Can you use an explosion to put out a fire?

The blast knocks the flames off the fuel source, putting out the fire. In the case of wildfires, Doig says, an explosion could knock the fire out of intensely burning trees and onto the ground, where firefighters could more easily reach it. “As soon as the flame doesn’t have access to fuel anymore, it stops burning.”

What should firefighters do to control the fires?

Firefighters control a fire’s spread (or put it out) by removing one of the three ingredients fire needs to burn: heat, oxygen, or fuel. They remove heat by applying water or fire retardant on the ground (using pumps or special wildland fire engines) or by air (using helicopters/airplanes).

What is it called when firefighters try to stop a fire?

Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. In the United States and other countries, aggressive wildfire suppression aimed at minimizing fire has contributed to accumulation of fuel loads, increasing the risk of large, catastrophic fires.

Can you stop a fire with dynamite?

Using dynamite to “blow out” the fire by forcing the burning fuel and oxygen away from the fuel source. This was one of the earliest effective methods and is still widely used. In the 1930s mechanical jaws were developed to clamp off the pipe below the fire, but they are seldom used today.

What do firefighters use?

Firefighters are equipped with a wide variety of equipment for this purpose that include ladder trucks, pumper trucks, tanker trucks, fire hose, and fire extinguishers.

Why do controlled burns?

Controlled burns are lit for a number of reasons. By ridding a forest of dead leaves, tree limbs, and other debris, a prescribed burn can help prevent a destructive wildfire. Controlled burns can also reduce insect populations and destroy invasive plants. In addition, fire can be rejuvenating.

Why do firefighters set backfires?

Back burning reduces the amount of fuel that’s available to the main fire by the time that it reaches the burnt area. While controlled burns utilize back burning during planned fire events to create a “black line”, back burning or backfiring is also done to stop a wildfire that is already in progress.

What does mopping up a fire mean?

Mop-up: To make a fire safe or reduce residual smoke after the fire has been controlled by extinguishing or removing burning material along or near the control line, felling snags, or moving logs so they won’t roll downhill.

Why do firefighters cut down trees?

While ecologists value dead trees as natural assets that provide holes and logs needed by wildlife, firefighters view them as safety hazards that can crash down on roads, power lines and homes and that could potentially fuel bigger blazes.