Forest Fires: Mother Nature Scorned

 

By Mahi Tewari

Hell hath no fury like the wildfires that are spreading in Turkey and Greece. Forests are being scorched, people are dying, homeless and there has also been an increase in respiratory problems.

In Greece, the areas burnt were 180% more than the average for the period 2008-2020. The fires started. Evia, Greece’s second-largest island has started evacuations through ferries. Measures are being taken to stop the fires but strong winds raise concerns that the fire could flare again.

 

Prime Minister of Greece warned on Monday the country is suffering its worst heatwave since 1987 as forecasters said temperatures could reach 45 degrees in the coming days.

 

The fires started due to southern European heatwaves triggered by hot airwaves from Northern Africa which later spread to Greece and Italy and has now made turkey it’s latest victim.

 

In Turkey, the fires have reached Bodrum & Antalya, which are popular tourist spots and have also ravaged its coastlines. To add fuel to the fire quite literally, the fires might reach Kemerkoy power plant. The plant’s hydrogen tanks were emptied, and workers evacuated. Firefighting aircraft from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran helped Turkey since the country did not have adequate firefighting aircraft.

 

The fire caused the land to become infertile for farming, growing vegetables, or breeding livestock, ruining precious livelihoods. This is not only a climatic but also an economic disaster for both the countries amidst pandemics. It will also harm the tourism sector.

 

CEO of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology said the wildfires were linked with extreme temperatures, a long drought period, a low level of humidity and high wind speeds.

 

So how are forest fires stopped?

One of the most important components of wildfire suppression, control lines are simply the boundaries—natural or manmade—those firefighters employ to control how and where fire spreads. A rocky ridge or river can serve as a natural control line.

 

Once a control line is established, firefighters may set a controlled blaze downwind of the main fire, just on the inside of the control line. Firefighters then push the new blaze back toward the main fire, burning up all the fuel that lies between the fire and the control line.

 

Scientists warn rising global temps due to greenhouse gas emissions are increasing the risk of fire conditions across the planet. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.