How the Impact of Electromagnetic Fields on Plants Can Greatly Increase Severity of and Even Occurrence of "Wildfires": A Four-Part Structure

Abstract

Overview

Low growing plants near buildings and electric powerlines often burn explosively at extreme temperatures, leaving a light gray powder, whereas plants away from such sources of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) burn more normally, leaving slightly burned and/or charred materials.

It is argued here that EMFs trigger a four-part mechanism producing this unusual pattern.

• Electronically generated EMFs impact plants via activation of voltage-controlled calcium channels.
• This leads to increases in plant terpenes and three other classes of volatiles (polyamines, lipid peroxidation volatiles, and methyl jasmonate), as well as large increases in peroxynitrite and reactive free radicals.

Findings

1. The volatile terpenes make plants much more flammable.
2. Each of the four classes of volatiles accumulate in the air under very low wind conditions, and the heavy volatile-containing air spreads over the ground, selectively producing plasma membrane depolarization in low growing plants and parts of plants. Depolarization activates the same calcium channels activated by EMFs, selectively spreading and amplifying EMF-like effects to these low growing plants.
3. The terpenes react with free radicals and O₂ to produce three classes of explosive terpene-derived chemicals: hydroperoxides, nitrate esters, and nitro compounds.
   As a result, the explosive burning of these chemicals in low growing plants produces very rapidly advancing low-level firestorms, which, when they hit adjacent buildings, also causes the buildings to burn at extremely high temperatures, leaving a light gray powder.
4. Terpene hydroperoxides, because of their low thermostability, may cause spontaneous combustion, potentially limited to plant materials in depressions in the ground.

Conclusion

• Sixteen fire observations are inconsistent with climate change being the sole cause of fire severity but are consistent with the proposed EMF-linked mechanism.
• Wind records from four large explosive US fires were found to support the predictions of the mechanism.
• High voltage powerline roles in fires may be caused by "dirty electricity" produced EMFs, not just poor maintenance as previously assumed.
• This study highlights a substantive connection between electromagnetic fields and increased plant flammability and wildfire risk, emphasizing the role of EMFs as an environmental hazard.