Wildfires 101: Anatomy of a Fire

Narration: Katie Jepson

Transcript:

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The first thing you should know,

is that wildfires require

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three key ingredients:

fuel to burn, the right conditions,

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and a source of ignition.

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But what does that actually mean?

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So fuel, like needles, leaves, or wood

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on the forest floor, is rarely

a fire’s limiting factor.

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And the conditions that are favorable

for fire - like hot, dry and windy days,

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are becoming more and more common,

as our climate changes.

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Under these “fire weather” conditions, fuels

dry out become more susceptible to burn.

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As for source of ignition, well,

most of the wildfires

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that NASA detects from space

are started by people.

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Others, usually the Arctic and boreal

regions, are ignited by lightning strikes.

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NASA can track these conditions

and inform land managers

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when an area appears prone to wildfire.