0:00:02 > 0:00:05On today's Fierce Earth, we're investigating wildfires.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08Ferocious flames.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13This is burning so rapidly, I'm moving back now, I'm moving back.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Devastation and destruction.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17The speed that it came at
0:00:17 > 0:00:20as it was taking all the houses was unbelievable.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Extreme heat.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25It's started to burn, whoa!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Wildfires rage out of control all over the world.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32We're going to find out how they start, who they affect
0:00:32 > 0:00:35and what humans can do to prevent them.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44What happens when the ground shakes, the seas rise up
0:00:44 > 0:00:47and the air tears itself apart?
0:00:47 > 0:00:49The Fierce Earth team move in,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52taking on the most powerful forces on the planet.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11Get ready for Fierce Earth - the Earth and how to survive it.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Since the beginning of time, the element of fire has been used
0:01:21 > 0:01:23for cooking, light and warmth.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27But how can this essential energy source turn from a simple flame
0:01:27 > 0:01:31into a ferocious force of nature?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Wildfires rage from Europe to Australia.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38They burn for days, weeks or even months at a time, destroying
0:01:38 > 0:01:42everything in their path and causing billions of pounds' worth of damage.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50It's the speed and intensity that makes a wildfire spread.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52This depends on the wind
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and whether it's burning on a flat or sloping land.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00When a fire is on flat ground, the heat from the flames rises up
0:02:00 > 0:02:06into the sky and the fire loses some of its energy, intensity and speed.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11But when the fire hits a hill, the heat is thrown forward.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13As the heat is pushed up the slope,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16it sets fire to whatever is in its path,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20keeping its energy, increasing its intensity and travelling faster.
0:02:20 > 0:02:27The speed that the fire travels can double, then double again and again.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32This how wildfires grow and gather their deadly momentum.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But how do they start?
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Clare is in Dorset to investigate.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50When conditions are right, wildfires can burn across the planet.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53They burn ferociously every summer.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55And we get them in the UK.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Here in Dorset is one of the most dangerous places for wildfires.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03'The countryside in this part of England is covered in gorse bushes.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08'Gorse is very dry so it burns really easily.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11'In June 2011,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15'this corner of England was on fire. It took over 200 firefighters
0:03:15 > 0:03:18'to bring the raging inferno under control.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23'Today, I'm here with some of the fire crews to learn more about
0:03:23 > 0:03:25'the behaviour of wildfires,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27'from a man who knows the science behind them,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30'Professor John Dold.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35'When it comes to wildfires, he's one of the world's leading authorities.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39'He examines how they behave and uses this information to train
0:03:39 > 0:03:44'and educate firefighters all over the world.'
0:03:44 > 0:03:46So what does it need for a wildfire to burn?
0:03:46 > 0:03:50You need three things, Clare. First of all, you need to have fuel.
0:03:50 > 0:03:56'And that fuel can be anything dry - trees, bushes, and even houses.'
0:03:57 > 0:04:01The second thing is oxygen and we're in the open air,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03there's bags of oxygen around us.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And the third thing you need is heat.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08So what is it that actually starts a fire?
0:04:08 > 0:04:12One of the most common causes of wildfire is human carelessness,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15people leaving their barbecues unattended.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18One thing that has caused a lot of wildfires are Chinese lanterns.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Really?- They're great fun,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23but they sometimes come down with a flame still inside
0:04:23 > 0:04:27and so you need to be careful if you're flying them
0:04:27 > 0:04:30anywhere near countryside that can burst into flames.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33But the most natural cause of wildfires is lightning.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39So once you've got those factors, it will burn,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41there's nothing you can do about it?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43That's right, all the ingredients are there,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45and if you've got the ignition, the fire can go.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'The bushes around me are about to go up in flames,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52'so I'm going to need full safety gear.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'Under the close supervision of the Fire & Rescue Service,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'John is going to light an experimental fire to demonstrate
0:04:58 > 0:05:01'how human carelessness can turn into a wildfire.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05'We've got the bushes as the fuel, oxygen, from around us,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09'and we've got the heat source - a flame.'
0:05:09 > 0:05:13We're ready to ignite!
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'Once all of these are put together, the fire's behaviour
0:05:17 > 0:05:19'is controlled by the wind.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22'This wind pushes the flames and heat in one direction.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24'If there is fuel in its path,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27'the fire will continue to burn and spread.'
0:05:27 > 0:05:31That fire, once it gets going, is going to burn against the wind.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34So we're not expecting it to spread very quickly?
