Recent Research Sheds Light on the Relationship Between EMFs and Wildfires

In research published last year by Ecology & Conservation Science, I showed that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can selectively impact low-growing plants to make them explosively flammable. The terpene hydroperoxides that EMFs produce can also cause spontaneous combustion. Fires examined in this paper each showed multiple independent starts and wind patterns with extensive periods of very low wind followed by strong gusty winds, consistent with what is predicted from the proposed four-part mechanism. Per an analysis of the Burbank Airport wind records, the recent January Southern California wildfires showed the same or at least comparable wind patterns. The fires examined in the paper each started in association with high-voltage powerlines, and were consistent with model predictions—particularly the very recent Altadena fire.

Martin Pall is an alum who obtained his PhD in biochemistry and genetics from Caltech in 1968. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Washington State University’s School of Molecular Biosciences.