Wildfire Topics

• Fire
• Fires

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Wildfire, Wildfire

Other names such as brush fire , bushfire (in Australasia), forest fire , grass fire , hill fire , peat fire , vegetation fire , and wildland fire may be used to describe the same phenomenon. A wildfire differs from other fires by its extensive size; the speed at which it can spread out from its original source; its ability to change direction unexpectedly; and to jump gaps, such as roads, rivers and fire breaks.

The strategies of prevention, detection, and suppression have varied over the years, but now incorporate techniques that permit and even encourage fires in some regions as a means of minimizing or removing sources of fuel from any wildfire that might develop.

While more than 99% of the 10,000 new wildfires each year are contained, escaped wildfires can cause extensive damage. Wildfires in the United States are responsible for "about 95% of the total acres burned and close to 85% of all suppression costs," Martell, 1560.

Source: Wikipedia > Wildfire