{"id":35488,"date":"2026-01-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/za\/?p=35488"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:55:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:55:37","slug":"what-is-a-bushfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a bushfire?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>What is a bushfire? Bushfires are fires that burn through areas of bushland. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are a type of <strong>wildfire<\/strong> thats burn through vegetation like <strong>woodland<\/strong>, <strong>scrubland<\/strong>, <strong>grassland<\/strong> or <strong>savannahs<\/strong>. These fires are unpredictable and difficult to control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These fires are particularly common in areas that experience hot, dry weather, like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/discover\/geography\/countries\/facts-about-australia\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"847\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Australia<\/a><\/strong>, <strong>Greece<\/strong>, <strong>Africa<\/strong> and parts of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/discover\/geography\/countries\/usa-facts\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USA<\/a>, like <strong>California<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What causes bushfires?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of possible <strong>bushfire causes<\/strong>. They can start <strong>naturally<\/strong>, when <strong>lightning strikes<\/strong> and ignites dry plants and trees. But they can also be caused by people \u2013 for example, by someone <strong>not extinguishing their campfire<\/strong> properly. Sadly, sometimes fires are started deliberately, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Climate change<\/strong> doesn&#8217;t start bushfires, but it does cause them to become <strong>larger<\/strong> and <strong>more ferocious<\/strong>. That&#8217;s because our warming planet is experiencing more <strong>intense<\/strong> periods of <strong>drought<\/strong>, drying out the vegetation that <strong>fuels<\/strong> the fires. All that&#8217;s needed is a spark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"What is climate change (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/au\/discover\/geography\/general-geography\/what-is-climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\">What is climate change<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/au\/discover\/geography\/general-geography\/what-is-climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"? (opens in a new tab)\">?<\/a><br>Read our article to understand more about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are bushfires natural?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Believe it or not, bushfires are actually part of an important <strong>natural cycle<\/strong> that&#8217;s been around for <strong>hundreds of millions of years<\/strong>. Flames can kill insects and <strong>diseases<\/strong> that harm trees. Low intensity fires burn dead or decaying debris on the ground which helps return <strong>nutrients<\/strong> to the soil. Fires also make space for <strong>new shoots<\/strong> to grow, and for more <strong>sunlight<\/strong> to reach the ground \u2013&nbsp;creating a valuable food source and new <strong>habitat<\/strong> for animals and birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In places that often experience fires, some species of plants have even <strong>adapted<\/strong> to use fire for survival. For example, <strong>bottlebrush plants<\/strong> that grow in Australia produce a hard, woody fruit containing hundreds of tiny seeds. Some plants won&#8217;t release these seeds unless there is a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2024\/09\/MillenniumSeedBank-4.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2024\/09\/MillenniumSeedBank-4.jpg\" alt=\"seeds from the millennium seed bank were used to replant green plants in the blackened landscape destroyed by bushfires\" class=\"wp-image-308418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2024\/09\/MillenniumSeedBank-4.jpg 635w, https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2024\/09\/MillenniumSeedBank-4-300x191.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, people who look after wild areas will start a <strong>controlled fire<\/strong> to help manage the land. These fires are <strong>carefully planned<\/strong> and monitored to make sure that they don&#8217;t put anyone at risk of danger. Controlled fires help to prevent large-scale, out-of-control bushfires by clearing <strong>dry leaves<\/strong>, <strong>grasses<\/strong> and <strong>branches<\/strong> that could fuel a potential fire, in a controlled way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditionally,<strong> <\/strong>the <strong>First Nations People<\/strong> of <strong>Australia<\/strong> used fire to manage the landscape, encourage <strong>new growth<\/strong> and help them <strong>hunt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why are bushfires dangerous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bushfires become dangerous when they grow <strong>out of control<\/strong> and encroach on <strong>communities<\/strong>. The flames can burn through buildings, and breathing in the smoke from fires can be harmful. Windy weather conditions can fan the flames, spreading the blaze more quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, there are lots of people, like firefighters, government officials and ordinary men and women, working extremely hard to learn how to better prevent and control bushfires. And there are lots of ways in which you and your family can stay safe during a bushfire, like planning an escape route and keeping an emergency bag packed in case you need to leave in a hurry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">You can learn more in this <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"kids' guide to bushfire safety (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfs.sa.gov.au\/site\/resources\/fun_stuff.jsp\" target=\"_blank\">kids&#8217; guide to bushfire safety<\/a> from the South Australian Country Fire Service.<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What can I do to help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re worried about bushfires, there&#8217;s lots you can do to help the people and wildlife affected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 Consider raising money for a charity. You could hold a bake sale or do a sponsored walk to drum up donations: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wildlifevictoria.org.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wildlife Victoria<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rspcavic.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RSPCA Victoria<\/a> are supporting wildlife during bushfires. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a aria-label=\"Save The Children Australia (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.savethechildren.org.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Save The Children Australia<\/a> and <a aria-label=\"Unicef Australia (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org.au\/appeals\/bushfire-and-drought-response\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unicef Australia<\/a> are supporting children who have been affected by bushfires.