According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 2010 brought more than 64,000 human-made fires to the wild, burning more than 1.3 million acres of land. To put this into perspective, think about New York City. At 92,781 acres, New York City could have burned 14 times over with that amount of acreage! That's 1.3 million acres that didn't have to burn if the 'you' part of the wildfire equation had followed proper burning protocol.
Springtime actually brings a large wildfire threat to many parts of the country. The warm and dry weather entices many people to clean up their yards and burn the debris. If not properly controlled, these fires will grow to become uncontrollable. Luckily, most human-caused fires are preventable when proper precautions are taken. Here are just a few things you can do to avoid starting a wildfire:
Every year, many families lose their homes and possessions to wildfires caused by humans. Don't be a part of the statistics. Consider taking Smokey's pledge and show your commitment to wildfire prevention, because your safety is number one to us!
To help educate your children on preventing wildfires, check out Smokey the Bear, he’s a pretty smart fellow.
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