How do wildfires start as Turkey evacuates 50,000 people during monster blaze

Daily Record

4 days ago

Fires have been ravaging Turkey over the weekend, causing a busy airport to completely close.
A fast-moving wildfire has caused the closure of a major Turkish airport as well as the evacuation of some 50,000 people from five regions of the country.
An inferno broke out on the borders of Menderes and Seferihisar districts of Izmir on Sunday, June 29, which caused flight operations at Adnan Menderes Airport to be completely halted.
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The majority of the 50,000 evacuees are from Izmir, which appears to have been hit the hardest by the natural disaster. It comes as Europe faces a staggering early summer heatwave, with temperatures soaring to sweltering heights.
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Temperature warnings have been issued for parts of Portugal, Italy and Croatia for the current heatwave, with numerous amber warnings covering areas of Spain, France, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Spain saw the mercury hit a piping 46C on Saturday, June 28, according to the BBC.
But as the Turkey wildfires cause widespread concern and temperatures remain worryingly high across Europe, questions are being raised on what exactly causes a wildfire, and what circumstances make a piece of land more susceptible to catching alight.
Here's everything you need to know.
What causes a wildfire?
Like any fire, a wildfire requires three factors:
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Dry fuel (leaves, grass, branches, and other organic materials)
Oxygen (in the air)
Heat (to ignite and burn)
When high temperatures have dried out the land, a natural ignition such as a lightning strike can cause the earth to catch fire, according to Earth.org.
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There are two types of lightning - cold and hot. While cold lightning strikes occur rapidly and are less likely to cause a fire, hot lightning lasts a longer period of time, allowing the land to catch alight.
Human activities can also start wildfires, such as a cigarette butt tossed into dry grass, a vehicle fire, sparks from machinery, or campfires that go out of control.
Climate change and wildfires
While many wildfires are caused directly by human action, the increase in lightning storms and drier land can be blamed on human-induced climate change.
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The current heatwave in Europe, which can be linked to the current wildfires in Turkey, as well as the recent wildfires that ravaged the Greek island of Chios, is directly linked to climate change.
Scientists reported earlier this month that so far, humans have caused the planet to heat up by 1.36C above levels of the late 1800s.
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Dr Friederike Otto, associate professor at Imperial College London, told the BBC:"Countless studies have shown that climate change is an absolute game-changer when it comes to heat in Europe, making heatwaves much more frequent, especially the hottest ones, and more intense."
In recent years, wildfires have torn through countries all over the world, including Australia, Canada, the US, and even here in Scotland, in what Earth.org describes as a 'wildfire pandemic'.
So, what can we do to prevent wildfires caused by global warming?
The global environment website states: "Every action to mitigate climate change and slow down global warming can effectively reduce the risk of extreme weather events such as lightning strikes and thus decrease the chances of wildlife fires."
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