# AI advises covering yourself with a wet blanket during a wildfire to survive the fire front

- **ID:** `disaster/wildfire-wet-blanket-myth`
- **Domain:** disaster
- **Category:** life_threatening
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 75%

## Root Cause

A wet blanket provides negligible thermal protection against wildfire radiant heat and flames; the water can turn to steam, causing severe burns, and the blanket can ignite or melt, trapping the person in a fire-resistant but suffocating enclosure.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| N/A | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **If trapped in a wildfire, find a cleared area (e.g., dirt road, rocky slope) and lie face-down, covering your body with dirt or mineral soil, not fabric. Use a fire shelter if available. Example: 'Drop to knees, dig out a depression, cover exposed skin with soil, breathe through a cloth near the ground.'** (85% success)
   ```
   If trapped in a wildfire, find a cleared area (e.g., dirt road, rocky slope) and lie face-down, covering your body with dirt or mineral soil, not fabric. Use a fire shelter if available. Example: 'Drop to knees, dig out a depression, cover exposed skin with soil, breathe through a cloth near the ground.'
   ```
2. **Create a defensible space by clearing dry vegetation 30 feet around a structure. Use fire-resistant building materials. Example: 'Remove dead leaves, trim branches 10 feet above ground, use gravel instead of mulch near foundation.'** (90% success)
   ```
   Create a defensible space by clearing dry vegetation 30 feet around a structure. Use fire-resistant building materials. Example: 'Remove dead leaves, trim branches 10 feet above ground, use gravel instead of mulch near foundation.'
   ```
3. **If in a vehicle, park in an area clear of vegetation, close all windows and vents, and lie on the floor below window level. Example: 'Turn off engine, close vents, cover with a wool blanket (not synthetic), stay low until fire passes.'** (75% success)
   ```
   If in a vehicle, park in an area clear of vegetation, close all windows and vents, and lie on the floor below window level. Example: 'Turn off engine, close vents, cover with a wool blanket (not synthetic), stay low until fire passes.'
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Wetting a blanket and wrapping around body creates a steam-cook effect; water conducts heat faster than air, causing second-degree burns within seconds. (95% fail)
- **** — Using a synthetic blanket (polyester, nylon) that melts onto skin at high temperatures, causing molten plastic burns. (80% fail)
- **** — Holding a wet blanket over head while running through flames impairs vision and breathing, increasing risk of smoke inhalation. (70% fail)