It’s wildfire season and people across the country watch the conditions and the weather hoping their home will be spared.
Areas with dense trees, grass, shrubs or other plant growth are more susceptible to wildfires, especially after a wet season in spring followed by a dry season in summer.
According to How Stuff Works, an average of 5 million acres burn every year in the United States, threatening homes, property and the lives of those in the fire area.
The largest fire in Arizona history, the 841-square mile Wallow Fire is now 77% contained. Two other large fires – the Horseshoe Two and the Monument Fire have also raged across the state this June. The Horseshoe Two in southeastern Arizona burned over 348 square miles and is now completely contained. The Monument Fire near Sierra Vista is about 85% contained after burning 47 square miles and destroying 57 homes.
This past week, two forest rangers were killed while fighting a wildfire in northern Florida.
Smokey the Bear defines a wildfire as an “unwanted, unplanned,
…
Recently, I was at the Oklahoma Science Museum for a book signing and to present a science workshop to Oklahoma teachers. When I was in town, I also stopped by local news station KFOR to share some of my favorite science demonstrations. No matter how many times I tried to put anchorwoman Linda Cavanaugh at ease, she was still hesitant to conduct 50,000 volts of electricity or help me with a wildfire demonstration.
We have had a very dry winter across the Front Range in Colorado. The threat of wildfires is high and we have already experienced a few this year. One way firefighters work to protect homes threatened by fires is to coat them with a special polymer like that found in a baby diaper. The polymer holds a tremendous amount of water. If the fire gets close to the house, the water held in the polymer evaporates and cools down the fire. Watch this demonstration with a $100 bill. Will the money burn or will it escape the fire?
When you picture a tornado, most of us imagine a whirling column of air poking down from the clouds. But this tornado-like effect is not limited to just the air – a fire tornado or fire whirl is just like a tornado but it’s made of fire. As the heated air from the fire rises, strong air currents (often whipping through the trees) cause the air molecules to spin (often referred to as angular or rotational momentum) which shapes the flame into the shape of a tornado. This catches the tops of trees on fire and the fire jumps from tree top to tree top.
The phenomenon has been recently seen in large wildfires in Russia and closer to home in the Fourmile Canyon Fire outside of Boulder, Colorado.
