The Woodsman's Journal Online: Surviving a Wildfire! If You Get Caught in a Fire, Part Three ©

This is the third article in a four article series, to read Part One, go HERE and for Part Two, click HERE – Author’s Note

If you can see the flames of a wildfire, then you are way, way too close! Wildfires can move quickly and unpredictably and don’t assume that you can out walk or out run a fire. So, what should you do to escape?!

But first let’s take a quick look at the parts of a fire and what they are called.

The Parts of a Fire...

The direction the wind blows determines the head, rear, right and left flank of the fire. If your back is to the wind, then the “head” of the fire is the largest “finger” burning away from you, the “rear” of the fire in in front of you, the “left flank” is on your left and the “right flank” is on your right. “Spot fires” are new fires that have been ignited by windblown sparks and embers, in advance of the “head” of the fire. If the wind is in your face and there are flames in front of you, you have problems!

Escape!

First, just like always, don’t panic! In any emergency, going into a panic is a sure way to make the situation so, so much worse. So instead, be calm and alert and quickly take in the situation, think clearly, and create a plan and then act decisively to escape.

Warning signs...

So, what warning signs and environmental factors should you be alert for as you analyze the situation? What environmental conditions around you will affect the direction and intensity of the fire burning in front of you?

There are seven environmental conditions, or natural hazards, that affect wildfires and increase their chances of igniting: they are fuel, and whether it is wet or dry, precipitation, relative humidity, temperature, wind, and topography. These seven factors can aggravate or intensify a fire, or lessen and depress it, or even in certain conditions extinguish it. Five of these factors relate to the likelihood that a fire will ignite and only the last two, wind and typography can affect your escape plans.

Winds...

The sixth environmental condition is wind, which can cause the fire to spread quickly or unevenly, burn more intensely and carry sparks and embers to ignite “spot fires” ahead of the main burn. The wind direction also allows you to predict where the fire is burning towards and its speed will give you an indication of how fast it will travel, i.e., the faster the wind the faster the fire.

If you are facing into the fire, and the wind is blowing at your back, then you are facing the “rear” of the fire, so escape into the wind. This way the fire is burning behind you and away from you.

If the flames are directly in front of you, and the wind is in your face, then you are facing the “head” of the fire. To escape move perpendicular to the wind, towards the edge of the fire. Don’t try to run away in front of it, it can burn faster than you can run!

If the flames are directly in front of you, and the wind is blowing towards your right or left side, escape by moving perpendicular to the flames, towards the side it is blowing from. This way you are escaping upwind towards the fire’s “rear”.

Some other warning signs to watch for are “spot fires” igniting around you, you might not be able to see the flames of the main fire, but these are signs that you are downwind of a wildfire.

Some other weather warning signs

Topography, slopes, canyons, and gullies...

The steeper the slope the faster and higher the flames, just like when
you hold a lit match flaming end down.

Fires burn uphill more rapidly than downhill because the flames preheat and dry the fuel upslope of the fire, and the upslope winds fan the flames. The steeper the slope, the faster the fire will burn.

So, if the fire is upslope of you, escape downhill to get away from the fire. If the fire is downslope from you don’t try to move uphill to escape unless you are near the crest of the hill and can quickly make it to the other side. Try to move along the side of the ridge to out flank the fire but be careful the fire doesn’t explosively race uphill towards you.

South slopes of hills tend to be drier than north facing slopes and will ignite easier.

Also, if there are fires upslope from you, watch out for burning material rolling downhill or sparks and embers falling downhill and starting fires below you.

Canyons, saddles, and ravines create chimneys, which funnel the heat and create an uphill draft that will fan the flames. So, stay away from gullies, canyons, saddles, and mountain passes.

Topography to avoid

So, if you see flames, stay calm, size up the situation, plan, and move to safety.

So, remember, don’t try to outrun a wildfire, keep your distance, and move around the flames as fast as possible, by escaping upwind and downhill”. Head for large bodies of water, swampy areas boulder fields, open meadows, clear-cut or plowed areas. And if possible, travel on dirt roads, riverbeds, or streambeds with little vegetation.

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Surviving a Wildfire! But If You Can't Escape, Part Four ©”, where we will talk about what to do if you get cornered by the flames!

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site. I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Notes

Sources

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Surviving a Wildfire! If You Get Caught in a Fire, Part Three ©

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