How Does Wildfires Start?

In recent years, wildfire has been rampant, ravaging parts of the country. What fuels wildfires and why do they seem to get more intense every year? What are the steps to mitigate the effects of wildfires? If you or your loved ones are a victim of wildfire, then you have a clear picture of how destructive it can be. Disasters restoration services will help you recover from the devastating effects of wildfire a lot faster than you can imagine. They have experience dealing with similar cases. 

Hot, dry conditions are the main reason behind wildfires. But do these weather conditions guarantee a fire will break out? The answer is no. Something or someone creates the spark and starts the fire. Some of these fires are started by humans and, in rare cases, lightning. 

Causes of Wildfires

There are two main causes of wildfires – human and natural causes

Human Causes 

Wildfires are mostly started by human errors. This can be classified into two – accidental fires and incendiary fires. 

Accidental fires include debris burning, unattended campfires, fireworks, smoldering cigarettes, and the most recent cause being the gender reveal parties.

Incendiary causes include arson and illegal burning. 

Natural Causes

Wildfires can be started by natural causes such as lightning, volcanoes, meteors, and coal seam. However, the most prevalent from the list is lightning. Lightning strikes produce enough heat to easily ignite dead leaves, trees, or other organic material, especially in hot, dry conditions. 

Lighting can start a wildfire anywhere, including in inaccessible places. It is usually accompanied by strong winds from thunderstorms that could make the fire spread fast to unaffected areas. 

The hot, dry conditions increase the risk of wildfire. 

How to Protect Yourself from Wildfires

While it is impossible to clearly identify when wildfire will strike and hard to control when it starts, there are some preventive steps that you can take to protect your property. These include 

Getting rid of dead vegetation from your property. Cut down and remove dried trees, leaves, and bushes surrounding your property. Dead vegetation can fuel fires and present the right conditions for it to spread quickly. Taking this out of the way protects your home in the event of a wildfire. 

Keep your gutters clean of dead branches and leaves. Wildfires spread quickly, and having dead branches and leaves hanging around your gutters puts your property at risk of being gutted by fire. 

Invest in Class A fire-rating materials. When building your home, ask your contractors to install Class A fire-rating material. While these roofing materials do not protect your house from fire, they can withstand fire for at least 2 hours before giving in. Another reason is that they are built to withstand fire outbreaks compared to other roof types. 

Remove anything that could fuel fire away from your property. Because when wildfire strikes, it can completely destroy your property. If you do experience wildfire on your property, you can rest assured that disaster restoration services can help you get back on your feet within the shortest time possible. They will restore what can be restored.