Wildfires have grown more extreme. So have the risks of combatting them

Wildfires have grown progressively more severe and complex since the Nuttall fire in Arizona in 2004.

When a fire grows to 100,000 acres – a megafire – modern fire-fighting methods become ineffective and fire suppression costs soar into the millions. The Nuttall fire, which began in Arizona’s Colorado National Forest in 2004, marked the beginning of the age of megafires. If present conditions continue, the future will bring more extreme wildfires and increasingly hazardous conditions for firefighters.

The Dixie fire of 2021 was the largest in California’s history – nearly one million acres; suppressing it cost $600 million. Scientists warn that climate change is setting up perfect conditions for more megafires.

“Fires are dynamic — they’re unpredictable…You can plan for every contingency, but there is always that unknown factor. ” (former Green Beret and wildland firefighter Tom Lee)

Scientists first observed one example of an extreme fire phenomena in the 1990s: A massive cloud-like structure that emerged over an Australian wildfire. They dubbed it a pyrocumulonimbus – or a PyrCb. Research has found that very strong fires can cause these massive “firestorms,” seen also in South America, Africa, Europe and Russia. In 2019, 18 sprang up in one week of Australia’s Black Summer of megafires. PyrCbs can cause fire tornados with wind speeds of 113 miles per hour. Fire science professor Crystal Kolden of the University of California Merced calls their powerful downdrafts “extreme-fire-behavior generators.”

Wildfire fighters face physical risk in the field and mental health issues such as depression and PTSD.

In the 85 years between 1910 and 1996, 699 wildland firefighters lost their lives while actively fighting wildfires. Since 1990, as fires have grown more extreme, more than 500 firefighters have died in the line of duty, and many more have endured devastating injuries. The risks for firefighters don’t end when they’re off duty. Firefighters are more likely to develop lung cancer due to smoke inhalation and to experience disorientation, anxiety, PTSD and depression after witnessing dangerous situations and losing beloved friends and coworkers. In the United States in 2015 and 2016, 52 wildland firefighters committed suicide, 25 more than died fighting fires.

“It’s really hard to fight fire if you are overwhelmed by a fear of fire.” (therapist and veteran wildland firefighter Melissa Petersen)

Wildland firefighters’ culture scorns talking about emotions, but that culture has been changing. For example, former firefighter Bre’ Orcasitas created a training regimen to help wildland firefighters recognize trauma. She has presented her course to firefighting crews around the United States. Orcasitas notes a “great exodus” of federal wildland firefighters from the industry. Some have written public letters of resignation detailing their concerns about mental health issues, high mortality risk and paltry pay.

Native Americans and environmental activists oppose the modern approach to fighting wildfires.

Before the advent of modern firefighting policies, Native Americans practiced forest management by purposely setting less severe “good fires,” which reduced the combustible material in a forest.

“To a large extent, good fire is an Indigenous movement. Leaders speak of their right, as stewards of the land, to practice ‘cultural burning.”

About 80% of the flora in North America is considered “fire-dependent,” meaning it flourishes in post-fire habitats. Elizabeth Azzuz, secretary of the Cultural Fire Management Council and member of the Yurok tribe, cites the Native American experience using controlled fire as a useful tool for forest land management.

“Fire is life for us. Fire is family. It’s a tool that we use to be able to restore our environment, our ecosystem, and maintain the strength and health of our people.” (Elizabeth Azzuz)

Modern firefighters sometimes practice prescribed burns, but for the most part, they follow the “10 a.m. policy” – 1930s wisdom that recommends extinguishing wildfires by 10 a.m. the day after they start. Many activists criticize this method, saying that prevention of small, natural fires leads to the buildup of combustible material that fuels megafires. Many believe the United States should return to a controlled system of good fires. “Imagine if for every firefighter poised and ready to extinguish any start, we also had a fire lighter,” says former firefighter Jeremy Bailey, now the Nature Conservancy’s prescribed-fire director.