Over the last couple decades, wildfires have become a growing problem, especially for people living near wooded areas or remote mountain locations. Wildfires can start for a variety of reasons including people carelessly using fire, lightning strikes that go unnoticed, and, unfortunately, by people looking to create chaos.
The first signs of an approaching wildfire are often the smell of smoke, bizarre animal behavior, and the noise of the approaching blaze. If you live in an area that’s prone to wildfires, these are all things you need to be aware of and take notice of.
In and of themselves, wildfires are not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, they’re nature’s way of cleansing the system and can actually prevent future fires by burning underbrush and regenerating the forests. The problem comes from man’s encroachment into these wilderness areas, and our policy of stopping these fires that, in many cases, should be left alone.
After years of suppressing these fires, many wilderness areas have been left dangerously filled with undergrowth and debris that can cause abnormally powerful fires, which can quickly grow out of control. As these wilderness areas become more developed, the threat is only going to increase.
In the United States alone, wildfires have burned twice as many acres per year as they did forty years ago. As more people move into regions bordering wilderness areas, the threat of wildfires increases exponentially, and so does the threat to life. Once a fire starts in these areas, it is incredibly hard to control.
It’s estimated that approximately 90 percent of the wildfires in the United States are caused by man, including both deliberate and accidental fires. The remaining 10 percent are caused by natural phenomena such as lightning strikes and lava runoff.
While there are some things you can do on a personal level to prevent wildfires, such as always paying careful attention when using fire and observing and respecting no-burn orders, there’s not a whole lot you can do to prevent other people from doing stupid things. So the only way you can truly reduce your personal threat is to be prepared to react at a moment’s notice.
That being said, there are some things you can do to help:
If a wildfire is threatening your area, there’s really only one option—evacuation. While other types of natural disasters may allow you to hunker down, wildfires should never be taken lightly, and staying to protect your home is probably going to get you killed.
Again, a wildfire is nothing to play around with. Once the warnings are sounded, you need to evacuate. Immediately roll up your vehicle’s windows, grab a wet cloth to cover your mouth as you leave, and put your evacuation plan into place.
If you’re caught out in the wilderness without a clear path out:
When making your way to safety, keep in mind that the most dangerous place to be during a wildfire is uphill from the flames or downwind.