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 Create posters that educate others about the dangers of bushfires and how to stay safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 Be kind to the planet \u2013 climate change can make bushfires worse, so try to live in a way that doesn&#8217;t harm the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 Leave shallow dishes of cool water out for thirsty wildlife. Place them in shaded spots on the ground and up in trees, where animals will be safe from predators, if you can. Be sure to use non-metal dishes, as these will absorb heat and become hot very quickly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a bushfire? Bushfires are fires that burn through areas of bushland. They are a type of wildfire thats burn through vegetation like woodland, scrubland, grassland or savannahs. These fires are unpredictable and difficult to control. These fires are particularly common in areas that experience hot, dry weather, like Australia, Greece, Africa and parts &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What is a bushfire?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":35520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[780,2848,2847,719,2038,414,2850,2849],"christmas-category":[],"class_list":["post-35488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-physical-geography","tag-australia","tag-bushfire","tag-bushfires","tag-natural-disaster","tag-natural-disasters","tag-natural-hazards-and-disasters","tag-wildfire","tag-wildfires","countries-australia","countries-ireland","countries-new-zealand","countries-south-africa","countries-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is a bushfire? - Geography | National Geographic Kids<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is a bushfire and how does it start? Learn more about the cause of these fires and how you can help those who have been affected...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35488\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a bushfire? - Geography | National Geographic Kids\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is a bushfire and how does it start? Learn more about the cause of these fires and how you can help those who have been affected...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"National Geographic Kids\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ngkids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-02T08:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-04T15:55:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"210\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gemma Chandler\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@NGKidsUK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@NGKidsUK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gemma Chandler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gemma Chandler\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/195f18ea012555b4e0786f55a65c617e\"},\"headline\":\"What is a bushfire?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-02T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T15:55:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":671,\"commentCount\":156,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"australia\",\"bushfire\",\"bushfires\",\"natural disaster\",\"natural disasters\",\"natural hazards and disasters\",\"wildfire\",\"wildfires\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Physical Geography\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is a bushfire? - Geography | National Geographic Kids\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-02T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T15:55:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/195f18ea012555b4e0786f55a65c617e\"},\"description\":\"What is a bushfire and how does it start? Learn more about the cause of these fires and how you can help those who have been affected...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":210,\"caption\":\"What is a bushfire: image of Australian bushland\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/discover\\\/geography\\\/physical-geography\\\/what-is-a-bushfire\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is a bushfire?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"National Geographic Kids\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/195f18ea012555b4e0786f55a65c617e\",\"name\":\"Gemma Chandler\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/09764bf2066686d3c6812bacedec0e57c53560f041d853472e8c587403ef2b4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/09764bf2066686d3c6812bacedec0e57c53560f041d853472e8c587403ef2b4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/09764bf2066686d3c6812bacedec0e57c53560f041d853472e8c587403ef2b4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gemma Chandler\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.natgeokids.com\\\/nz\\\/author\\\/gemmachandler\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is a bushfire? - Geography | National Geographic Kids","description":"What is a bushfire and how does it start? Learn more about the cause of these fires and how you can help those who have been affected...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35488","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is a bushfire? - Geography | National Geographic Kids","og_description":"What is a bushfire and how does it start? Learn more about the cause of these fires and how you can help those who have been affected...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/","og_site_name":"National Geographic Kids","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ngkids\/","article_published_time":"2026-01-02T08:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-04T15:55:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":210,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gemma Chandler","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@NGKidsUK","twitter_site":"@NGKidsUK","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gemma Chandler","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/"},"author":{"name":"Gemma Chandler","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/195f18ea012555b4e0786f55a65c617e"},"headline":"What is a bushfire?","datePublished":"2026-01-02T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-04T15:55:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/"},"wordCount":671,"commentCount":156,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg","keywords":["australia","bushfire","bushfires","natural disaster","natural disasters","natural hazards and disasters","wildfire","wildfires"],"articleSection":["Physical Geography"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/","url":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/","name":"What is a bushfire? - Geography | National Geographic Kids","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-02T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-04T15:55:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/195f18ea012555b4e0786f55a65c617e"},"description":"What is a bushfire and how does it start? Learn more about the cause of these fires and how you can help those who have been affected...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-a-bushfire-featured.jpg","width":300,"height":210,"caption":"What is a bushfire: image of Australian bushland"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/physical-geography\/what-is-a-bushfire\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is a bushfire?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/","name":"National Geographic Kids","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/195f18ea012555b4e0786f55a65c617e","name":"Gemma Chandler","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09764bf2066686d3c6812bacedec0e57c53560f041d853472e8c587403ef2b4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09764bf2066686d3c6812bacedec0e57c53560f041d853472e8c587403ef2b4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09764bf2066686d3c6812bacedec0e57c53560f041d853472e8c587403ef2b4f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gemma Chandler"},"url":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/author\/gemmachandler\/"}]}},"wps_subtitle":"Learn about what causes bushfires and how you can help those affected\u2026","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35488"},{"taxonomy":"christmas-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/christmas-category?post=35488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}