0:05:34 > 0:05:36No, this one should go more slowly.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'Even though the flames take hold, there is nowhere for the fire to go.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43'The wind just whips the flames away from the fuel.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45'So there's nothing wild about this fire.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49'For the next part of our experiment, we move just 20 metres
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'and John lights another fire.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54'This time, the direction of the wind will push the flames
0:05:54 > 0:05:59'into the gorse bushes. This is now the start of a controlled wildfire.'
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Oh, my goodness, this is burning so rapidly.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04What a difference, just the position of the fire!
0:06:04 > 0:06:08It's lively, it's licking up the gorse, the wind is blowing it
0:06:08 > 0:06:12that way, this experiment is working really well, and it just goes
0:06:12 > 0:06:15to show it doesn't take much in the right position.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'So John's experiment proved that with fuel,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20'oxygen and heat, you will get a fire.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23'But it's the direction of the wind and what's in its path that turns
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'the smallest of blazes
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'into wildfires which can rage out of control.'
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We've seen how a fire can go from nothing to a raging inferno
0:06:38 > 0:06:42in seconds, just because of the direction and speed of the wind.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46As the flames jump from tree to tree or house to house,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49a wildfire can spread and travel at frightening speeds,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52even faster than a galloping racehorse.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Humans can't run that fast,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59so if you found yourself in the path of a wildfire, how would you feel?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01And what would you do to escape?
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Zoe and Leo take to the woods to find out.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16As you can see, we have our forest...
0:07:16 > 0:07:19and this lot are our wildfire.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'This band of pretend fire-starters are going to move through
0:07:22 > 0:07:26'the trees to recreate the front line of a wildfire.'
0:07:28 > 0:07:30They're going to push forwards through the forest
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and if they catch us, we're toast.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Our mission is simple. We have to stay ahead of the fire
0:07:37 > 0:07:39and make it to a firebreak.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42A firebreak could be a river, road or the edge of a forest,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46anything that stops the fire getting to fuel.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49We've never been to this forest before,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51so we don't know where the firebreaks are
0:07:51 > 0:07:53or what obstacles we may face.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56'Remember, anyone in a fluorescent jacket is playing
0:07:56 > 0:07:59'the part of wildfire.'
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Here we go!
0:08:06 > 0:08:10It's quite dense, don't trip over. That way, that way.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12'We're managing to keep a safe distance between us
0:08:12 > 0:08:14'and the wall of fire,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16'but there is something else we have to deal with.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'A wildfire doesn't always travel in a straight line.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23'It is unpredictable. It can jump ahead, or side-to-side,
0:08:23 > 0:08:28'and can move through parts of the forest faster than others.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30'It's not long before we hit our first obstacle.'
0:08:30 > 0:08:32You OK? Yeah, I'm good.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36'Whilst we have to navigate around new patches of fire
0:08:36 > 0:08:40'and smoke, the wildfire starts to gain the upper hand.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:44It's got ahead of us. How're we going to get round it?
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It's quite weird, coming from both sides.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52They're catching us. They can go straight through, you see.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55BOTH: Argh!
0:08:55 > 0:08:58'We have to rethink our escape strategy and change direction.'
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Where shall we go now?
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Let's go up-wind, that way.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08'We've only been trying to outrun the fire for a couple of minutes,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'but already I'm exhausted.'
0:09:12 > 0:09:14I'm getting out of breath.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15Quick, quick, quick!
0:09:15 > 0:09:17'All I want to do is rest,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21'but we need to find the firebreak at the edge of the forest.'
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It just doesn't stop. It's gaining on us!
0:09:24 > 0:09:27It's getting faster, the wind's picking up.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Quick, they're right on us!
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Careful here, there's brambles everywhere.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Which way? Which way?
0:09:37 > 0:09:41'Finally, the edge of the forest is in sight. One last push,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44'and, hopefully, we can make it to safety!'
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Bit quicker, I reckon.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50There's a good foothold there.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Oh, we made it! Yes!
0:09:56 > 0:10:00'We've made it to the edge of the forest, to the firebreak
0:10:00 > 0:10:02'and, most importantly, to safety.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'The fire couldn't get to any fresh fuel to continue burning,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08'so it fizzled out.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It's really hard work, because it doesn't stop moving towards you,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14so when you get out of breath and you think you can take a rest,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17you look back and it's coming closer and closer,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21It's quite intense when the smoke's coming up behind you,
0:10:21 > 0:10:22and you get to some bad terrain.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24It doesn't affect the fire but it affects you,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and then suddenly it flares up in front of you.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29If you're in a real fire, and you're feeling the heat
0:10:29 > 0:10:32of the fire against your back, that would be terrifying.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Glad to get out of it.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38'We managed to outrun our wildfire, but what if you can't run
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'and you have to stay and fight it?
