Process Essay: How Does A Wildfire Work?

How does a Wildfire Work?

By: Tanner Gottlob

Mrs. Sukstorf ELA

ELA–Period 2

February 6, 2023

Tanner Gottlob

Mrs.Sukstorf

ELA - Period 2

Jan. 26, 2023

How Does A Wildfire Work?

When some people look at wildfires, they see destruction, some see beauty, some chaos, but what fuels these massive wildfires? How do these forest-eating infernos work? Scientists believe that the fire triangle has a big role in fuel and function (Oliphant). Convection has helped too. A wildfire is fueled by the fire triangle including fuel, oxygen, and heat, and works around the constant reaction between oxygen and volatile gasses released from the fuel (Oliphant).

The fire triangle is a big part of fueling the wildfire. Oxygen is important to wildfires because the

When it reaches the ignition temperature, the heat decomposes some of the cellulose material and is released as volatile gasses (Harris). The gasses then react with the oxygen around and make heat. The heat then keeps the fuel at ignition temperature, so it won’t go out until no heat is present or until the fuel runs out (Science Learning Hub). The heat from the reaction is what people feel when sitting next to a campfire. When a fire ends, there is no fuel left to burn, and all the un-burnables are left (ash), and the carbon (Harris). Water puts out a fire well because the water uses the heat of the fire to transform into water vapor, which is an energy intensive process (Oliphant).

A fire spreads by convection, the movement of heat by the idea of heat rises and cold falls. When the heat from the fire rises, the hot air and embers are moved away in the wind (Cumberland). When the embers land, the ground it lands on can be lit on fire for as long as the ember is still hot. The heat itself can also slowly raise the temperature to its ignition point (Cumberland). The fuel for a spreading fire would have to be smaller and drier than the bigger things it is going to be burning. The best would be dry or dead grass, leaves, and