California wildfires have once again shown their ugly head, this time in the hills of southeast Los Angeles. What caused them this time?

The flames from a burning stolen car.

At this time, police are unclear as to whether this was arson or an attempt to destroy evidence. Luckily, this wildfire, to date, is mostly contained and caused little neighborhood damage.

Further, though the aforementioned forest fire was initiated by the burning car, that wasn't the sole cause for what it ballooned into. After all, wildfires require fuel to burn (or in other words, materials that are flammable). And apparently the United States has a whole lot of fuel, as evidenced by the 4.3 million acres on average that are burned by wildfires annually across the country.

In other words, thinking about surviving a fire in your neighborhood actually is a question that stretches far beyond where you live. Taken together, four questions would seem relevant:

1. What usually causes wildfires?

2. What are some global strategies of wildfire prevention?

3. How are wildfires fought?

4. What can you do to protect your own neighborhood and home?

For some of these answers, please read on.


What Usually Causes Wildfires?

Unfortunately, there is no good answer to this question.

As the burning car mentioned previously serves to demonstrate, anything can be the match that starts a wildfire. Further reinforcing this, back in 2002 it had been reported that a wildfire which burned out of control for nearly two weeks was caused by a National Guard helicopter looking for drugs ( pot farms ). This helicopter clipped a power line, which of course caused a spark of some kind, and that served as the match.

Amazing, huh?

Still, for a wildfire to truly catch on, more than a match is needed. First, there needs to be a long stretch of burnable forest. Second, there is usually a drought or lack of water attached as with significant rain, forest fires don't tend to get going. Third, there is oftentimes an intense heat wave (again, no rain). Fourth, there is oftentimes an abundance of dry forest.

Actually- dead forest. Which, by the way, is highly flammable and a problem.

Then of course, there's the wind factor. Unfortunately, strong winds tends to help propel a wildfire, sometimes even across barriers.


Strategies of Global Wildfire Prevention

The United States policy on wildfires used to be to suppress them completely. However, we now know that forest fires serve many purposes, including getting rid of excess brush and the allowance of life to bloom ( at one point, for example, it was learned that the Giant Sequoia Tree's life cycle depended on fire ).

This new knowledge helped to spur on the idea of controlled burns. In other words, those purposefully set with the idea of taking away underbrush. Further, physical fuel removal is also sometimes conducted, which results in the chopping down or taking away of trees or other flammable forest substances. The theory is that by thinning out forests and highly flammable dead debris, wildfires can be better kept under control. Further, controlled burning may keep the life cycle going.

Unfortunately, controlled burns have, on rare occasions, ballooned into large scale wildfires. Further, an argument can be made that forests are still burning just as much as they were before such measures were taken.


How Wildfires are Fought

Different places ( Canada, the U.S. ) have different ways of describing their forces. But the available resources are roughly the same.


First, there's Detection

This has historically been done through watchtowers. Of course, aircraft also play a major role in the detection of wildfires today. Interestingly, more recent technological advances now allow us to utilize satellite technology to pinpoint wildfires.


Fighting Wildfires from the Air

Oftentimes wildfires are fought on numerous fronts. One of these is the air.

Fixed wing aircraft or helicopters often serve to pummel fires below with fire retardant. Of course, helicopters have additional uses when fighting fires, including transporting small units of firefighters and equipment to hard to reach places. Sometimes, these specially trained firefighters may rappel or fast-rope down from these helicopters.

Further, firefighters may also parachute out of aircraft into the burning wilderness. These people are often called, "smokejumpers".


Fighting Wildfires from the Ground

Of course, firefighters use water to try and control wildfires ( in those hard to reach areas, they tend toward portable pumps ). However, there are far more ways man has learned to take on a burning forest than simply water.

Most of these lend toward breaking up the fuel source. In other words, creating space between the moving fire and the rest of the forest.

One approach to create space is through the use of chainsaws. By cutting down trees, sometimes fire is unable to spread from tree to tree. Of course, strong winds can sometimes put a damper on this philosophy. Thus, bigger machinery like bulldozers are also used when warranted to create a large ditch / barrier to stop the spread.


Your Home, Your Neighborhood

Thus far, the focus has been on preventing the fire from getting to the outskirts of your neighborhood. But what if that doesn't work?

Well, unfortunately, that could be bad news or terrible news. Oftentimes, the extent to which a wildfire will impact you depends on how updated your house is. You see, much of the property damage that has occurred in high frequency wildfire areas has been a direct result of highly flammable building materials used in the construction of houses.

However, more modern homes should- and usually are- built out of flame resistant materials in high wildfire areas. Still, if you're building or remodeling and live in such a zone, remember that roof construction is quite important ( go with metal, tile, or slate ). Beyond that, it might also be a good idea to consider brick, stone, and concrete, as they are all more resistant to fire than wood. Still, there are commercial fire retardants that can be used on wood, if needed.

There is more to think about regarding your home than construction, however. For example, try to keep the amount of fuel ( propane tanks, for example ) near your home and/ or property to a minimum.

Beyond this, breaks in fire fuel- often termed, firebreaks - are smart to have around neighborhoods and/ or homes. Basically, these encompass a stretch of land with nothing that can burn on it.

Something for that Neighborhood Watch Committee to consider, no?

When a wildfire is getting close, you may want to (or may be ordered to) evacuate. THEN EVACUATE! This is the single most important part of surviving a wildfire. Your house is important, but it is not as important as you.

The good things is that excellent detection often will allow a homeowner some time between acknowledgment of a wildfire and evacuation. Thus, if- and only if- you have time, it may be a good idea to move flammable materials away from windows (to the center of rooms), shut off gas at the meter, close all vents and open spaces as best you can, turn off propane tanks, and remove open gas tanks.

Oh yeah, you may also want to leave that outside sprinkler on. Some people have even been know to attach them to their roofs if drainage is sufficient.

Fact is, wildfires can cause a problem even when a forest fire is a distance away. You see, smoke can still be a problem. Thus, closing doors and vents may be a good idea as soon as you hear about such an occurrence.

Last, you shouldn't forget about clothing. In high frequency fire areas, it would be smart to own gloves, boots, and cotton clothing. There are also emergency escape hoods. These are designed to filter out smoke and poisonous gasses. Some homeowners even purchase fire fighting equipment themselves.

But remember: evacuate when you're told to. First order of business is to survive. Second, is to save your home; not the other way around!

In sum, wildfires are a problem that can bring danger directly to your neighborhood. Along with this, it's important to know the ways in which these fires start, can be prevented, are fought globally, and can be kept at a distance from your own home and/ or neighborhood.

In the end, good preparation can help you survive and protect your investments from that wildfire intent on attacking your neighborhood and home. So, take care.

-Always remember to contact firefighters and fire safety professionals with questions about how to handle such occurrences. This article does not and was not meant to take the place of such contact.-

References:

Wildfire

Forest Fire