Forest fires can be started naturally by lightning or human causes such as smoking. While human-caused fires are more common, naturally started fires often burn larger areas due to slower detection. For a fire to burn, it requires heat, oxygen, and fuel. Fires are classified by their location in forests and combustion type. Proper communication and rapid response are important for fighting fires. Prevention tips include maintaining defensible spaces and following safe burning practices.

1. FOREST FIRE HOW THEY ARE
CAUSED
 Forest fires always start by one of two ways - naturally
caused or human caused. Natural fires are generally started
by lightning, with a very small percentage started by
spontaneous combustion of dry fuel such as sawdust and
leaves. On the other hand, human-caused fires can be due
to any number of reasons. Some classifications include
smoking, recreation, equipment, and miscellaneous.
Human-caused fires constitute the greater percentage of
forest fires in our forests, but natural fires constitute the
great majority of the total area burned. This is because
human-caused fires are usually detected early in their
duration, and therefore they are usually contained easily.
Natural fires, on the other hand, can burn for hours before
being detected by firefighting authorities.

2. HOW FOREST FIRE BURN
 There are three elements that are required for a forest fire to burn: Heat,
Oxygen, and Fuel. This is the so-called "fire triangle". Without all three of these
elements, the fire will go out. Furthermore, the fire will spread in the direction
of the most abundant supply of the three elements, while its rate of
combustion is usually limited by one of the three elements. Once the fire
enters the combustion stage, there are three main types of classifications for
the fire. A smoldering fire is one that emits smoke but no flame and is rarely
self-sustained. A fire is classified as flaming combustion when flames are
present. Charcoal can be formed in the absence of oxygen with this type of fire.
Glowing combustion is a later stage of the fire and is characterized by a slower
rate of combustion and blue flame. Forest fires can also be classified by what
part of the forest they burn in:
 Ground fires occur on the ground, often below the leaves.Surface Fires occur on
the surface of the forest up to 1.3 meters high.Crown fires are the most
dangerous fires and can spread the fastest. They occur in the tops of the trees.
They can be: (a) dependent upon surface fires to burn the crowns, (b) active in
which they occur at the same rate as surface fires, or (c) the most destructive,
independent, where fire can "jump" from crown to crown.
 It is not uncommon for two or three types of fires to occur simultaneously.

3. Fighting Forest Fires
 Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of fighting forest
fires is communication. It is vital that the proper
authorities be notified as soon as possible when a fire
occurs. Obviously, a fire that is detected in its early
stages will be much easier to extinguish than a fire that
has been burning for some time but has only just been
disovered because of lack of communication. Once a
fire has been detected, the fire fighters must be
transported to the fire and then apply suppression
methods.

4. FOREST FIRE PREVENTION TIPS
 The DEEP's Forest Fire Control Office urges all who enjoy
the use of Connecticut's parks, forests and open spaces, to
use fires with caution and heed the following
recommendations especially during forest fire season:
 Obey local laws regarding open fires, including campfires;
 Keep all flammable objects away from fire;
 Have firefighting tools nearby and handy;
 Carefully dispose of hot charcoal;
 Drown all fires;
 Carefully extinguish smoking materials.

5.  For Connecticut homeowners, the following steps are suggested to protect your family members and home:
 Make a fire safe zone around your house. Clean flammable vegetation and debris from at least 30 feet around the
house and any outbuildings;
 Prune away the lower limbs of evergreens that are within the fire safe zone. Evergreens catch fire easily during dry
periods and burn quickly;
 Remove any limbs which overhang the roof or chimney;
 Regularly remove leaves and needles from gutters;
 Don't store firewood in the fire safe zone;
 Use fire resistant roofing materials;
 Make sure firefighters can find and access your home. Mark your house and roads clearly, and prune away limbs and
trees along your driveway which don't allow fire truck access;
 Have an escape plan-- and practice it;
 Follow state and local open burning laws;
 Stay with outside fires until they are completely safe and dead out;
 Dispose of wood ashes in a metal bucket, soaking them with water before dumping them.
 If you spot a forest fire, remain calm, go to the nearest telephone and dial 911 to report the fire as quickly as possible
to your local fire department. Calmly tell the emergency dispatcher when you saw it and where you saw it. If you see
anything suspicious at or near the scene of the fire, take note and relay that to 911 as well. Stay on the telephone until
the dispatcher tells you to hang up.
 For more information on forest fire prevention, visit the Smokey Bear website.
 Daily Forest Fire Danger Report
 Last Updated August 2019
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6. CONTROLLED TIPS
 Fire fighting reservoirs.
 Infrastructure.
 Machinery and equipment.
 Forest Fire Monitoring.
 Aerial Surveillance.
 Mapping.
 Communication equipment.
 Emergency and deployment plans, Control of
operations.

7. WHY FOREST FIRE ARE IMORTANT
 The importance of forests cannot be underestimated.
 We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we
breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats
for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also
offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and
mitigate climate change. Yet, despite our dependence
on forests, we are still allowing them to disappear.

8. HOW HAVE FOREST AFFECTED
YOUR LIFE TODAY
 Have you had your breakfast? Travelled to work in a
bus or car? Sat on a chair? Made a shopping list? Got a
parking ticket? Blown your nose into a tissue? Forest
products are a vital part of our daily lives in more ways
than we can imagine.

9. Over 2 billion people rely on
forests
 Forests provide us with shelter, livelihoods, water, food
and fuel security. All these activities directly or
indirectly involve forests. Some are easy to figure out -
fruits, paper and wood from trees, and so on. Others
are less obvious, such as by-products that go into
everyday items like medicines, cosmetics and
detergents.

10. Habitats for biodiversity and
livelihood for Humans
 Looking at it beyond our narrow, human – not to
mention urban – perspective, forests provide habitats
to diverse animal species. They are home to 80% of the
world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and they also form the
source of livelihood for many different human
settlements, including 60 million indigenous people.