0:10:44 > 0:10:49'Coming up on Fierce Earth...we travel to America to meet a teenage
0:10:49 > 0:10:53'firefighter who has seen first-hand the devastation
0:10:53 > 0:10:55'that wildfires can cause.'
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Flames would shoot three times the size of that tree right there.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I was a little scared cos I'd never fought a fire before.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10All over the world, firefighters find themselves up close
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and personal with wildfire. They stand up to it,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and feel the force of the flames, the smoke, and the scorching heat.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Firefighters have to go through extreme training to prepare
0:11:21 > 0:11:23themselves for horrifying fires.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24Leo's challenge today
0:11:24 > 0:11:28is to come face-to-face with the same intense heat as a wildfire.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I know all about life on the edge.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39I've climbed to the top of the world's highest mountain.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Frozen in the Antarctic.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47And parachuted off the planet's biggest cliffs.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Today, I'm going to jump right out of my comfort zone
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and put myself in the middle of an inferno.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05'This is the International Fire Training Centre in Darlington.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08'Firefighters from all around the world come here
0:12:08 > 0:12:11'to the northeast of England to experience the ferocity of fire
0:12:11 > 0:12:13'and how to control it.'
0:12:16 > 0:12:19We've seen the devastation that wildfires can cause
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and the speed they can move.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I'm about to find out what it's like to come face-to-face
0:12:23 > 0:12:25with this fierce element.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I'm going into the belly of this beast. It's used to simulate
0:12:28 > 0:12:31intense industrial fires and it's the closest I'm going to get
0:12:31 > 0:12:34to finding out what's like to be in the middle of a wildfire.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I need some more specialist equipment before I go inside.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40It's called a breathing apparatus and it's going to keep me alive.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42So let's get kitted up.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50This is a really critical process. This, your life depends on,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Everything's got to be done just so.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Dave's here to make sure I do it correctly.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01'I'm about to enter the wildfire. The fire is going to rage
0:13:01 > 0:13:04'and I'm going to be stood right underneath it.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:09The temperature will reach about 800 degrees centigrade
0:13:09 > 0:13:11so that's going to be
0:13:11 > 0:13:14quite an intense experience in a very short space of time.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17'800 degrees is four times hotter than your oven at home.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19'What I'm going to experience is the nearest
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'I could come to looking a wildfire in the eye.'
0:13:31 > 0:13:35I feel a little bit like Darth Vader in here.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Quite a strange sensation, you feel really locked in.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I've never experienced anything like this.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45OK, I'm about to find out what it's like
0:13:45 > 0:13:48to be in the centre of a wildfire. Here we go.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Wow, pretty spooky in here.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02My goodness.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Not many people get to experience anything like this
0:14:06 > 0:14:07and come out in one piece.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14It's really eerie, feels like the scene of a horror movie.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I'm going to give the signal
0:14:18 > 0:14:20in a minute and I'll find out what it's like
0:14:20 > 0:14:23to be in the centre of a wildfire. I'm ready.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24OK, go for it.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Wow! Totally surreal, really hot.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48It doesn't feel real.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51It's the weirdest sensation, look at that.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's really hot.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59Argh. It's starting to burn, whoa, it's like a wall of heat.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Boof!
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It's like being hit by a freight train of heat,
0:15:03 > 0:15:09that's really intense. Oh! And that's just for a few seconds.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Woo, you wouldn't want to get caught out by one of those.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17It just looks amazing, it doesn't look real -
0:15:17 > 0:15:20it looks like something out of a movie,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24totally surreal wave of flame
0:15:24 > 0:15:27engulfing the room.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'I did it. I felt first-hand
0:15:36 > 0:15:40'the ferocity that comes from a wildfire.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'The temperature was 800 degrees.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48'The flames burned just 50 centimetres away from my head.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51'I felt scorching heat for 19 seconds.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57'The power of the fire was awesome.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59That was intense.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Terrifying, but really beautiful at the same time.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I've never experienced anything like that before.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09This is a test environment and you do feel pretty safe
0:16:09 > 0:16:12with these guys, but it's so unusual being that close to a massive fire.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18'After feeling the awesome heat and power that came from that fire,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21'it's easy to see how in the dry summer months,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23'wildfires can rage out of control.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'Some burn for weeks, even months,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30'destroying everything in their path.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32'Some can be really quick and deadly.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'Here are the most infamous wildfires in recent times.'
