What Are Wildfires?

Teaching overview

Learning points

A wildfire is a large fire that spreads rapidly and destroys forests and grasslands.
Long periods of hot weather can dry out grass and vegetation, making it more likely to catch fire.
Firefighters have a range of techniques to tackle wildfires, though it is still difficult to completely stop them spreading.

Curriculum keywords

Wildfire
Forest
Weather

5 things you didn't know

What are wildfires?

1. Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that spread quickly through forests and grasslands. They happen on every continent on Earth except Antarctica.

Human activity

2. Most wildfires are started by human activity, such as leaving campfires burning – but some are started naturally by lightning.

Room to grow

3. Wildfires are good news for many forms of life. The fires clear away old, dead trees and make room for smaller plants and fungi to grow.

Fighting wildfire

4. Firefighters sometimes tackle wildfires by spraying water onto them from airplanes or helicopters. The water can also be mixed with chemicals that are designed to slow down the fire.

Widespread wildfire

5. The hot summer of 2018 caused many wildfires to burn around the world – including the largest wildfire ever recorded in the US state of California.

Spark a discussion

How are wildfires dangerous to living things?
Why do you think wildfires don’t occur in Antarctica?
What are some of the things we can do to help prevent wildfires from starting?