Geography Hazards: Wildfires

Causes
1. Human: matches, campfires, cigarettes, broken bottles (magnify sun's heat energy, slash and burn, arson, sparks (from barbacues, train tracks)
2. Physical/Natural: lightening, volcanic eruptions (hot material lands on dry vegetation), spontaneous heating (when things are so hot they just catch fire)
3. Spreading: dry hot weather, combustable material, strong winds can fan flames, drought (not much moisture), dry vegetation)
Case Study: California (October 2007)
1. CAUSES: 34'C, 10 yr old boy playing with matches, dry conditions, "santana winds" swept across California (hot and dry winds)
2. SOCIAL: 750,000 evacuated, 1000 homes destroyed, 2 deaths, at least 10 injured, evacuees not allowed to return home
3. ECONOMIC: buildings and businesses destroyed, 160 buildings destroyed, 100 homes gutted by wind, government need money to help, power cable ingnition
4. ENVIRONMENTAL: 400 square miles overun by 16 wildfires, 240,000 acres scorched, ground tinder dry, power cable ignition
Response to Wildfires
1. Evacuation
2. spraying water and foam
3. releasing fire-resistant chemicals
4. Fire lines built by digging drenches to remove dry vegetation to stop the fire advancing
Reducing chances of wildfire
1. Education (smokey bear advert)
2. Removal of dead, dry vegetation
Wildfires in the future
1. Wildfire intensity (how severe the burning is)
2. Wildfire frequency (how often the fire occurs)
3. Wildfire Season (period of the year which the wildfire is most frequent)
4. Wildland-urban interference (area which houses and buildings are built on the fringes of wildfire areas)
5. Wildfire numbers may increase due to a warmer climate leading to dryer vegetation and more chances of wildfires starting

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Geography Hazards: Wildfires

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	Created by rubymelia almost 10 years ago