Occurrence and spread of steppe fires

Man has faced steppe fires for centuries, but this phenomenon became a truly serious problem only in the XX century, when the ecosystem of the steppes practically lost the ability to self-regulate. Human actions have led to the fact that there are almost no large ungulates left in the steppes, which eat plants and trample paths that are a natural obstacle to fire. Grasses growing in the steppes have a high degree of ignition. The resulting fire can instantly spread to other plants, covering large areas. In an open area, fairly strong surface winds prevail, so the speed of fire propagation can reach 10 meters per second. During a steppe fire, the vegetation layer burns out completely, usually the empty soil is overgrown with wormwood and other weeds. The risk of a steppe fire is especially high in August and September. In addition to this time, field fires often occur in late spring, when last year's grass, which was under the snow in winter, begins to dry out. The cause of fires is most often the annealing of grass, which is out of human control.

 

Negative consequences

 

Steppe fires have serious economic and environmental consequences. Fire can arise in the field and destroy crops grown with great difficulty. The fire spreads quickly, and many small animals or steppe birds cannot escape from the toxic combustion products that are formed during the fire. Gorenje In addition, the smoke from the fire heavily pollutes the atmosphere. Some owners of pasture lands deliberately burn grass, trying to improve the quality of grass growing on this territory. Such actions only lead to the weakening of the ecosystem. After a steppe fire, grasses do not protect the soil from erosion, besides, the fire destroys the steppe felt that covers the land, which leads to desertification. Special services can easily localize a steppe fire, but due to the rapid spread of fire, a fire can be a real threat to forests, residential buildings or industrial buildings that are nearby. Most often, mineralized barriers are created to fight fire, through which its spread is impossible. During a steppe fire, tornadoes sometimes occur due to temperature differences, which can throw fire through mineralized bands and other obstacles. It is dangerous to be close to the steppe fire zone, because in addition to fire, carbon monoxide is a danger.

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE FIRE CONTROL OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF THE WEST KAZAKHSTAN REGION