The Northwest Fire Science Consortium, in partnership with the University of Oregon Center for Science Communication has created several short videos to accessibly explain some basic fire facts and offer insight that can help communities be better prepared for fire seasons. These videos highlight several of the Consortium’s Fire Facts resources, which were created to provide basic wildfire information, background, terminology, and resources to increase knowledge and understanding of wildland fire and the ways we can all contribute to better fire outcomes.
The Fire Triangle is a simple way of understanding the components of fire. Each side of the triangle represents one of three components needed to have a fire – oxygen, fuel and heat. Fire is a chemical reaction and without one of these components, fire cannot exist or be sustained.
Wildfire smoke is typically a mixture of water vapor, gases, fine particles, and trace minerals from burning fuels like trees and vegetation, other organic components, and, sometimes, building materials.
The basic principles and concepts of fire weather as they relate to wildland fire behavior include: wind, air temperature and relative humidity, precipitation, and atmospheric stability
