According to federal officials, expanding drought conditions, hot and dry weather, strong wind, and unstable air conditions have resulted in explosive fire behavior in the southwestern United States, where major flames began their march over New Mexico on Friday.
Wildfires
A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire, or rural fire, is an uncontrolled fire that starts in flammable vegetation in rural or urban regions.
Some forest ecosystems in their natural state depend on wildfire.
A wildfire can be classed as a forest fire, brush fire, bushfire (in Australia), desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire, depending on the kind of vegetation present.
Wildfires are distinct from managed burns, which are good uses of fire, albeit controlled burns can convert into wildfires.
New Mexico Fire
The Thomas Fire, which started in Santa Fe, New Mexico, earlier this month, is the biggest fire currently burning in the United States.
Firefighters also fought fires in Texas and Colorado, where forecasters issued red flag warnings due to increased fire hazards.
Prescribed Fire Activities
According to the US Forest Service, prescribed fire activities in all national forest areas in the western United States will be halted for 90 days.
National Fire Protection Agency reported that prescribed burns are being utilized to lessen the danger of catastrophic wildfires.
"Our primary goal in engaging prescribed fires and wildfires is to ensure the safety of the communities involved," NFA chief executive Michael Moore said. "The communities we serve, and our employees deserve the very best tools and science supporting them."
Prescribed fires, according to Moore, go off as intended 99.84% of the time, and they remain a vital tool for lowering the likelihood of severe fires.
Wildfires have erupted earlier than usual this spring in several states.
Forest and grassland fires are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change and drought.
Wildfires All Over the US
In the United States, about 5,700 wildland firefighters are fighting 16 major fires.
More than 500,000 acres of dry forest and grassland (2,025 square kilometers) have been destroyed.
More than 474 square miles have been charred by the biggest burning fire in the United States (1,228 square kilometers).
The number of homes and other burned structures is expected to rise to more than 1,000 as more assessments are done.
According to the Texas A&M Forestry Service, a wildfire that burnt over 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) of juniper and mesquite scrub is 25% controlled.
Because of the fire, the community of Buffalo Gap was forced to evacuate temporarily.
The fire has charred more than two dozen structures and forced the temporary evacuation of the historic town.
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