0:16:38 > 0:16:41In third place... during the summer of 2007,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44a series of huge forest fires burnt across Greece.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Things took a deadly turn
0:16:46 > 0:16:49when the fires from woodlands swept through towns and cities.
0:16:49 > 0:16:5384 people lost their lives,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55thousands lost their homes
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and the cost for the clear-up totalled £1.6 billion.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06In second, it's the forest wildfires of Indonesia in July 1997.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09They burnt out of control for months.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12The damage to the environment was immeasurable
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and 80,000 square kilometres of land was obliterated.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17That's an area the size of Scotland.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23And in first, in Australia, 2009,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25amidst the boiling-hot temperatures
0:17:25 > 0:17:30of summer, as many as 400 individual wildfires swept across Victoria.
0:17:30 > 0:17:37On one single day, 173 people died and 414 people were injured.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It would be known for ever more as Black Saturday.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46An area that is blighted with deadly wildfires that kill people
0:17:46 > 0:17:50each year is Colorado in the United States of America.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52During the hottest months,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55thousands of people's lives are affected by fires.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58In the summer of 2012,
0:17:58 > 0:18:0118-year-old Emily Franklin was one of them.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Emily lives near Glen Haven,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07a sleepy one-horse town in the Rocky Mountains.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10The Rockies are prime wildfire territory, with massive
0:18:10 > 0:18:14areas of woodland, mountains for the flames to leap up
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and strong winds to fan the flames.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20In Glen Haven, there are constant reminders that danger
0:18:20 > 0:18:21is never far away.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24This town takes the threat so seriously,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26it's got its own fire station.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I could show you guys around a little bit.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31It wouldn't take long, there's not much.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's a tiny little place here in Glen Haven!
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Emily is the youngest firefighter in the Glen Haven Fire Department.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43She stands side-by-side with her colleagues to serve
0:18:43 > 0:18:45and protect the community.
0:18:45 > 0:18:51As a volunteer firefighter, Emily is on stand-by 24 hours a day,
0:18:51 > 0:18:52seven days a week.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55She has to always be ready for the call
0:18:55 > 0:18:58when she will race to the station and jump into action.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Wildfire season in the United States lasts during the dry, hot
0:19:02 > 0:19:06summer months, and at this time, everyone here is on stand-by, ready
0:19:06 > 0:19:12to evacuate their homes, and get as far away from the fires as possible.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14It's getting way too close.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I can't believe they're not getting people out faster.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18So many people need to get out of here.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22In June, 2012, fires burned across Colorado
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and firefighters were at full stretch.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27It's almost like being in a war zone.
0:19:27 > 0:19:2923rd June would be the day
0:19:29 > 0:19:32that Emily would fight her first fire.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35A tree branch rubbing on an electric power line sparked
0:19:35 > 0:19:40a fire in Woodlands Heights, the neighbourhood where Emily lived.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45They started calling out that there was a fire on High Drive
0:19:45 > 0:19:50and I kind of perked up because I was like, "I live near High Drive."
0:19:50 > 0:19:54So I went outside and immediately I could smell smoke
0:19:54 > 0:19:58and I could see it from across the trees back there.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Emily was the first firefighter on the scene
0:20:01 > 0:20:03and took control of the situation.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Many people were still in their homes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I told everyone to start getting out.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11The sheriff had been driving around telling everyone they needed
0:20:11 > 0:20:16to leave and evacuate and I remember yelling at the sheriff
0:20:16 > 0:20:19that I wasn't going to leave cos I didn't want my house to burn down.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21The fire had gripped Emily's neighbourhood.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25It would burn for two days and destroy 22 houses.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The series of fires which burned through Colorado that summer
0:20:28 > 0:20:30would eventually kill five people.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Flames would shoot three times the size of that tree right there.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39At one point, I was stamping on the flames.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43When they were really big, when these trees were catching on fire,
0:20:43 > 0:20:48I was about here, while that tree was torching, as they call it,
0:20:48 > 0:20:53and that house caught on fire while I was standing right here.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58All Emily had to fight the fire with was a garden hose.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The flames were getting closer and she was starting to lose the battle.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04When I was actually fighting it,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07the fire was like those rocks far away.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09It was really close.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13I was a little scared, cos I had never fought a fire before.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18And that was my first ever experience of anything.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26The speed that it came at, through, as it was taking all the houses,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28was...unbelievable.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33When I looked across and saw my house catching on fire
0:21:33 > 0:21:39and then eventually the whole thing went up in flames, and at that point
0:21:39 > 0:21:44I had dropped to my knees cos that was my house for 18 years,
