Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that burn in wildland vegetation, often in rural areas. These fires are not limited to a particular continent or environment.
These wildfires can start with a natural occurrence, such as lightning or a human-made spark. The weather conditions often determine how much the wildfire will grow and spread.
These natural fires are also caused by wind, high temperatures, and little rainfall, which can leave trees, shrubs, fallen leaves, and dried-out limbs of trees prone to igniting the fire. Topography plays a huge part in how fast the fire can spread.
The wildfires can be extremely dangerous to us and even more so to firefighters.
The wildfires in Los Angeles in January had so much smoke, and it smelled like plastic. Firefighters who responded to this fire were instantly hit with migraines, coughing up black goo, and dropping to the ground vomiting and dizzy.
Other firefighters also experienced lung problems, some developed cancer, and some even got heart disease due to not having face protection and breathing in all the toxic chemicals.
Any wildfires that occur affect our climate and air quality. They release large amounts of carbon dioxide, black carbon, brown carbon, and ozone precursors into the atmosphere. These chemicals affect clouds, radiation, and regional and sometimes even global scales.
Next, these fires affect the air quality by emitting substantial amounts of volatile and semi-volatile organic materials and nitrogen oxides, which form ozone and organic particulate matter. Direct consumption of toxic pollutants affects first responders and local communities.
Wildfires are extremely harmful to the environment. They scorch vast areas of land and leave behind extensive damage that has long-term effects on the environment. These impacts on the planet harm plants, animals, and water quality.
To prevent these wildfires, people should: learn to use outdoor equipment properly; burn debris safely; start, maintain, and extinguish campfires; maintain vehicles and tow safely; and practice fire-safe target shooting.
