When Do People Most Often Report a Wildfire?

People are more likely to report a wildfire in the middle of the afternoon. One of the reasons for this is that the heat of the midday sun helps strengthen the fire, which makes it easier for people to see the fire from a distance. According to information collected on wildfires at Yellowstone National Park, the average time when visitors report wildfires is 3:03 p.m.

More facts about wildfires:

• A wildfire is slightly different from a forest fire. The definition of a wildfire is any type of uncontrolled fire in a rural area or wilderness. A forest fire is specifically in a forest or wooded area.


• Trees can actually explode during a wildfire. If the temperature of the fire is hot enough to turn the water that is in the tree to steam, the trunk will burst.


• A wildfire might start naturally, such as from a lightning strike. More often, however, a wildfire is caused by negligence on the part of humans, such as failing to properly put out a campfire or dropping a smoldering match onto a pile of leaves or other vegetation.