{
  "id": "disaster/wildfire-bury-self-in-beach-sand-myth",
  "signature": "AI advises burying yourself in beach sand or loose soil to survive a wildfire (suffocation and radiant heat risk)",
  "signature_zh": "AI 建议将自己埋在沙滩或松土中以求在野火中幸存（窒息和辐射热风险）",
  "regex": "bury.*sand.*wildfire|wildfire.*bury.*beach|sand.*survive.*fire",
  "domain": "disaster",
  "category": "life_threatening",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "Burying in sand or soil does not protect against radiant heat; the surface layer heats up rapidly and conducts heat downward, cooking the buried person. Additionally, sand can collapse and suffocate, and breathing through sand causes inhalation of fine particles.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "埋在沙子或土壤中无法防护辐射热；表层会迅速升温并将热量向下传导，导致被埋者被烤熟。此外，沙子可能坍塌导致窒息，通过沙子呼吸会吸入细颗粒物。",
  "versions": [],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Wet the sand or soil before burying yourself to improve heat protection",
      "why_fails": "Wet sand conducts heat faster than dry sand; the moisture turns to steam and can scald. Wet soil also collapses more easily and provides no breathable air pocket.",
      "fail_rate": 0.92,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "Cover your face with a wet cloth while buried to filter smoke",
      "why_fails": "A wet cloth over the face in a sand burial quickly clogs with sand particles and becomes ineffective; the cloth also restricts airflow and increases suffocation risk.",
      "fail_rate": 0.85,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "Dig a deep trench and cover yourself with a metal sheet or wet blanket before piling sand on top",
      "why_fails": "Metal sheets become lethally hot under radiant heat; wet blankets steam and lose moisture. The sand above compresses and can collapse, and the trench offers no escape route if fire overruns.",
      "fail_rate": 0.78,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Evacuate the wildfire area early. If trapped, find a body of water (lake, river, pool) and submerge yourself up to the neck, covering your head with a wet cloth. Avoid breathing smoke. Do not use sand or soil.",
      "success_rate": 0.7,
      "how": "Evacuate the wildfire area early. If trapped, find a body of water (lake, river, pool) and submerge yourself up to the neck, covering your head with a wet cloth. Avoid breathing smoke. Do not use sand or soil.",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "If no water is available, clear a large area of vegetation down to mineral soil and lie face-down in the cleared area, covering your body with a dry wool blanket or non-synthetic material. Protect your airway with a cloth.",
      "success_rate": 0.65,
      "how": "If no water is available, clear a large area of vegetation down to mineral soil and lie face-down in the cleared area, covering your body with a dry wool blanket or non-synthetic material. Protect your airway with a cloth.",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [
    "尽早撤离野火区域。如果被困，寻找水体（湖泊、河流、游泳池）并将自己浸没至颈部，用湿布盖住头部。避免吸入烟雾。不要使用沙子或土壤。",
    "如果没有水，清理出一大片植被直至矿物土壤，面朝下躺在清理过的区域，用干燥的羊毛毯或非合成材料覆盖身体。用布保护呼吸道。"
  ],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": "https://www.ready.gov/wildfires",
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.86,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.79,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2024-11-05",
  "last_confirmed": "2024-06-01",
  "last_updated": "2024-06-01",
  "evidence_count": 1,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": []
}