Forest Fires

• Classification of Fires
  • Rate of Spread
  • Level
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Head Fire Instensity
  • Source
  • Weather Forcing
  • Growth and Propagation
• Pyrocumulus Development
• Smoke Spread within a Temperature Inversion
• Summary and Exercises

Weather Forcing

Fires may be also classified according to the weather conditions forcing its development:

• Wind-driven fire
  Fire in which the wind plays the major role in its development. The Haines Index cannot be used in this case, but the indexes that include surface wind fields can!
• Plume-dominated fire or convection-driven fire
  Fire that is mainly driven by a local wind that is generated in response to strong convection above the fire. It depends strongly on the stability of the air column and the Haines Index can be used to predict its growth.

Potter et al, 2002.