June 6, 2023

The forest fire

A forest fire is a terrible natural disaster, because of which thousands of animals die every year, and green forests turn into a black charred desert, life in which will be restored at best in 7-10 years. Forest fires are grassroots, when the forest floor, mosses and lichens are burning, riding, when the fire spreads to the crowns of trees, and underground, if peat bogs are burning. Smoldering peat bogs emit several times more smoke and become a wick, ready at any moment to let the fire out and cause a new fire. In addition, it is extremely dangerous to walk on the burnt-out territory, since cavities are formed underground due to burnt peat, into which a person or equipment can fall. The temperature there remains extremely high, and there is practically no chance of salvation.
The cause of a forest fire can be a natural phenomenon, for example, lightning hitting a dry tree, but, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 90-98% of fires are caused by people. An unquenched bonfire, a smoldering cigarette thrown into the dry grass, burning grass and stubble near the forest can cause a tragedy, the victims of which are often the people themselves. During the hunter's shot, the wad that flew out of the gun begins to smolder, setting fire to the dry forest floor. Sometimes the connection between our behavior in the forest and the resulting fire is not so obvious. For example, dry grass or moss can catch fire due to... an abandoned broken bottle, if the sun hits it and the glass fragments work as a lens.
340 million hectares of natural territories, including forests, are burned every year in the world. The leaders in the area of forest fires are Australia and African countries. In terms of the total area of forests destroyed by fires, Russia ranks 8th in the world. Every year in our country from 500 thousand to several million hectares of forest die due to fire.
Right now, rescuers are extinguishing 13 forest fires with a total area of more than 10,000 square kilometers in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, in the Sverdlovsk Region, and Chelyabinsk is covered with smoke from fires in the Argayashsky district, where peat bogs are smoldering.
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All this could be avoided if people, coming to the forest, followed simple rules:
1. Do not build bonfires outside specially designated and equipped places.
2. When leaving, extinguish the flame with water or throw earth over the fire and make sure that there is not a single smoldering area left.
3. Take all the remaining garbage with you, including bottle fragments. This not only prevents fire, but also helps to keep the forest clean.
4. Burn cigarette butts, matches in a bonfire or take away with the rest of the garbage.
5. Do not leave oiled rags or pieces of paper in the forest.
6. Do not drive into the forest on cars with a faulty fuel system and without a spark extinguisher.
If you inadvertently set fire to grass or dry leaves, the fire should be immediately trampled, pelted with earth or knocked down with a thick cloth. If there is a pond nearby, then you can extinguish the flame with water.
Let's make sure that our vacation is safe not only for ourselves, but also for nature!

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