Forest Fires: A massive fire in the United States has caught the attention of the whole world. The fire that has spread in the forests of Los Angeles, California is becoming increasingly destructive. It has now spread to six different forests and is engulfing many residential areas. So far, this fire has killed about 10 people and about 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.
Reports of forest fires have surfaced many times before. Last year, a similar disaster struck the forests of Uttarakhand, India. The fire in the forest of Almora burned for 41 days, burning several hectares of crops to ashes. This raises the question: how do lush green forests catch fire? And where did the world’s largest forest fire occur? Let’s find out…
Table of Contents
Why Do Forest Fires Occur?
There are two main causes of forest fires:
- Natural
- Unnatural
Let’s discuss the natural causes first. Two main elements are needed for a fire to start: oxygen and heat. The forest provides both in abundance, and dry twigs and leaves serve as fuel for a fire. Extreme heat or lightning can create sparks that quickly turn into a huge blaze. Strong winds make the fire difficult to control, causing it to spread rapidly.
Now let’s talk about unnatural causes. In recent years, human presence in lush green forests has increased a lot. Many people go camping in forests to celebrate holidays, cook food and even smoke. A small negligence during these activities can cause a forest fire. Apart from this, there have been incidents where people inadvertently set fire to the forest while making videos or reels.
World’s Deadliest Fire Incidents
According to Earth.org, here is the list of the top 5 biggest fire incidents in the world:
- Siberian Taiga Fires (2003)
Area Burned: 55,000,000 acres
Location: Russia - Australian Bushfires (2019/2020)
Area Burned: 42,000,000 acres
Location: Australia - Great Fire of 1919 (1919)
Area Burned: 5,000,000 acres
Location: Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada - Chinchaga Fire (1950)
Area Burned: 4,200,000 acres
Location: Canada - Black Dragon Fire (1987)
Area Burned: 2,500,000 acres
Location: China and Russia - Great Michigan Fire (1871)
Area Burned: 2,500,000 acres
Location: Michigan, USA - Great Fire of 1910 (1910)
Area Burned: 3,000,000 acres
Location: Idaho, Montana, and Washington, USA - Miramichi Fire (1825)
Area Burned: 3,000,000 acres
Location: Maine, USA - Peshtigo Fire (1871)
Area Burned: 1,200,000 acres
Location: Wisconsin, USA - Taylor Complex Fire (2004)
Area Burned: 1,305,592 acres
Location: Alaska, USA
