How Do Bush Fires Start?

How do bush fires start

Bushfires are devastating wildfires that can cause damage to nature, economies and people. It’s an uncontrollable, non-structural fire burning in grass, bush, scrub or forest. Bushfire commonly burns through scrubland which is common in Northern-Africa and Australia. So how do bushfires start?

For a bushfire to start, there needs to be fuel in the form of plants, and an ignition. Dried grass and leaf letter are most likely to burn than green leaves. But in the cases when the fire is very strong, green leaves can burn too. Sometimes, tree canopies can also burn in what is known as a crown fire. The more fuel, the bigger the fire, reason why fire managers try to reduce the amount of fuel by getting rid of dead plants.

Once there is a source of fuel, ignition or flame will put on the fire. This ignition or flame can be caused both by man and also naturally. Lightning is a natural cause of ignition, as well as spontaneous combustion. Also, ignition or heat comes from sparks that can happen when a rock falls onto another rock and scratches it.

Man sometimes can be blamed for starting a bush fire. The reason being that once there’s a source of fuel, all that is needed to begin a bushfire is some ignition, and man is known to ignite bushfires both deliberately and sometimes out of carelessness. Typical examples of man igniting bushfires are:

Throwing a burning cigarette
Carelessly leaving a burning match
Not putting out campfires out
Arcing from overhead power lines
Arson
Accidental ignition in the course of grinding, agricultural clearing, e.t.c.

Scientists for a long time have warned that climate change would increase the risk of extreme bushfires. And today, bushfires are largely linked to climate change, though there is still debate if climate change does indeed cause bushfires The rising greenhouse emissions or climate change doesn’t create bushfires, but it makes them worse. The drier the fuel, the more likely it’s to burn. Increased average temperature caused by climate change does contribute to this dryness.

When an environment everything is dry, all it takes for a bushfire to kick start is a spark or ignition. And this ignition could be man made, natural, or climate change. As already noted, a number of different factors contribute to bushfire, including increasing temperature, fuel, dryness, wind speed and humidity.

Bushfire conditions today, are more dangerous than in the past, and poses a greater risk to people and their properties. A bushfire needs dry fuel, hot, dry, windy conditions and something to ignite it. They are inevitable, but with better human and land management, and continued research into our changing climate and bushfire behavior, we can definitely manage bushfires.

How do you think bushfires start? Please share in the comments below.

[nuraimanbintienchemuhammad]

hi, thank you for sharing this. may i know what is the sources/references for this info? i mean something like articles, or journal. hope you will reply with the credits thank you in advance

[bellhel]

I think everyone knows how bush fires start but ok you never know