If you’re even remotely interested in climate change, environmental and natural issues, or simply worldwide news, there’s no way you’ve missed the many reports of wildfires. And not just recently – it’s been going on for years.
Unfortunately, what’s happening in California, as tragic and heartbreaking, is nothing new. The scale, velocity and ferocity are. The traditional fire season, once clearly defined, has evolved due to climate change, making wildfires more frequent and intense.
But how do they start? How is it possible it takes so long to contain them? Are we responsible or are they natural? Why is the Californian one so bad?
What is a Wildfire?
First of all, a wildfire is what we call an uncontrolled and very rapid spread of fire across various types of vegetation – like forests, bush areas or grasslands. There are two main causes – they’re either natural or human-induced. If take a look at the US, about 84% of them are caused by our activity, not Mother Nature. The data is damning. How do wildfires start? Unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, debris burning, and intentional actions.
The worst part is that judging by the data, they could be easily avoidable. Of course, natural causes are completely different.
You’ve definitely heard the phrase “spread like wildfire”, and that’s precisely where the problem is. They spread at a mind-numbing pace, and once they start, stopping them is incredibly hard. That’s why once prevention fails, random actions are not going to cut it. The initial response is mostly about damage control, possible containment, biggest risk assessment, and choosing a course of action.
Why Do They Spread So Quickly?
Wildfires can spread incredibly fast, often out of control, and there are a few reasons for this. Here’s why:
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Dry Vegetation: When plants, trees, and grasses become dry due to high heat, low humidity, and prolonged dry weather, they catch fire more easily and burn quickly.
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Wind: Strong winds are one of the biggest factors in wildfire spread. Winds can carry embers long distances, causing the fire to jump across roads, rivers, and even firebreaks, making it nearly impossible to contain.
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Hot Temperatures: Extreme heat dries out the landscape, making it more vulnerable to ignition. This creates the perfect environment for fires to spread rapidly.
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Terrain: Wildfires spread faster on steep, hilly terrain, as fire naturally moves uphill, and there’s less time to control it.
In California, these factors combine to create a deadly situation. During the 2020 wildfire season, the state experienced some of its worst fires in history, fueled by high winds – such as the so-called Santa Ana winds – and a long drought. Record-breaking heatwaves and strong winds made it even worse, allowing the fires to grow exponentially.
In fact, millions of acres burned, thousands of homes were destroyed, and entire communities had to evacuate, highlighting just how dangerous and uncontrollable wildfires can become when conditions align.
It seems that tragic history repeats itself.
Types of Wildfires
We did mention they can either start naturally or they’re caused by human activity. Each has one thing in common – once it starts, it’s really hard to stop it. We may not be able to control fire, but what we can control is our actions. And that’s the main difference between the two. Nature does what it wants. But we can make better choices.
Human Activity
We also said that evidence suggests that in most cases they could avoided – and looking at the most common causes, it does seem so. This means that small things can really prevent huge tragedies, not just to property but ecosystems. But more on that later. It’s not just an overview – this knowledge can literally save lives.
1. Campfires & Outdoor Cooking
A poorly managed campfire can quickly turn into a wildfire. If we don’t fully extinguish a fire before leaving a campsite, leftover embers can reignite and spread to nearby vegetation.
2. Cigarette Butts
Carelessly discarded cigarettes are a leading cause of wildfires. If a lit cigarette lands on dry grass or leaves, it can ignite a fire in seconds.
3. Machinery & Sparks
Equipment like chainsaws, power lines, or even cars can produce sparks that ignite dry vegetation. Firefighters often warn against using such equipment in high-risk fire areas. It is also important to avoid burning or performing activities that create sparks (like lighting off fireworks) when fire danger is high or when there is an open fire restriction.
4. Arson
Some wildfires are set intentionally. Whether due to criminal activity or carelessness, arson can lead to catastrophic wildfires, endangering lives and destroying communities.
5. Deforestation & Land Clearing
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a major cause of wildfires in places like the Amazon Rainforest. Farmers burn trees to clear land, but these fires often spiral out of control, spreading into nearby forests.
Natural Causes
Much less common but they do happen. They come down to 3 most probable and frequent scenarios:
· Lightning strikes
· Volcanic eruptions
· Spontaneous combustions
Let’s take a closer look at each one of them. At first glance, there’s nothing we can do about them but in reality, there are quite a few strategies that can mitigate the risks if not prevent those disasters from happening altogether.
