The Little Brown Sparrow Who Could

Every year, countless forest fires destroy trees around the world. Some of the fires are caused by arsonists but the majority are the result of people's carelessness. While driving, many smokers often toss their cigarette butts out the window. When these fall on dry grass or a scrap of paper, they may start a fire. In the mountains, it may take a long time before anyone notices the fire, which thus has time to spread. Careless campers and picnickers leave their cooking fires smoldering, which, in the hot and dry weather, will easily rekindle and start a fire. Every year, many fires are caused by careless monitoring of fires intended to clear farmland or to burn weeds or rubbish. Raging fires destroy farm property and kill farm animals, leaving many farmers without a source of livelihood. Many countries in the third world suffer from lack of firefighting equipment and personnel especially for fighting fires in the difficult-to-reach mountain regions.