By: Alexandra Guarnieri Wildfires By: Alexandra Guarnieri

What are wild fires? A wildfire is an uncontrolled blaze burning rapidly in forests, trees, brush, grass through wild lands. Wildfires are different from a structure fire because wild land fires often reduce any structures in their path to ash.

Facts about wildfires! They occur in the country, or wilderness. Approximately1.2 million acres of woodland in the United States burn every year due to wildfires. There are different types of wildfires that are called. . . brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, vegetation fire, and wild land fire. The only place on earth that can not have a wildfire is Antarctica. (obviously) ;) They are very uncontrollable and hard to put out. Once a fire starts, it can either slowly die out or spread rapidly.

How does a wildfire start? It ONLY takes a spark from a cigarette, a lightening blast, camp fires, extended dry weather, and most importantly people cause wildfire. Three factors must be present for a wildfire to start.. Fuel Oxygen Heat And wind helps the fire pick up its speed.

Examples of Deadly Wildfires Oakland, California October 20, 1991 Beginning as a grass fire, this firestorm destroyed 1,520 acres and killed 25.

Idaho and Montana August 20 - 21, 1910 The Great Fire of 1910—also known as the Big Blow Up, or the Big Burn—ignited more than 3 million acres. It killed at least 85 people. The blaze created a firestorm that whipped up high winds which very quickly drove the fire forward.

Bendigo, Australia Nearly 200 people died. The fire destroyed more than 750 homes and left thousands homeless. Started by an arsonist (a criminal in act of setting fire off on a property)

Resources http://www.weather.com/ready/fire/facts.html http://www.usgs.gov/hazards/wildfires/ http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.86f46a12f382290517a8f210b80f78a0/?vgnextoid=3bade6fd784ea110VgnVCM10000030f3870aRCRD