It's wildfire season in the US: What do some of the most common terms mean?

Wildfires have been blazing near the United States New York-New Jersey border since Monday (November 11). This comes amid bigger fires spreading in California and other western states.

According to fire officials, one of the main reasons for the high number of wildfires witnessed this month is due to human activities, reported the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey urged people to avoid lighting fires.

“Now is not the time to burn leaves. Now is not the time to go outside and light a fire”, reported AP while quoting Healey.

As the destructive fire spreads, firefighters are using jargon that might be foreign to the locals. Here is what the mumble-jumble of big words mean

Containment

Containment is the process of controlling a wildfire. Authorities often give daily updates about the percentage of containment that firefighters have reached. For example, when a blaze is 25 per cent contained, means crews have constructed a fire line around a quarter of its perimeter.

Fire Line

A fire line, also called a fuel break, is typically a dirt path created by firefighters using bulldozers or hand tools, designed to separate the fire from the grass, brush and trees that fuel the flames. In some cases, the lines will be reinforced by flame retardant dropped by aircraft. Fire lines can also include natural breaks such as roads, rocky areas or rivers.

Extinguish

The process of putting out a fire completely and ending the combustion process is called extinguishing the fire.

When a fire is 100 per cent contained, it does not necessarily mean that the fire is extinguished, but that it’s controlled. “A fire isn’t controlled until it is fully contained and crews have extinguished flames and smoking or smouldering fuels and removed unburned fuels from about 300 feet inside the fire line perimeter,” the US Forest Service said on its website. It could take crews several days to make sure hot spots have cooled down enough so there is little chance that flames will cross the fire boundary.

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A fire is considered to be out when no hot spots and smoke are detected within the lines for at least 48 hours, the Forest Service said. However, large wildfires are often watched and patrolled until rain or snow eliminates all smoke. Interestingly, many wildfires burn for weeks or even months.

Evacuation warnings

Evacuation warnings are issued when the danger from wildfires is fast approaching and nearby places need to be evacuated as soon as possible. Since officials can’t force people to leave, they embark on a door-to-door campaign to warn the residents of the consequences of staying behind.

When deciding to order people to leave, emergency managers consider a fire’s behaviour, the weather forecast and the amount of time it will take to flee, Russ Lane, fire operations chief for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, told The Associated Press in 2021.

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They also consider the availability of shelters and the potential for harm or the loss of human life. Occasionally, an order is given to shelter in place. This is typically done when there is either no time to escape an approaching fire or it would be more hazardous to evacuate than to remain in place, Lane said.

Mopping up

The process of cleaning up an area that has burned through wildfire is called mopping up. They cut down teetering trees, remove brush and other possible fuel that could reignite, clear roads, and generally make the scene as safe as possible.

With inputs from AP