Where wildfires destroy buildings in the US relative to the wildland–urban interface and national fire outreach programs

Kramer, H. Anu; Mockrin, Miranda H.; Alexandre, P; Stewart, Susan I.; Radeloff, Volker C.

doi:10.1071/wf17135

Cited by 86 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Neighborhoods with high densities of flammable older homes have been among the most recent losses (Coffey Park and Paradise), particularly because these houses serve as dead fuel that facilitates house-to-house fire spread. Nevertheless, empirical studies in the US and in California show that, historically, the vast majority of structures are destroyed at low to intermediate densities in the WUI, where homes meet or intermingle with wildland vegetation (Kramer et al 2018). Simulation studies projecting alternative scenarios of future development patterns suggest that both zoning and conservation decisionmaking can result in reduced probabilities of structure loss in the future (Syphard et al 2012;Syphard and Keeley 2016).…”

Section: Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires

Keeley

Syphard²

2019

fire ecol

129

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Since the beginning of the twenty-first century California, USA, has experienced a substantial increase in the frequency of large wildfires, often with extreme impacts on people and property. Due to the size of the state, it is not surprising that the factors driving these changes differ across this region. Although there are always multiple factors driving wildfire behavior, we believe a helpful model for understanding fires in the state is to frame the discussion in terms of bottom-up vs. top-down controls on fire behavior; that is, fires that are clearly dominated by anomalously high fuel loads from those dominated by extreme wind events. Of course, this distinction is somewhat artificial in that all fires are controlled by multiple factors involving fuels, winds, and topography. However, we believe that fires clearly recognizable as fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated provide interesting case studies of factors behind these two extremes. These two types of fires differ greatly in their (1) geographical distribution in the state, (2) past fire history, (3) prominent sources of ignition, (4) seasonal timing, (5) resources most at risk, and (6) requirement for different management responses.

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Section: Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires

Keeley

Syphard²

2019

fire ecol

129

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“…When risk mitigation measures are identified, locally adapted society protection programs similar to FireWise and FireSmart should be considered. Based on case studies and general experiences from Canada, USA and Australia [18][19][20][21], and documented reduction in losses [22], it will be easier to organize successful research campaigns and get the necessary stakeholder involvement.…”

Section: Stakeholder Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At about the same time, the similar FireSmart program was initiated in Canada. The experiences from these programs, e.g., [18][19][20][21][22], and similar programs elsewhere, may turn out to be very valuable also in a Scandinavian setting. Given the expected future climate changes, engaging the public in programs similar to FireWise and FireSmart may be a necessity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing Wooden Structure and Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Disaster Risk through Dynamic Risk Assessment and Management

Log

Vandvik

Velle

et al. 2020

ASI

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In recent years, severe and deadly wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires have resulted in an increased focus on this particular risk to humans and property, especially in Canada, USA, Australia, and countries in the Mediterranean area. Also, in areas not previously accustomed to wildfires, such as boreal areas in Sweden, Norway, and in the Arctic, WUI fires have recently resulted in increasing concern. January 2014, the most severe wooden town fire in Norway since 1923 raged through Laerdalsøyri. Ten days later, a wildfire raged through the scattered populated community of Flatanger and destroyed even more structures. These fires came as a surprise to the fire brigades and the public. We describe and analyze a proposed way forward for exploring if and how this increasing fire incidence can be linked to concomitant changes in climate, land-use, and habitat management; and then aim at developing new dynamic adaptive fire risk assessment and management tools. We use coastal Norway as an example and focus on temporal changes in fire risk in wooden structure settlements and in the Norwegian Calluna vulgaris L. dominated WUI. In this interface, the fire risk is now increasing due to a combination of land-use changes, resulting in large areas of early successional vegetation with an accumulation of biomass, and the interactive effects of climatic changes resulting in increased drought risk. We propose a novel bow-tie framework to explore fire risk and preventive measures at various timescales (years, months, weeks, hours) as a conceptual model for exploring risk contributing factors and possibilities for risk management. Ignition is the top event of the bow-tie which has the potential development towards a fire disaster as a worst case outcome. The bow-tie framework includes factors such as changes in the built environment and natural habitat fuel moisture content due to the weather conditions, WUI fuel accumulation, possibly improved ecosystem management, contribution by civic prescribed burner groups, relevant fire risk modeling, and risk communication to the fire brigades and the public. We propose an interdisciplinary research agenda for developing this framework and improving the current risk understanding, risk communication, and risk management. This research agenda will represent important contributions in paving the road for fire disaster prevention in Norway, and may provide a model for other systems and regions.

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“…Housing development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), i.e., the place where homes and wildlands meet or intermingle, is growing (U.S. Fire Administration, 2002;Radeloff et al, 2005Radeloff et al, , 2018Hammer et al, 2007;Stewart et al, 2007;Stein et al, 2013;Kramer et al, 2018). Between 1990 and 2010, the WUI was the fastest-growing land use type in the United States, and 97% of new WUI areas were the result of new housing rather than increases in wildlife vegetation (Radeloff et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introduction Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole-House Fire Blanket Protection From Wildland-Urban Interface Fires

Takahashi

2019

Front. Mech. Eng.

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Each year, fires in the wildland-urban interface (WUI)-the place where homes and wildlands meet or intermingle-have caused significant damage to communities. To contribute to firefighter and public safety by reducing the risk of structure ignition, fire blankets for wrapping a whole house have been investigated in the laboratory and prescribed wildland fires. The fire blankets aim to prevent structure ignition (1) by blocking firebrands to enter homes through vulnerable spots (gutters, eaves, vents, broken windows, and roofs); (2) by keeping homes from making direct contact with flames of surrounding combustibles (vegetation, mulch, etc.); and (3) by reflecting thermal radiation from a large fire within close range (adjacent burning houses or surface-to-crown forest fires) for a sustained period of time. In the laboratory experiment, two-layer thin fabric assemblies were able to block up to 92% of the convective heat and up to 96% of the radiation (with an aluminized surface). A series of proof-of-concept experiments were conducted by placing instrumented wooden structures, covered with different fire blankets, in various fires in ascending order of size. First, birdhouse-sized boxes were exposed to burning wood pallets in a burn room. Second, wall-and-eave panels were exposed to prescribed fires climbing up slopes with chaparral vegetation in California. Finally, a cedar shed was placed in the passage of the prescribed head fire in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. The experiments demonstrated both successful performance and technical limitations of thin fire blankets. The key success factors in protecting the WUI structure are (1) the fire blanket's heat-blocking capability, (2) endurance under severe heat-exposure high-wind conditions, and (3) proper installation. Additional studies are needed in the areas of advanced material/layer development, blanket deployment methods, and multi-structure protection strategies.

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Where wildfires destroy buildings in the US relative to the wildland–urban interface and national fire outreach programs

Cited by 86 publications

References 46 publications

Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires

Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires

Reducing Wooden Structure and Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Disaster Risk through Dynamic Risk Assessment and Management

Whole-House Fire Blanket Protection From Wildland-Urban Interface Fires

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