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The suppression of fire can lead to unforeseen changes in ecosystems that often adversely affect the plants, animals and humans that depend upon that habitat. Wildfires that deviate from a historical fire regime because of fire suppression are called "uncharacteristic fires". [citation needed]
The control of fire by early humans was a critical technology enabling the evolution of humans. Fire provided a source of warmth and lighting, protection from predators (especially at night), a way to create more advanced hunting tools, and a method for cooking food. These cultural advances allowed human geographic dispersal, cultural ...
Sources of human-caused fire may include arson, accidental ignition, or the uncontrolled use of fire in land-clearing and agriculture such as the slash-and-burn farming in Southeast Asia. [24] In the tropics , farmers often practice the slash-and-burn method of clearing fields during the dry season .
Human-caused fires are also responsible for 97% of wildfires that threaten homes. People often start wildfires through dangerous actions, including open burning, campfires, firearms and equipment use.
Nearly 85% of U.S. wildfires are caused by humans, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Natural causes include lightning and volcanic activity. The Hawaiian Islands have six active volcanoes ...
More importantly, fires have long-term effects on the post-burn environment. Fires in seldom-burned rainforests can cause disasters. For example, El Niño-induced surface fires in central Brazilian Amazonia have seriously affected the habitats of birds and primates. [22] Fires also expose animals to dangers such as humans or predators.
Cal Fire has listed the causes of the three primary fires − Palisades, Eaton and Hurst − as "under investigation." But even before the fire started, the National Weather Service had issued its ...
Fire history studies have documented regular wildland fires ignited by indigenous peoples in North America and Australia [49] [50] prior to the establishment of colonial law and fire suppression. Native Americans frequently used fire to manage natural environments in a way that benefited humans and wildlife in forests and grasslands by starting ...