0:21:44 > 0:21:50and all my stuff and everything was in there, I couldn't even believe it.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56The house that had been Emily's family home for three generations
0:21:56 > 0:22:01was reduced to rubble and ash. Everything was destroyed.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05This is where her home once stood.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It's weird that nothing's here any more.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Emily and her family now live with her grandparents,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14while they plan to build a new house on the site of their old home.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Despite losing her home
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and seeing the neighbourhood that she lives in devastated,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Emily is still determined that she wants to protect her community.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27I'm going to the Fire Academy,
0:22:27 > 0:22:32pretty much six months of getting your butt kicked into shape
0:22:32 > 0:22:33for actually doing this.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I'd rather be the person that's helping than the person
0:22:37 > 0:22:39that needs help this time.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Emily and her neighbours will always be on high alert, as will
0:22:42 > 0:22:46everyone who lives in areas prone to wildfires.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50They need to know what they can do to prevent wildfires from starting.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55While some fires are started deliberately,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58others are the result of people's carelessness.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02In America, 2011, 8.7 million acres of land,
0:23:02 > 0:23:07that's the same as 8.7 million football pitches, were burned
0:23:07 > 0:23:13by wildfires, and over half of these fires were started by humans.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16We have seen that wildfire can rapidly spread through hills
0:23:16 > 0:23:17and mountains.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22In this kind of terrain, it's really hard for firefighters to get close.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27If they can't get to a fire by road, they CAN take to the skies.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32In America, there are smoke jumpers, which are firefighters
0:23:32 > 0:23:34who go up in planes and parachute
0:23:34 > 0:23:36into the heart of fires in remote areas.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Smoke jumpers aim to get to the beginning of a wildfire,
0:23:39 > 0:23:44in an attempt to put it out, before it starts blazing out of control.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Planes and helicopters can also be used
0:23:47 > 0:23:50to dump water on to wildfires from above.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53They collect water from rivers or the sea
0:23:53 > 0:23:56in quantities of up to 20,000 gallons, which provides
0:23:56 > 0:24:00invaluable support for the fire-fighting teams on the ground.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Whether firefighters use fire engines, planes,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06or they parachute into the centre of wildfires,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08one thing is the same all over the world.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Their uniform.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Without their heat-resistant suits, they wouldn't be able to get
0:24:14 > 0:24:17close enough to wildfires to do their job and put out the fires.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22But what would happen if they didn't have this protection?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Leo is going to put the specialist kit to the test.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33It feels like a normal jacket and trousers, but this uniform is
0:24:33 > 0:24:36a lifesaver when it comes to protecting firefighters.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41It's made of three layers. The outer layer is to protect
0:24:41 > 0:24:45the firefighters from cuts or scrapes from sharp objects.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47But it's the special middle layer in this fabric
0:24:47 > 0:24:50that stops firefighters from getting burnt.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52That's because this layer is made
0:24:52 > 0:24:55of a special heat-resistant material.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It's the same thing used in bulletproof vests and body armour.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02The third layer keeps water out, but also breathes to allow
0:25:02 > 0:25:05the firefighter to keep cool whilst fighting wildfires.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10Which is exactly what you need when you're facing 800-degree heat.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14And this uniform is virtually same all over the world.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Today, we are going to test its special heat-resistant powers
0:25:18 > 0:25:20against this dummy wearing normal clothes.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I'm standing five metres from the flames and all that
0:25:24 > 0:25:29separates me from danger is a regulation firefighter's uniform.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32If it gets too hot, I'm going to tell them to turn the flames off.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44'As the fire rages, I can feel the heat
0:25:44 > 0:25:49'but my kit is doing its job and protecting me.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'Even at temperatures now over 500 degrees, and at close range,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57'I lasted two minutes, thanks to my fire-resistant clothing.'
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Fires can develop very quickly. You're going to suffer
0:25:59 > 0:26:03the consequence of the heat radiating from the fire.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05'That's what happened to our test dummy.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11'You can see that the normal clothes melted, whereas I was safe.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:13If the worst does happen and you do find
0:26:13 > 0:26:16yourself in the middle of a wildfire, there are ways to survive.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Here's our Fierce Earth guide.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Look for which way the smoke is blowing,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26to avoid getting in the direct path of the fire.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Stay away from hills or canyons.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It's here that the fire will erupt and intensify.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Get yourself to ground that can't burn.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Remember, there's no fire without fuel.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So that is how you maximise your chances of surviving
0:26:42 > 0:26:44the Fierce Earth.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Coming up next time, Clare and Leo
0:26:48 > 0:26:52travel to the world's hottest place for a Fierce Earth special.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56The things we do for science!
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd