A
wildfire or
wildland fire is an uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside area. Other names such as
brush fire,
bush fire,
forest fire,
desert fire,
grass fire,
hill fire,
peat fire,
vegetation fire, and
veldfire may be used to describe the same phenomenon depending on the type of
vegetation being burned, and the regional variant of English being used. A wildfire differs from other fires by its extensive size, the speed at which it can spread out from its original source, its potential to change direction unexpectedly, and its ability to jump gaps such as roads, rivers and
fire breaks. Wildfires are characterized in terms of the cause of ignition, their physical properties such as speed of , the combustible material present, and the effect of weather on the fire.