Screenings — Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire (2025)

FAQs

How do they determine wildfire containment? ›

Fire officials only declare an area of a fire as “contained” if they are confident the fire will not surpass the control, although it is not guaranteed. A fire is considered contained when completely encircled by control lines, including any spot fires.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, 87 per cent of fires this year have been caused by lightning. With close to 9000 strikes within the last 48 hours, this is bad news for the crews battling these blazes.

Wildland fire is any ignition, natural or planned, that burns in wildland areas and consumes natural fuels (trees, brush, grass, etc.). Forest fires, grassland fires, cultural fires and prescribed burns are all considered wildland fires.

The stronger the wind, the faster the wildfire expands. And since heat rises, fires move more quickly as they go uphill. Once the fire begins and spreads, it can travel at a rate of up to 14.27 miles per hour, destroying everything in its path.

The percentage measurement numbers refer to how much of a fire's perimeter is surrounded by a fire line. For example, if three miles of fire line has been constructed around a wildfire that 10 miles in circumference then the fire is 30 percent contained.

The answer frequently lies in human negligence. Careless acts such as arson, unattended campfires, improperly discarded cigarettes, and reckless use of matches or fireworks stand as the foremost reasons behind wildfire ignitions.

Naturally occurring wildfires are most frequently caused by lightning. There are also volcanic, meteor, and coal-seam fires, depending on the circumstances.

Lightning is the most common non-human cause of wildfire. If lightning strikes, it can generate enough heat to ignite fuel sources, such as trees and shrubland. While lightning strikes cannot be prevented, the severity of fires caused this way can be reduced by appropriate land management activities.

Where is the safest place to go during a wildfire? ›

If Trapped in a Wildfire While on Foot:

Go to an area clear of vegetation, a ditch or depression on level ground if possible. Consider moving to a large water body, if nearby. Lie face down, cover up your body. Use your cell phone to advise officials—call 911.

At 6:37 A.M., thirty-six miles away, another brush fire ignited, in a bone-dry field bordering Lahaina Intermediate School. Hard winds had toppled utility poles, and flying sparks from downed power lines likely started the blaze.

As the weather warms and dries, the fuels also begin to dry out. If a fire starts early in the season, the fuels have a higher moisture content and rain can more easily put the fire out. But as we reach the hot, dry days of summer, fuel moisture content is at its lowest.

Fire can move like a freight train – many times faster than you can run. Get away as quickly as you can. Especially if you actually see flames. If a fire starts growing quickly, you won't be able to outrun it.

In this case, it means that the wildfire has been fully enclosed by a control line and it is now stopped from spreading. A fully contained wildfire may continue to burn within the containment perimeter but is not likely to spread. However, there's a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire.

Firefighters control a fire's spread by removing one of three ingredients fire needs to burn: heat, oxygen, or fuel. They remove heat by applying water or fire retardant on the ground with pumps or wildland fire engines, or by air using helicopters or airplanes.

It looks at water supply, emergency communications systems, the local fire department's staffing, equipment and training, and other factors. It gives each community a Public Protection Classification from 1 best) to 10. Many insurers incorporate this score into their decision-making, but it's not the same as FireLine.

Fire investigators try to determine how fires begin by applying the scientific method. Through observation and measurement, they can formulate a hypothesis, test it and form a conclusion about the fire's origin and cause.