What are the ingredients that lead to raging wildfires like the ones in Southern California?
Once a fire starts, it can either slowly die out or spread rapidly. Critical factors that determine the end result of a wildfire include fuel, weather and terrain, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Fuel includes live trees and grasses, along with dead branches on the ground, buildings and fences (anything that can burn). “I think the primary reason for why the fire [in Southern California] has gotten so big is the dieback of vegetation over the last 10 years,” said Jon Keeley, research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor at UCLA. And the reason for that dieback and buildup is the severe drought the area is experiencing, Keeley said. Vegetation “decomposes very slowly. Vegetation will persist for a decade or more on the landscape,” he added. Winds can also spread a wildfire, particularly the dry, hot Santa Ana winds that blow across the mountains and valleys of Arizona and southern California toward the Pacific Ocean. The winds squeeze through tight
