Modeling urban fires in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cities

Yonatan Shaham, Itzhak Benenson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a model of fire spread in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern (MME) cities. The model accounts for the characteristic properties of MME cities: inflammable constructions and vegetation between constructions that becomes highly flammable during long and dry summers. We develop the model following the general rules proposed by Lee and Davidson in their empirically driven model of urban fire spread for the US city while establishing a new MME data generation algorithm for non-flammable constructions. The model is applied to a residential neighborhood in Haifa, Israel. Results demonstrate that unlike in the US, in MME cities interconstruction vegetation is the main mechanism of fire spread. Heterogeneity of the vegetation cover generates significant spatial variation of expected burnt area; in these circumstances, the model provides critical knowledge about the most vulnerable urban spots.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2016 IEEE Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security, HST 2016
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781509007707
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Sep 2016
Event2016 IEEE Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security, HST 2016 - Waltham, United States
Duration: 10 May 201611 May 2016

Publication series

Name2016 IEEE Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security, HST 2016

Conference

Conference2016 IEEE Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security, HST 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWaltham
Period10/05/1611/05/16

Keywords

  • arid climate
  • fire modeling
  • inflammable wall
  • secondary disasters

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