MovieChat Forums > The Edge (1997) Discussion > Always wonder this in the survival type ...

Always wonder this in the survival type of movies

posted 10 years ago by mustsilm
14 replies | jump to latest

I always wonder when people get lost or what ever in the forest or around a place with trees around, why not just set fire to them all together. I mean we all hear every now and then a forest fire. Granted its not nature friendly thing to do, but its ultimately something which could really get them out of "nowhere". Of course then there wouldnt be a movie etc but just saying.

They had matches after all and they set fire to protect themselves from the bear, in one scene they put fire circle to protect from bear attack, i was wondering in that scene, if the fire would have just spreed out. A big fire would eventually bring the attention and copters and even more personal.

In a situation like this, you could easily say, i was making a signal fire for saving and it just spreed out of control and set fire to forest for excuse, even if you did it deliberately.

[–] fountaincap 10 years ago

I actually think that's a good idea as a last resort, if you can manage to get the fire big enough. I have always reserved this option for myself if I was ever in danger of dying in the woods.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mustsilm 10 years ago

You did watch the movie right?

SPOILERS

In the end of the movie, copter discovers them when Hopkins is waving, around a very small fire near the lake.

Secondly, we have seen/heard many many times of forest fire cases. Why is it that in real life actually a simple end of a cigarette can light the whole forest as it spreads but not in this movie.

There was copter flying around that area, remember in one scene they are running like crazy in the woods when the copter is flying over it.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] paulmarkj 10 years ago

The number of matches left is irrelevant - they have a big fire every night which out trumps a match!

The size of Alaska is irrelevant too. They were lost is a small area, 100 sq miles? 500 sq miles? so a big forest fire would be a big clue.

What would be hard is getting green trees to catch fire. Forest fires happen in hot dry weather.

I think the characters gave up hope of rescue far too soon (presumably to make it a more adventurous film). The search helicopters would have been searching for days and weeks because there obviously was a hope they were alive.

[–] dennisvest30 9 years ago

That might get you rescued but it'extreme and very dangerous. But there have been cases where someone lost cuts or downs power lines, knowing it will make a utility crew come out to repair it. That is, assuming you are near any sort of power lines, etc.

[–] NarcissaM 9 years ago

This.

Forest fires get out of hand so quickly. If/when they have to climb up a hill to get away from the fire (you are surrounded by mountains after all...), they would be moving that much slower on the climb, the heat would be overpowering them as the flames took over everything, and the thick black smoke would be too much. Likely they would pass out and burn before the fire was even noticed.

[–] the_la_baker 8 years ago

there have been cases where someone lost cuts or downs power lines, knowing it will make a utility crew come out to repair it.

How are you lost if you see power lines? Just follow them... LoL

[–] crockett_john 7 years ago

The trick in that case is in knowing which way to go. One way is likely closer to civilization than the other.

---
I blame autocorrect.

You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.

[–] audiopinions 9 years ago

"you could easily say, i was making a signal fire for saving and it just spreed out of control and set fire to forest for excuse"

Haha. I don't think characters avoid this because they're worried about the legal repercussions.

Maybe the movie was misleading in that it seemed starting their fires was easy, but it'd be difficult to both start and control a blaze like you mention given the available resources. Even then, you're likely to burn to death or suffocate much faster than you can be rescued. Even on the off-chance there was a helicopter flying overhead at that exact moment, how would it get to them? And if the fire was big enough, it would begin to defeat the purpose, since you'd be difficult to spot amidst all the flame and smoke.

[–] brtndr 9 years ago

I always wonder when people get lost or what ever in the forest or around a place with trees around, why not just set fire to them all together.

I believe that I saw an episode of "I Survived" on the Lifetime Movie Network several years ago, about a young man and woman in their 20's who went on a sight seeing tour in the southern California mountains and became separated from the rest of the group. They ended up lost and wandering around in the California mountains for nearly a week.

Later, in a desperate attempt to save themselves from starvation and hypothermia they set a good size fire to a portion of forest at the bottom of a mountain ravine when they heard a helicopter buzzing around above them. The young couple were rescued as a result of their extremely desperate action.

Like I said, while I'm sure I watched this story on LMN's, "I Survived", I'm having trouble finding the episode on the list of 'I Survived' episodes. But, I guess I could've seen this episode on some other knock-off show that was like Lifetime's "I Survived" instead.

[–] the_la_baker 8 years ago

southern California mountains

Would be easy there even in winter.
The forest in the film was taiga and very wet(note the tree stump with standing water in it after they crash). Starting a forest fire would be very difficult.

[–] Killermueck (154) 2 years ago

It's simply not possible with a few matches to start a fire if the plants and soil is moist and soaked.

[–] Burning_Sosobra 8 years ago

I saw that episode you're referring to. If I remember correctly, the young couple had not been dating long and this was only their second or third date when they got lost in the mountains. Setting a forrest fire is not always a good idea. I recall hearing a story about a woman setting a forrest fire to draw rescuers to her, but the fire got out of control and did property damage and wiped out acres of forrest. She got criminal charges slapped against her because of it. Something to think about.

"The heat has a taste. It tastes like a flame. You drink up the flame as it burns your flesh away."