1. Lightning Strikes
Lightning is responsible for many wildfires, especially in dry, forested areas. When lightning strikes a tree or dry vegetation, it can generate enough heat to ignite a fire. If conditions are right – hot temperatures, dry air, and strong winds – the fire can spread quickly. There’s one more caveat here though. There are two types of lightning – cold and hot. The first kind is very short and abrupt, which is why it’s very rarely the cause of ignition. The latter, on the other, hand, is much more dangerous; not in terms of voltage but duration.
2. Volcanic Eruptions
Lava flows and hot volcanic debris can set vegetation on fire, leading to wildfires. While volcanic wildfires are less common, they have been responsible for massive fires in places like Hawaii and Indonesia.
3. Spontaneous Combustion
Under extreme heat and dry conditions, organic materials like dead leaves, compost, or peat can heat up and ignite on their own. This is rare but possible, especially in drought-stricken areas.
We cannot predict the unpredictable. Volcanic eruptions are often a surprise even though we use advanced equipment to measure their activity, let alone lightning strikes. However, proper land management and landscape fire management planning can help in mitigating risks related to those strikes when they happen. We may not stop the wildfire from starting but control its extent much more efficiently.
Wildfires, Wildfire Smoke & Climate Change
The evidence is quite clear – climate change is making wildfires worse. Warmer temperatures, prolonged droughts, and changing weather patterns create the perfect conditions for fires to ignite and spread.
✔ Higher Temperatures – Warmer weather dries out vegetation, making it more flammable.
✔ Longer Dry Seasons – Many regions now experience extended droughts, leaving forests and grasslands extremely dry.
✔ More Frequent Lightning Strikes – Studies show that rising temperatures may lead to an increase in lightning activity, triggering more wildfires.
✔ Stronger Winds – Hotter and drier conditions often bring stronger winds, which can push fires across large areas rapidly.
Mitigation & Prevention Strategies
Fighting wildfires is a losing battle that can take many lives, properties, and resources. It’s almost never easy and always very dangerous. That’s why prevention is a much more effective tool. So, what are the most common strategies?
Sustainable Land Management
· Controlled burns (small, planned fires) – reduce dry vegetation that could fuel wildfires.
· Creating firebreaks – gaps in vegetation that slow down a fire’s spread.
· Proper forest management – like clearing dead trees and brush.
Fire-Safe Practices
· Campfire Safety – Always extinguish fires completely with water before leaving a site.
· Proper Waste Disposal – Never discard cigarettes, glass bottles, or flammable materials in dry areas.
· Equipment Safety – Avoid using machines that create sparks in dry conditions.
Climate Action
There are many different strategies but there are two main goals when it comes to wildfires:
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Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can slow climate change and decrease the extreme weather conditions that fuel wildfires.
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Protecting forests through conservation and reforestation helps maintain healthy ecosystems that are less prone to devastating fires.
These are obviously strategies that governments should aim to devise, implement and get behind, but there are simple ways for us to help do our part – not in terms of stopping wildfires per se but climate change in general. Everyday choices, like water conservation, reducing plastic use and food waste, or opting for responsibly manufactured eco towels, sustainable alternatives, like organic cotton clothes or a diatomite bath mat.
The Most Destructive Wildfires in History
Some wildfires have caused unimaginable destruction. Here are a few of the worst:
· Black Saturday bushfires (Australia, 2009) – Killed 173 people and destroyed over 2,000 homes.
· Camp Fire (USA, 2018) – Destroyed the town of Paradise, California, killing 84 (or 85) people.
· Amazon Rainforest Fires (Brazil, 2019-2020) – Massive wildfires worsened by deforestation, burning millions of acres.
· Siberian Wildfires (Russia, 2021) – Burned over 46 million acres, contributing to global CO₂ emissions.
Additionally, the extensive reach of wildfire smoke can travel thousands of miles, severely impacting air quality and public health. Air pollution from wildfire smoke introduces toxic pollutants into the atmosphere, exacerbating respiratory and cardiovascular issues, especially for vulnerable populations.
These disasters highlight how desperately we need better fire prevention, preparedness, and climate action.
Burning Need for Action
We may be a small brand offering bathroom essentials like our stone bath mat range and organic cotton or bamboo towels, but sustainability and care for our planet are at the very centre of what we do. We believe we can all do our part in stopping human induced climate change.
The recent spike in wildfire frequency and intensity is yet another red flag – things are taking a turn for the worse. And putting large-scale operations and strategies or governmental incentives aside, we actually can make things better just by paying more attention and taking little care. A small mistake can turn into a disaster under the right circumstances.
So, let’s spread awareness – not wildfires.
