> and heat, often precede severe wildfires. These cycles have been intensified by <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">climate change</a>,: 247  and can be exacerbated by curtailment of mitigation measures (such as budget or equipment funding), or sheer enormity of the event.
Wildfires are a common type of <a href="/facts/Natural_disaster/cCSK2uH0">disaster</a> in some regions, including <a href="/facts/Siberia/oaCoPEjF">Siberia</a> (Russia), <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a>, <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>, <a href="/facts/Oregon/4Uq446Ko">Oregon</a>, <a href="/facts/Texas/B987WHF0">Texas</a>, <a href="/facts/Florida/cF245A3Q">Florida</a>, (United States), <a href="/facts/British_Columbia/Ty3e3g1Q">British Columbia</a> (Canada), and <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a>. Areas with <a href="/facts/Mediterranean_climate/gGsJAKE5">Mediterranean climates</a> or in the <a href="/facts/Taiga/xjkPQRJs">taiga</a> biome are particularly susceptible. Wildfires can severely impact humans and their settlements. Effects include for example the direct health impacts of smoke and fire, as well as destruction of property (especially in <a href="/facts/Wildland%25E2%2580%2593urban_interface/34QfpXeU">wildland–urban interfaces</a>), and economic losses. There is also the potential for contamination of water and soil.
At a global level, human practices have made the impacts of wildfire worse, with a doubling in land area burned by wildfires compared to natural levels.: 247  Humans have impacted wildfire through <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">climate change</a> (e.g. more intense <a href="/facts/Heat_wave/33bJ5jh9">heat waves</a> and <a href="/facts/Drought/LVW0rfuV">droughts</a>), <a href="/facts/Land-use_change/W6dVvXjT">land-use change</a>, and <a href="/facts/Wildfire_suppression/nKJHnMF2">wildfire suppression</a>.: 247  The carbon released from wildfires can add to <a href="/facts/Carbon_dioxide_in_Earth%2527s_atmosphere/h6A4HSzy">carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere</a> and thus contribute to the <a href="/facts/Greenhouse_effect/LGdNYYj3">greenhouse effect</a>. This creates a <a href="/facts/Climate_change_feedbacks/N4nHNlPo">climate change feedback</a>.: 20 
Naturally occurring wildfires can have beneficial effects on those <a href="/facts/Ecosystem/kVE8mSmR">ecosystems</a> that have evolved with fire. In fact, many plant species depend on the effects of fire for growth and reproduction.

Wildfire open-in-new

Wildfire