Wildfires pose a significant risk to human and environmental assets around the world, especially in the Mediterranean region and Australia. Firebrands generated in wildfires are one of the most dangerous exposure mechanisms and the main cause of the house and life loss. They can be lifted by fire plume and transported far ahead of the firefront by wind (short-range) or convective column (medium- and long-range), initiating new fires and igniting structures. This process is called spotting and consists of generation, transport and fuel ignition mechanisms. Although short-, medium- and long-range spotting are parts of the same process, they are still studied separately, and there are no multiscale models that include all mechanisms. The key idea of this project is that spotting must be considered simultaneously at all scales in order to understand the generation (combustion) and transport (atmospheric convection) of firebrands, as well as the ignition mechanism of fuel beds and structures (fire dynamics).
Project timeline: 01/2023 – 06/2027