The problem of wildfires

Wildfires are on the rise, rapidly evolving into one of humanity's most pressing challenges. Every year, wildfires burn vast areas of land around the world, resulting in the loss of human lives and the destruction of homes and ecosystems. With climate change, the threat of catastrophic wildfires is expected to worsen, as increasingly arid conditions and the release of carbon emissions from burning vegetation continue to fuel a vicious cycle of rising global temperatures and wildfire occurrence.

 

Yet, despite substantial R&D efforts in both industry and academia, current modelling capabilities fall short of accurately forecasting wildfire evolution with high precision and spatio-temporal resolution across diverse terrains. This shortfall primarily stems from the dynamic nature, stochasticity, and immense scales inherent in wildfire spread.