Skip to main content

FRAMES logo
Resource Catalog

Document

Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Jack D. Cohen
Publication Date: 2004

Wildland-urban fire destruction depends on homes igniting and thus requires an examination of the ignition requirements. A physical-theoretical model, based on severe case conditions and ideal heat transfer characteristics, estimated wood wall ignition occurrence from flame radiation heating and piloted ignition requirements. Crown fire experiments provided an opportunity for assessing model reliability. The crown fire experiments were specifically instrumented with wood wall sections and heat flux sensors to investigate direct flame heating leading to home ignition during wildland fires. The experimental results indicated that the flame radiation model overestimated the structure-to-flame distance that would result in wood wall ignition. Wall sections that ignited during the experimental crown fires did not sustain flaming after crown fire burnout. The experiments also revealed that the forest canopy attenuated the flame radiation as the crown fire spread within the forest plot. Ignition modeling and the associated crown fire experiments described the flame-to-structure distance scale associated with flame heating related to wall ignition.

Online Links
Citation: Cohen, Jack D. 2004. Relating flame radiation to home ignition using modeling and experimental crown fires. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 34(8):1616-1626.

Cataloging Information

Regions:
Partner Sites:
Keywords:
  • black spruce
  • Canada
  • crown fire
  • ICFME - International Crown Fire Modeling Experiment
  • jack pine
  • Northwest Territories
  • Picea mariana
  • Pinus banksiana
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 3798