How do wildfires start and why do they spread so quickly?
BATTLING a ferocious wildfire which rapidly spreads is like trying to stop a tornado.
But what exactly is a wildfire and how does it start?
What is a wildfire?
A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire, which can burn for days or even weeks.
At its worst, wildfires can wipe out entire forests - killing everything in its path.
They also have significant impacts on visibility, air quality and health.
How does a wildfire start?
Four out of five wildfires are started by people, with nature there to help fan the flames.
There are three key things needed to make it start initially, which firefighters call the fire triangle.
A wildfire needs fuel, oxygen, and a heat source.
Dry weather helps to turn grass into a flammable fuel, with the winds carrying it across land and a warm sun encouraging combustion.
The trio creates the spark needed to set a wildfire off - which in some cases could last for weeks.
Common causes of wildfires include, lightning, campfires, smoking, burning debris, fireworks or arson.
Why do they spread so quickly?
A raging blaze can be hard to stop because a wildfire can be be driven by winds, slopes or fuel.
Combine all three and it makes it a very dangerous situation.
If the ground is very dry, it can also make the fire extremely difficult to contain.
LATEST FIRE HORRORS
Where are they most likely to happen ?
Wildfires can start anywhere, but are most common in the forested areas of America and Canada.
Vegetated areas of Australia as well as in the Western Cape of South Africa are also at risk.
On October 9, 2017, a raging inferno swept though California killing 41 people.
It burnt 213,000 acres and destroyed 5,700 structures.
What are some of the worst recent wildfires?
June 2017: A massive wildfire tore across Ibiza
June 2017: Devastating wildfires in Portugal left at least 62 dead
July 2017: Thousands evacuated from path of wildfires in Santa Barbara, California
July 2017: Wildfires ripped through the French Riviera forcing hundreds to evacuate
August 2017: A wildfire blazed across Portugal after the devastating Lucifer heatwave
August 2017: Wildfires raged on the Greek party island of Zante for more than four days
September 2017: The 5,000-acre La Tuna Fire led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes
September 2017: A wildfire, believed to have been started by a firework, ripped through Oregon, Canada triggering mass evacuations
October 2017: The deadly Cascade wildfire tore through California
October 2017: Fires which broke out across the border in Spain's Galicia region quickly proved deadly
October 2017: An apocalyptic wildfire raged in Portugal's Iberian peninsula
December 2017: Wildfires tore through California destroying hundreds of homes and sparking the evacuation of thousands
April 2018 - More than a thousand flee their homes in Tenerife in ferocious forest fire broke out
July 2018 - A series of blazes ripped through the coastal areas of Attica killing at least 85 people
July 2018 - Forest fires in Sweden and Norway which have left one dead and dozens injured
July 2018 - Police arrested a man suspected of sparking a massive blaze in Riverside County in California
August 2018 - Two major infernos in northern California - called 'River' and 'Ranch' - led to more than 38,000 people being evacuated. At least 11 people died in the blazes.
November 2018 - Hundreds of people were evacuated and dozens more were killed in huge wildfires northern and southern California.
August 2020 - President Donald Trump declared wildfires in California a major disaster and released federal aid.
August 2020 - Death Valley National Park, California, smashed the record for highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. Death Valley hit an extraordinary 30F (54.4C), beating their own record set in 2013 of 129.2F (54C).
July 2020 - A fire in Modoc County begins and burns through a devastating 83,000 acres before it is contained.
July 2020 - A Lassen County blaze begins which goes on to injure two firefighters and takes 18 days to fully contain.
July 2021 - wildfires were caused by across the Western States.
July 2021 - As a , a haze started to travel all the way to and lowered the quality of air along the way.
August 2021 - A wildfire started in Caldor, California, prompting mass evacuations and school closures after it tripled in size overnight.
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