In January 2025, firefighters used computer models and fire-spotting technologies to help them analyze the quickly changing environment as wind-driven wildfires raged around Los Angeles.
Despite the fact that technology has changed over time, some methods are still remarkably similar to those employed over a century ago.
I’ve studied combustion for decades, including the behavior of wildfires and the technology that tracks fires and forecasts their potential spread. This is a brief synopsis of the main technologies in use today.
Spotting fires faster
The first step is to find the fire.
People who notice smoke often report wildfires. Other methods of detecting flames have developed, but that has remained the same.
The newly formed United States Forest Service built fire lookout towers all over the nation at the beginning of the 20th century. Cabins with windows on each of the four walls topped the towers and provided dwelling spaces for fire lookouts.
The Great Fire of 1910, which killed 87 people and destroyed 3 million acres in Washington, Idaho, and Montana, served as the model for the system.
Prior to satellites, firefighters combed the national woods seeking smoke coming from fire towers. United States Forest Service, K.D. Swan
Many high-risk areas are being monitored by cameras. More than 1,100 cameras in California are keeping an eye out for smoke. Artificial intelligence programs continuously examine photos to give firefighters information that enables prompt action.
AI is a method for teaching a computer software to identify recurring patterns, like smoke plumes during a fire.
AI data processing in conjunction with NOAA satellites generates notifications over a wider region. They can map burned regions and fire perimeters, identify heat signatures, and track pollutants and smoke to assess health risks and air quality.
Forecasting fire behavior
Predicting the behavior of a fire is one of the first things firefighting crews do after it is spotted in order to make the most use of their limited firefighting resources.
Fire managers are aware of the dangers their communities face since they have witnessed several fires. These days, computer simulations use information about the weather, burning materials, and geography to forecast the progress of a fire.
Models of fuel
With laboratory testing and fire history, fuel models are built on the environment in question. In Southern California, a large amount of wildland fuel comes from chaparral, a shrubland with deep, rocky soil and extremely combustible vegetation in a Mediterranean climate. Fires can spread swiftly in this environment since chaparra is one of the fuels that burns the fastest.
Structures created by humans are a bit more intricate. A house’s likelihood and rate of burning are influenced by its construction materials, such as wood siding, and its surroundings, including its proximity to trees or wooden fences.
Because it affects local breezes and fire spreads more quickly uphill than downhill, terrain is also significant. Satellite imaging has made terrain data publicly accessible and easily incorporated into computer codes.
Fire behavior is also influenced by the weather. In order to burn, fires need oxygen, and the more windy the weather, the more oxygen the fire has access to. Additionally, embers from burning vegetation can be thrown up to five miles by strong winds, which can lead to rapidly spreading spot fires.
Large computer models are now able to forecast the weather. While local models are more detailed and have a better resolution, global models span the entire planet.
For use in simulating fire behavior, both offer real-time weather data.
Simulating the spread of flames
The movement of a fire can then be predicted using flame-spread models.
By researching past fires and carrying out lab tests, scientists create these models, which are subsequently integrated with mathematical models that take fire physics into account.
Fire managers can use these simulations to forecast the behavior of a fire by using local terrain, fuel, and current meteorological data.
Examples of how fire spread can be predicted using computer modeling. The American Physical Society.Fuel features such as ground-level plant growth and tree canopies, including the quantity of cover, tree height, and tree density, can be accounted for by advanced modeling.
When a fire will reach the tree canopy and how this will affect its spread can be predicted by these models.
Forecasting helps, but wind can change fast
When responding to wildfires, firefighters can use all of these instruments, which are accessible through computer apps.
Fire managers must be ready for a variety of scenarios, not just the ones they see on their computer displays, because wind can change direction or speed fast and new flames might start in unexpected areas.
Lastly, human judgment, influenced by science, technology, and experience, forms the basis of firefighting tactics during a fire.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.