According to author John Vaillant, wildfires will dictate their own 鈥渢erms of engagement.鈥�
鈥淔ires are going to burn hotter in a warmer, dryer atmosphere,鈥� he told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Wednesday. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e seeing -- these more common extremes of heat, and dryness and fire intensity, especially in the Canadian West.鈥�
Vaillant鈥檚 new book, 鈥淔ire Weather: The Making of a Beast,鈥� unpacks this phenomenon, breaking down the nature of extreme wildfires that are the result of a hotter climate.
鈥淲hen you get enough heat, the fire grows bigger to create its own weather system,鈥� Vaillant explained.
鈥淲ith those winds and with the massive height of the clouds, it actually generates its own lightning, which means it can start its own fires 20 miles away, 30 miles away.鈥�
Vaillant said that a fire controlling its own weather system can keep fires going 鈥渂asically indefinitely.鈥�
His book centres on the wildfire that decimated Fort McMurray in May 2016, driving 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon, melting vehicles and turning whole neighbourhoods into crackling firebombs.
Vaillant warns this event was not unique as climate change renders the world more flammable. Unfortunately, recent events allow this to ring more true.
According to the National Wildland Fire Situation Report, there are currently 58 uncontrolled wildfires in Western Canada.
As Vaillant explains, the term 鈥溾�榝ire weather鈥� is the way that fire scientists and firefighters measure the flammability of the forest.鈥�
This accounts for the dryness of the soil and forest litter, as well as the relative humidity and temperature.
鈥淚t puts it all together and you get a fire weather index rating,鈥� he said. 鈥淥bviously, last week, the fire weather index was really high.鈥�
To learn more about Vaillant鈥檚 research and new book, watch the CTV鈥檚 Your Morning clip above.
