Three types of landscape fires burn in wildland areas when conditions of fuel and weather permit ignition and sustained combustion: ground fires, surface fires and crown fires.
Ground fires burn in organic material of the soil layer (e.g. a peat fire) and usually do not produce
a visible flame. They can penetrate in very deep organic deposits and smolder several decimeters under the surface.
Surface Fires occur on the surface of the forests, in heathlands and grasslands with flame length up to one meter or slightly more. That type of landscape fire burns loose debris on the surface, which includes dead branches, leaves, needles and low vegetation.
Crown fires are the most dangerous fires affecting forest stands and can spread very fast. Crown fires may burn individual tree crowns or the whole forest canopy.
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