About this Research Topic
Devastating large outdoor fires have been responsible for destruction of vast amounts of infrastructure and loss of human life. Across many continents, wildland fires that spread into urban areas, known as wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires are capable of enormous destruction. The rise of densely populated urban areas has also seen the development of large urban fires. In addition, the rise of informal settlement communities continues to result in large outdoor fires capable of great destruction. A commonality in the rapid spread of large outdoor fires is the generation of small combustible fragments from the original fire source, referred to as firebrands that multiply the destructive effect of the original fire.
This Research Topic aims at improving the scientific understanding of firebrand combustion processes. In the case of WUI fires, the production of firebrands occurs from the combustion dynamics of vegetative and human-made fuel elements, such as homes and other structures. For urban fires and informal settlement fires, firebrands are produced primarily from human-made fuel elements. This Research Topic will bring needed exposure of this globally important problem to the engineering community.
We welcome papers on all aspects of firebrand combustion:
• Initial generation or formation of firebrands from the combustion of both vegetative and structural fuel types
• Firebrand transport processes
• Firebrand deposition processes
• Ignition of fuel sources generally far removed the original fire source
• Case studies of evidence of firebrands in WUI fires, urban fires, and informal settlement fires
Keywords: Large Outdoor Fires, Wildland-Urban Interface Fires, Wildland Fires, Urban and Informal Settlement Fires, Firebrands and Embers
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
