Tag: Wildfires

Why Do Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California

Why Do Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California

12/30/19

“Why is it that transmission line failures cause ten times more wildfires than they should in California?”

Transmission line failures have the ability to start wildfires, as in the case of Paradise. However, In California, while these accidents are responsible for starting only around 1% of fires they cause 10% of all damage (Mitchell, 2013)! This is because these transmission lines failures are more likely to occur during periods of high winds and low humidity, which are ripe for wildfires. So when they do occur, they’re much more likely to spin out of control. This is Why Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California.

Image credit https://cdn.theatlantic.com/

References:

Mitchell, J. W. (2013). Power line failures and catastrophic wildfires under extreme weather conditions. Engineering Failure Analysis, 35, 726–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2013.07.006

Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop

Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop

12/27/19

“Why is it that wildfires will move from treetop to treetop?”

Wildfires are some of the most powerful dangerous in areas with Mediterranean climates. However, How exactly do they physically spread? Well, Let’s think about this like an engineer would. We know that fire can spread very quickly when one object touches an inflamed object. And we also know that the parts of an object that protrude the most are the most likely to come into contact with others. So when it comes to trees spreading fire, it would be logical for the treetop to spread fire to other treetops as those are the parts that bend the most outward. This is Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop.

Image credit ichef.bbci.co.uk

Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires

Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires

12/26/19

“Why will fires start even if there are no transmission lines above ground?”

Undergrounding transmission lines is often talked about as one of the most effective actions that can be taken to stop wildfires from occurring. However, even if the entire grid goes underground wildfires can start from a variety of other causes. These can include anywhere ranging from camping mistakes to a car causing an ignition. This is Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires.

Image credit http://www.transmissionhub.com

Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires

Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires

12/21/19

“Why are Mediterranean climates more prone to wildfires?”

Mediterranean regions are world-renowned for their natural beauty, temperate climates, and mellow settings. These zones usually start the year with a short, mild, and moist winter season followed by a long, warm dry, summer season. This means that a lot of foliage grows when it rains and then dies when the rain stops. This abundance of fuel in hot and dry conditions makes the perfect ingredient for wildfires to occur, which is Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires. This will only become more intense with the advent of climate change, as the Winter season is becoming shorter and wetter and the Summer longer and drier.

Wildfire Safety Zones

Wildfire Safety Zones

12/20/19

“Where can firefighters take shelter while fighting a wildfire?”

Firefighters have very difficult jobs. They have to respond to catastrophic emergencies at a moment’s notice, even if it means waking up in the middle of a night and rushing hours to the site. This can be especially difficult when fighting large-scale wildfires, which can go on for days and even weeks and take up enough land to fill a country. As a result, they will need time to rest during operations. To do this, they must seek out Wildfire Safety Zones which can provide refuge from the blaze and allow the firefighters to survive without being injured from exposure to the radiant and convective heat from the fire, and would not have to deploy and enter a fire shelter.

Why Planting Native Trees Can Build Resilience to Wildfires

Why Planting Native Trees Can Build Resilience to Wildfires

12/18/19

“How can we build resilience to wildfires by simply planting trees that are native to the local ecosystem?”

Wildfires and how to build resilience against them are some of the hottest topics in areas with Mediterranean climates. Much of the time techniques using built infrastructure are proposed, such as building microgrids or housing with new flame-resilient materials. However, one of the most effective methods can be one does not require a single wire or piece of concrete. Due to globalism and colonialization, many Mediterranean climates contain invasive species of trees that are more likely to burn. By replacing these with tree species that are adapted to the local climate and are more resistant to burning, we can decrease the intensity of burnable fuel in an area and achieve better Wildfire resilience. This is Why Planting Native Trees Can Build Resilience to Wildfires.

Homeowner Wildfire Mitigation

Homeowner Wildfire Mitigation

12/09/19

“How can homeowners take action in wildfire mitigation?”

Wildfires threaten homes of all types. However, just as wildfire mitigation needs to be practiced on the institutional level, it also needs to be considered by individual households. This Homeowner Wildfire Mitigation can be accomplished in a myriad of forms, whether it be by modifying windows, cultivating a defensible space, or making roofs ignition resistant.

Image credit http://www.usfa.fema.gov

Ignition Resistant Roofs

Ignition Resistant Roofs

12/07/19

“How can we make our buildings’ roofs resistant to wildfire?”

Wildfires pose a threat to all buildings in or near the wildland-urban interface. To protect against this, fireproof housing designs must be implemented. Part of this will be to design Ignition Resistant Roofs that won’t flame up in the case of wildfire contact. These are usually built by lacking pores and holes for which ember can enter and having a fireproof coating.

Image credit http://www.metalroofing.com

Fireproof Housing

Fireproof Housing

12/06/19

“How can we create homes that are resilient to wildfires?”

Wildfires are destroying homes all over dry, forested areas. And with the ascent of climate change, the wildland-urban interface is only becoming larger and more deadly. To save lives, we need to think about how to make our housing stock more resilient to these disasters. This can come in the form of Fireproof Housing, often accomplished by changing the external surface to a burn-resistant material such as fiber-cement composite or creating a defensive landscape.

Image credit image.cnbcfm.com