Wildfire Disaster

Disaster can be termed as a misfortune, which could be sudden and substantial or if put in simple words, something quite unfortunate and has adverse effects on its surroundings. There are many examples of wildlife disasters. Such as avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis, droughts, hailstorms, heat waves, tornadoes, and wildfires.

Today, let us throw some light on the wildfire for kids in this article. A wildfire is a fire that spreads in an area of vegetation in and around a rural area or countryside. It transpires particularly in forests, grasslands, and deserts. We will also discuss some wildfire facts for kids in the following article.

Wildfire Disaster

What is a Wildlife Disaster?

A Wildfire Disaster is an unintentional fire that spreads in no time in natural areas like forests. It normally spreads in vegetation areas and can cause extreme damage to human life and property but has aftereffects on animals, vegetation, and ecosystems as well. 

Wildfires are not only caused by natural occurrences but can also happen due to human activities as well. Because of this natural fuels are all eaten up in no time. 

As per the U.S. Fire service, around 700 wildfires occur every year, which burn down roughly 7 million acres of land. The wildfires are so severe that they can burn at a temperature that is more than 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and can reach up to 50 meters high. Shockingly, this temperature is twice as hot as Venus. 

Causes of Wildlife Disasters

For a fire to start, three elements have to be present: oxygen, fuel, and heat, which is universally known as the fire triangle. This can also be an answer for how do wildfires start? The main causes of Wildfires are as follows:

1. Human Causes 

Carelessness is the basic nature of humans, which leads to many disastrous events. While camping, they sometimes forget to put off the fire, or during a bike ride or hike walk in forests they might leave cigarette butts - the effects of which result in wildfires and disasters and animals have to pay the price.

Camping with Wildfire

2. Natural Causes of Wildfires

The wildfires that happen due to completely natural resources comprise 10% of the total wildfires. The two main natural can strike causes are:

Lightning: The researchers believe that most of the time the wildfire is triggered because of lighting. It can produce a spark and can strike trees, rocks and power cables, or anything that comes in the way leading to harsh destruction.

Wildfire because of Lighting

Volcanic Eruption: During a volcanic eruption, the hot magma which is present in the earth’s crust is expelled out, which further flows into the surrounding fields or lands and starts wildfires, again knocking down everything.

Volcanic Eruption

Effects of Wildlife Disasters

1. Forest Degradation

Hundreds and thousands of trees and vegetation are wiped out because of a forest fire. Forest fires across the globe reduce the quality of soil fertility, biodiversity, and ecosystems every year.

2. Air Pollution

All plants depend upon the atmosphere for respiration. We breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Due to fire, plant life comes to an end, the quality of life that we breathe declines, and there is an increase in the greenhouse effect leading to global warming and climate change. 

3. Loss of Ecosystem

The most destructive effect of wildfire is the destruction of the habitats of animals and plants. It disrupts the relationship between flora and fauna. Smaller animals, like squirrels, birds, rabbits, snakes, etc., are particularly at high risk of death. 

4. Soil Degradation

Due to wildfires, all the nutrients that are present in the soil are destroyed. It also kills the beneficial soils and also leaves the soil bare, and all the nutrients present in the soil are destroyed due to high temperature.

Impact of Wildlife Disasters on Animals

Animals Suffer in Wildfires

Wildlife disasters can have significant consequences not only on human beings but on animals as well. When there is a disaster, animals go through the same dreadful outcome as people, like, injury, illness, stress, starvation, and displacement from their homes. 

For animals who are entrapped in the fire, the impacts are life-threatening. A single fire can destroy millions of animals, and think what thousands of wildfires will do to them. The animals also face the aftereffects like burns, respiratory problems, and blindness in some cases. 

Like in 2020, there was a bushfire in New South Wales in which approximately 480 million animals were harmed. These were some of the wildfire facts for kids, which are listed above.

Compassion for Animals

Preventive Measures

We must take measures to put a halt to this disastrous disaster. The most effective strategies are as follows:

• We should avoid doing any outdoor activities if it is dry or windy. 

• Make sure to build your campfire in the open and far from flammables and extinguish it by putting out the fire completely before you leave.

• We should never throw lit cigarettes out of our cars.

• Always be informed about any risks of forest fires in your areas.

Summary

Disasters are severe disruptions to our community. It exceeds its capacity to cope using its resources. Disasters are caused by man-made, natural, or technological threats. And also all the factors that impact the community’s vulnerability.

Wildfires are unwanted, unplanned, and unpredictable fires in the wildlands over which no one has control, and unfortunately, nothing concrete can be done about it. We learned about wildfire for kids in this article. We discussed many things like how do wildfires start, reason for wildfires and so on.