Wildfires are increasing worldwide due to climatic and socio-economic changes, posing severe risks to lives, property, and air quality. Very large fires, occurring under specific combinations of weather, fuel, and topography, remain an unresolved challenge despite decades of research. Their rapid spread and massive energy release make suppression nearly impossible, while emissions of smoke and pollutants severely affect human health.
The project aims to advance the understanding and prediction of Extreme Fire Behaviour (EFB) and Extreme Wildfire Events (EWE), improving fire spread and smoke dispersion modelling. Current models are either too simplistic or too complex, often failing to capture the dynamic interaction between fire and atmosphere that drives unpredictable accelerations, oscillations, and merging phenomena.
Building on over three decades of joint research, the consortium will combine experimental and computational studies using unique facilities: a Fire Laboratory with advanced experimental equipment, outdoor plots for controlled burns, and a new thermal tunnel to study the influence of atmospheric stability on fire spread. An innovative oblique wind tunnel will support the analysis of ember transport under varying wind conditions. The project will develop physically based predictive models for fire propagation, sudden changes in spread rate, and smoke plume rise under fluctuating atmospheric conditions. Air quality modelling tools will be adapted to simulate smoke production and dispersion during large fires, taking into consideration experimental data and produced knowledge.
With extensive experience and a unique database of large fires, the research teams will strengthen Europe’s capability to anticipate, model, and mitigate the impacts of extreme wildfires, enhancing operational safety, decision support, and public health protection.
