Are Wildfires Natural Disasters?

Are wildfires truly ‘natural disasters’? Explore the classification and impacts of wildfires with expert guidance from the Western Fire Chiefs Association

With 90% of wildfires caused by human activity, can wildfires truly be considered a natural disaster? In this article, dive into what defines a natural disaster, what are the natural causes of wildfires, and some interesting facts that may help you better understand wildfires.

Are Wildfires Considered a Natural Disaster?

A natural disaster is defined as a sudden and terrible event in nature that usually results in serious damage and many deaths.¹ Although not all wildfires are natural occurrences, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies wildfires as natural disasters. Even more, National Geographic attributes only 10 to 15% of wildfires to natural causes. The remaining 85 to 90% of wildfires are a result of human activity.²

What are the Natural Causes of Wildfire?

The most frequent natural cause of a wildfire is lightning.³ In the West, almost 70% of wildfire-burned land was the result of lightning-sparked fires.⁴ There are two types of lightning: cold and hot. Cold lightning has an intense electrical current but does not last very long and rarely starts fires. Hot lighting has a weaker electrical current, but the bolt of lightning stays for a longer period. These longer-lasting bolts can cause wildfires.⁵ Even though humans cause most wildfires, fires started by lightning are usually larger and burn more land.⁶

While volcanic eruptions and coal seam fires can cause wildfires, they are relatively less common compared to human-related and lightning-induced fire starts. Volcanic eruptions can lead to lava flows that ignite vegetation, and coal seams can experience spontaneous combustion. However, these events are not as frequent on a global scale.

Interesting Wildfire Facts

The more we know about wildfires, the more we are able to understand and predict their behavior. Here are three interesting facts about wildfires:

1. Wildfires can travel at up at 14.27 miles per hour. The stronger the wind, the faster the fire travels. On top of that, a fire will travel faster when moving uphill because heat rises.⁷
2. Some plants and trees, such as buckbrush and manzanita, actually need wildfires to reproduce. They have a hard shell that will only break open from extreme heat from a wildfire. Once the seed pod opens, new growth is able to occur.⁸
3. Wildfires can produce their own weather, including fire tornadoes and pyrocumulus clouds. This is because of the intense heat and energy wildfires generate.⁹

For other interesting wildfire facts visit Wildfire Facts for Kids or Facts About Wildfire.