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As Australia is learning, wildfires are extremely dangerous. We had one here in the Smokies a couple of years ago that killed a bunch of people. Driving through not long after, you can hardly see the damage to the forest; but you can see the houses that burned. It moved so fast the trees were barely burnt.
First, know when the danger is high. If there’s been drought, that heightens the risk. High winds help push it. Watch the special on the Paradise fires in CA and you’ll get an idea how fast it moves.
All fires start small. All fires go out. What matters is what happens in between.
The wind throws embers one mile or more ahead of the flames. These embers start new fires. A fast wild fire has an intense wall of heat in front of it. Even if the flames haven’t arrived, it will combust the most flammable material.
As the main fire approaches your house, strong winds blow embers everywhere possible — under decks, against wood fences, into woodpiles, and through open doors and windows.
In some places the air is so smoky that you can’t see more than 10 feet.
Close to where the fire is burning most intensely, the air is far too hot to breathe.
The rising smoke and ash create winds on the ground which cause the fires to burn even more intensely.
Fires like this occur every year. Wild fires don’t just happen in the summer; in many areas fires can happen year round. When…
