wildfires continue to burn I discuss five causes, some widely recognized others not so much.

Wildfires are burning throughout the western states, floods are prominent on the eastern side of the country, summertime is rapidly becoming known as disaster season, having the ability to bankrupt the entire country. 

The summer sky is now normally filled with smoke from wildfires in the west, it crosses state lines. There are currently 18 of them burning as I write this, the number changes constantly. An issue that stands out to me is the number of fires that start almost at the same time. The conditions at the time generally are the same, after a drought, high winds, and isolated areas. Low population areas do not have as many eyes to notice unusual activities. Fires start in many different ways, in this article I talk about five of them. These are not the most common, but they are known to start some of them.

Humans have not seen some remote areas in many decades.

Lightning strikes are common in the high country shearing off the tops of most of the trees above the snow line. There are two different types of lightning, Cold Lightning, and Hot Lightning, most lightning started fires ignite from Hot Lightning. Cold lighting is the return stroke of short duration but high current, it does not make contact with the ground for a long period of time. Hot lightning, on the other hand, makes contact with the ground for a longer amount of time. They have lower voltage, stay in contact longer with the unusually long-lasting burst igniting the wildfire. The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) conducted a study on fires and lightning strikes. During the time period of 2007-2011, all of the nations fire departments combined answered 22,600 fire calls that were started by lightning strikes, they were not all wildfires.

* Of that outdoor rubbish set on fire accounted for 1%,

* non-rubbish vegetation fires claim 9%,

* it starts vehicle files 1%

* Non-home structures 7%

* Homes set on fire by lightning 7%

* Home structure fires 9%

* Outdoor vegetation fires (wildfires) 63%

Lightning strikes are a major cause of the fires in the United States, the statistics may be different in other areas of the world. Lightning strike, drought conditions, an overabundance of fuel, and high winds are a real recipe for disaster. There are several natural causes, Landslides are common in the State as well.

Landslides cause wildfires, the mountains in this state are young as compared to the East Coast Ranges, but about the same age as the Rockie Mountains. The rock making up the mountains in the East were compacted during the last glacier making them much more dense and stable than those on the other side of the country. Holding a lot of minerals in the stones, boulders, and rubble one of those is a notorious fire starter. Flint occurs naturally in granite which the mountains are mostly composed of, struck against steel flint will spark. When struck against one another the Flint chips off a piece of the steel in the form of a spark. Reaching temperatures of up to 5430 degrees Fahrenheit (3000 C), steel melts at around 2,000 F, there is plenty of heat to start a fire. There is some Iron Ore in the rocks which are capable of starting a spark, there is also steel posts, markers, and debris containing steel, all of which is capable of sparking when struck with Flint. When the Landslide tumbles into the underbrush the sparks are capable of igniting the bone-dry tinder. If the slide crosses a road or highway, warning signs are made of steel also, but on roads,

it is not the only cause of fires.

The potential to start a fire is huge in this environment.

Vehicle breakdowns start a number of wildfires, the Carr fire recently burning near Redding California was ignited when a car suffered a flat tire. It is not hard to envision the sparks flying off of a steel wheel dragging on the surface of the road. Accidents are the cause of some, as are fuel spills, and single car accidents. Catalytic converters start their fair share of them as well, they are extremely hot parts of the vehicle. Situated under the automobile they get close to glowing red hot under normal conditions and the converter is working correctly. They filter nasty stuff from the exhaust burning the unwanted gases at high temperatures, causing the shell to become hot. The temperature is even higher on the exterior of a unit that is clogged up and restricting the air flow. If an automobile or other similarly equipped equipment pull off on the shoulder of the road over dry brush, it will ignite the tinder. Vehicles operate hot, having a fire extinguisher inside the car is a prudent decision to make. There are times when vehicles drive on surfaces other than paved roads, camping is one of those situations.

Campfires, we pitch the tent, and set up camp, clearing an area for chairs, tables, and all of the other camping gear we take along. One of the centerpieces of being in the wild for a vacation or a weekend is the campfire when the sun goes down. Used for warmth, cooking, and aesthetics a campfire is part of the tradition. Improperly extinguished campfires remain hot with red embers in some cases for days, if not weeks. Flashing into flames after camp is broken may occur within hours or weeks after leaving. Flooding the fire pit with water is the proper way to secure a fire pit, turn it into a mud pool still checking for embers. If a fire is secured with water drenching it is still prudent to stick around for a few hours to check the logs, ashes, and remnants of the fire. A man was arrested for Arson in Southern Colorado after it was found his cooking fire was still burning when he left the area. It's a common fire starter, it's not arson, and not really an accident, it's a display of a lack of awareness of the potential of the disaster it could create. Arson is a different story.

Arson, most fires are started by humans, either our equipment, carelessness, or true accidents. It is more common for a structure fire to be started by an Arson than a forest fire. Most structures are covered with insurance making it a tempting source of a windfall if the place were to burn down. Money motivates arson of commercial buildings, restaurants, and buildings under construction. Between the years 2010-2014 intentional fires accounted for in 261,333 as reported to local fire departments, disclosed in a study by the NFPA. Of that total

(Link to the NFPA's study on intentionally started fires.)

* Outside unclassified fires accounted for 198,480 of the total or, 75%. This is the category wildfires are included in.

* Outside trash and rubbish were 120,570 (46%) of the total

* Outside fires that were not trash or rubbish fell in at 75,910 (29%)

* All Structures 49,690 (19%)

* Vehicle fires were arson started 15,160 (6%). (I would suspect monetary reasons).

Arson started fires are on the decline, 327,100 fires were Arson in 2002, in 2014 they reduced to 248,500 fires. Recently most of the wildfires we are going through for the past few years are being blamed on the local utility, PG&E, Pacific Gas, and Electric. I question whether their equipment is in such poor condition that it is capable of starting 10-20 fires in a very short amount of time. I live within sight of the 15KV lines that run through the state, from Oregon to Los Angelos. I have not witnessed a single failure within my view, nor have I heard of a fire started by them, but that doesn't mean it does not happen. It is extremely hard to find the source of a fire, and incredibly hard to prove Arson unless a person steps up to the plate and claims to have started it, the source many times is never found. Eyewitness accounts are often the only source of finding the perpetrators.

Some buildings burn down during construction.

These are a few causes of wildfires, there are more, the most important task we can accomplish is to keep alert noticing everything, and if we do see someone starting a fire, call 911. Do not approach someone, attempt to put the fire out, or fail to report it, just be a good citizen, the bigger a fire grows the more dangerous it becomes placing responders is life and death situations. Thanks for reading and sharing, the fires are ongoing. I am concerned for several friends we have who are affected by the events. The best advice to give when faced with a wildfire is to keep your vehicles with enough gas to get away, and if ordered to evacuate by the authorities don't hesitate, run fast, and run far.

JacquesandKate   Emergencykitsplus.com