June 26 - Fire Blaze

Fire Blaze - also known as wildfire, is an uncontrolled fire that pops up, often occurring in wildland areas, but which can also consume houses or agricultural resources. Common causes include lightning, human carelessness, arson, and volcano eruption. Heat waves, droughts, and cyclical climate changes such as El Nino, can also have a dramatic effect. Wildfires tend to be most common and severe during years of drought and occur on days of strong winds. With extensive urbanization of wildlands, these fires often involve destruction of suburban homes located in the wildland urban interface, a zone of transition between developed areas and undeveloped wildland.

Today it is accepted that wildfires are a natural part of the ecosystem of wildlands, where plants have evolved to survive fires by a variety of strategies (from possessing reserve shoots that sprout after a fire, to fire-resistant seeds). In 2004, researchers discovered that exposure to smoke from burning plants actually promotes germination in other types of plants by inducing the production of the orange butenolide. Most native animals, too, are adept at surviving wildfires.

Firefighters and smoke jumpers risk their lives battling these blazes to protect life and property. They are incredibly experienced at fighting these types of fires on the ground, and also by air using planes and helicopters to drop water and fire retardant powder.