The Mystique of Fire

Fire is one of those things that no matter how many times you see it, it never fails to mesmerize you. It’s primal, powerful, and dangerous — but also calming and graceful. Staring into a fire is a hypnotic, meditative experience, and there’s no shortage of opinions on the best way to build a campfire or cook over one.

A fire’s behavior depends on the fuel it’s burning and how it’s ignited, stoked, or maintained. For example, if you use too much wood or paper, it could spread quickly and get out of control. In addition, if you don’t add enough oxygen to the flames, they’ll burn up and produce noxious gases. Likewise, if you try to put out a fire with water or gasoline, the result will likely be disastrous.

The characteristics of the fuel, its ignition temperature, and its heat release rate all influence a fire’s growth, spread, and intensity. Some materials, like metal or stone, don’t burn at all, while others, such as coal or natural gas, can be incredibly hot and burn for a long time without producing any smoke. Flammability, or how easy it is for a material to burn, also contributes to the speed and intensity of a fire.

Fire also helps to maintain healthy ecosystems by removing diseased or pest-infested vegetation and allowing new regrowth to take its place. In addition, fire can increase an area’s carrying capacity by removing unproductive vegetation that would otherwise deplete the soil of essential nutrients.

In controlled settings, such as forest management, firefighters may intentionally set fires to accomplish specific ecological and societal goals. These types of fires are called prescribed burns, and they can help to reduce wildfire emissions, improve ecosystem health, and protect communities from hazards like flooding and drought.

If you’re ever camping in a remote area, you might encounter a fire ring — an enclosure designed to contain a small campfire. Using one of these is generally safe if you follow Smokey’s ABC’s (Always Be Careful with Fire). Before starting a fire, ensure that the ring is free of flammable materials, and that there are at least 30 feet between it and any trees or shrubs.

In the past year, raging wildfires in several countries around the world cost lives and destroyed millions of acres of land. The blazes also released billions of pounds of greenhouse gases, and some scientists have worried that they’ve tipped delicate ecosystems past the point of no return. But even in places where wildfires are a normal part of the ecosystem, the ways humans manage these fires can have major consequences for biodiversity and climate.