Fire-Atmosphere Interactions in the Wildland-Urban Interface Using
High-Fidelity Experimental Simulations
Abstract
With increased urbanisation, fires in the wildland urban interface (WUI)
have become a severe problem worldwide. The unique features of WUI may
influence fire-atmosphere interactions. This study utilises the
parallelized large eddy simulation model (PALM) system for
fire-atmosphere simulations of Bottle Lake Forest, Christchurch, New
Zealand. Over 3000 residential buildings are situated around the 7 km2
forest, with many homes only 50 m away from the forest edge. We
conducted high-fidelity fire-atmosphere simulations with the finest grid
spacing of 4 m. In comparison to WUI simulations, flat terrain
simulations were carried out as a reference for idealised scenarios.
Fire-weather conditions for the 2022/2023 New Zealand fire season were
selected based on the Fire Weather Index (FWI). Data from previous fire
field campaigns were obtained to represent the fire heat forcing. Our
results show that the WUI simulation coincides with fire heat transport
going further downwind than its flat terrain counterpart.
Kelvin-Helmholtz waves were present in both the WUI and flat terrain
simulations, generating downdrafts from higher levels to the surface.
However, downwind heat transport coincides with a pulsing behavior only
in the WUI. In addition to these characteristics, analysis of the
ambient atmosphere shows that the WUI plays the main role in modifying
fire-atmosphere interactions. This study is the first to simulate
fire-atmosphere interactions in WUI with such a high fidelity. Our
results provide insights into the impact of WUI on fire-atmosphere
dynamics. More work is needed to further understand how each component
of WUI can alter fire-atmosphere interactions.