ELi5: What causes wildfires and why are they so difficult to put out?

Question

Is there a way we can prevent them from occurring in the first place, or is it inevitable during the summer months?

In: 29

Answer 1

Controlled burns are the answer. Per acre they are significantly cheaper to execute versus fighting an uncontrolled fire. Like others have said, you cannot prevent trees from dying, drying out, and catching on fire. But you can establish burn zones ahead of time and control which parts of a forest burn and when