Nine Catastrophes Worse Than Snow: #6

6. Wildfires

NPS Photo by Jeff Henry / Yellowstone National Park

Thanks to meeting Smokey the Bear at the Great New York State Fair, I know that wildfires do happen in New York, often in the Adirondacks during the summer.  And in the Finger Lakes we often live through "burn bans" in July or August as an effort to lower the risk of brush fires out in the country.  But I can't think of anywhere in New York where huge, unstoppable fires but entire metropolitan areas are at risk, like in some areas of the US.  

I know that controlled burns are often done as a method of reseeding dying forests, or to create fire blocks so a forest fire won't continue to spread to homes and businesses.  But sometimes forest fires start by accident and are hard to control.  I can't imagine knowing that a fire was headed towards my home, and having to watch as it destroyed everything I owned.

~Sarah Jane