Almost all wildland fires are caused by humans, so stumbling upon an unattended blaze in the woods is more than alarming.
One Redditor highlighted the danger by posting a short video of a small unattended inferno, and it had commenters up in arms. The poster noted that the woods were dry and that this was close to their house, blaming local teenagers.
"The fire marshal will be very interested in checking that out," someone said.
Another user asked: "Out of curiosity — does anyone know if the fire department can do anything (preemptively) about this behavior (like visit the teens/parents at home)?"
"They can show up and give them a citation with the right evidence," one Redditor answered. "In my town, they can give you a ticket for starting a fire on your own property without a 'burn permit.' That's even if it's an above ground fire place bought from a store. Pretty sure many other municipalities have similar laws too."
Fires play important roles in ecosystems, initiating seed germination and providing habitat for plants and wildlife, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. However, aggressive firefighting tactics in the 1900s allowed fuel — living and dead vegetation — to accumulate in forests, leading to larger, more intense fires that cause more damage.
Global heating, droughts, and rainfall — as well as development and invasive species — also affect wildfires, the USGS reports. From 2000 to 2017, 85% of wildland fires started with unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, arson, burning debris, or used or malfunctioning equipment, per U.S. Forest Service research.
It's up to everyone to educate those who might engage in these potentially devastating behaviors, which can quickly turn horrifying and deadly.
A TikToker documented a wildfire that started before their eyes, and many recent conflagrations have been traced back to power companies, whose aging infrastructure acts as kindling in extreme weather. One utility was responsible for nine deaths and had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
In nature, you can prevent wildfires by isolating campfires, dousing them until they're cold, and keeping vehicles off dry grass, among other actions. If you live in an area vulnerable to wildfire, take steps to mitigate the risk to your home — and be prepared to get out at a moment's notice.
One commenter underscored the danger, writing: "My guess with how windy it looks is they put it out and it restarted itself."
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