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Home Ignitability in the Wildland-Urban Interface
Wildland-urban interface (W-UI) fires are a significant concern for federal, state, and local land management and fire agencies. Research using modeling, experiments, and W-UI case studies indicates that home ignitability during wildland fires depends on the characteristics of the home and its immediate surroundings. These findings have implications for hazard assessment and risk mapping, effective mitigations, and identification of appropriate responsibility for reducing the potential for home loss caused by W-UI fires.
Once largely considered a California problem, residential fire losses associated with wildland fires gained national attention in 1985 when 1,400 homes were destroyed nationwide (Laughlin and Page 1987). The wildland fire threat to homes is increasing and is commonly referred to as the wildland-urban interface (W-UI) fire problem. Since 1990, W-UI fires have threatened and destroyed homes in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, and Washington. Extensive or severe fires in Yellowstone in 1988, Oakland in 1991, and Florida in 1998 attracted much media coverage and focused national attention on wildland fire threats to people and property.
Federal, state, and local land management and fire agencies must directly and indirectly protect homes from wildfire within and adjacent to wildlands. Davis (1990) indicated that since the mid-1940s, a major population increase has occurred in or adjacent to forests and woodland areas. Increasing residential presence near fire-prone wildlands has prompted agencies to take actions to reduce W-UI fire losses.
When an apparently all-encompassing, seemingly unstoppable W-UI fire occurs, the rapid involvement of many homes over a wide area produces a surreal impression; some homes survive amid the complete destruction of surrounding residences. After the 1993 Laguna Hills fire, some termed this seemingly inexplicable juxtaposition a "miracle." Miracles aside, the characteristics of the surviving home and its immediate surroundings greatly influenced its survival.
Wildland fire and home ignition research indicates that a home's exterior and site characteristics significantly influence its ignitability and thus its chances for survival. Considering home and site characteristics when designing, building, siting, and maintaining a home can reduce W-UI fire losses. W-UI Fire Loss Characteristics
W-UI residential fire losses differ from typical residential fire losses. Whereas residential fires usually involve one structure with a partial loss, W-UI fires can result...