The Silent Spread of Zombie Fires

Ethan Lee

Wildfire is a deadly disaster — whether the cause is natural or man-made, the effects are lethal. Due to wildfires, habitats are annihilated, trees are demolished, innocent lives are taken, and the air quality plummets. However, many critics assume that the arrival of the winter season may extinguish any existing wildfire, due to the heavy amount of snowfall. Despite these reasonable theories, the truth is, the majority of the wildfires actually persist during and after winter. These silent killers conceal themselves under the snow, patiently waiting until the snow melts. As spring arrives, out of absolutely nowhere, an astonishing number of wildfires occur. They dig themselves out of the soil as if they had just come out of a grave — thus obtaining the fitting name "Zombie Fire".

Zombie fires, originally known as "holdover fires", possess a unique process that keeps the flames bright throughout the winter. When snow covers the burned areas, existing wildfires can continue to smolder in carbon-rich peat soil (underground). Since carbon is one of the main catalysts for maintaining a wildfire, carbon-rich soil takes a major role in ensuring that the fire does not extinguish. After the snow melts, the fire reemerges back to the surface, releasing immense carbon emissions that have been stored underground.

Climate change has a significant impact on the severity of zombie fires due to its effect on the environment's humidity and dryness. Wildfires ignite brighter and spread faster in warmer conditions, since the dryness causes vegetation (the fuel) to become more flammable. As a result, fires are capable of withstanding colder weather and burning deeper in organic soil.

Especially in environments like the Arctic, where atmospheric warming is much quicker, combustion becomes a danger factor. According to National Geographic, " in the first decade of the new millennium, fires burned 50 percent more acreage each year in the Arctic, on average, than any decade in the 1900s." Intense wildfire produces black carbon (soot), which is a deadly substance that can accelerate snow and glacier meltdown.

Works Cited

Borunda, Alejandra. ““Zombie” Fires in the Arctic Are Linked to Climate Change.” Environment, National Geographic, 19 May 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/zombie-fires-in-the-arctic-are-linked-to-climate-change.
Greenfield, Patrick. “Zombie Fires: How Arctic Wildfires That Come back to Life Are Ravaging Forests.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 24 Nov. 2025, www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/24/zombie-fires-arctic-wildfires-reignite-ravaging-forests-aoe.
in. “Zombie Fires in the Arctic Smoulder Underground and Refuse to Die – What’s Causing Them? | Arctic Focus.” Arctic Focus, 2024, www.arcticfocus.org/stories/zombie-fires-in-the-arctic-smoulder-underground-and-refuse-to-die-whats-causing-them/.