A new Canadian study reveals that drought and warming temperatures are changing the traditional patterns of wildfires at night. The study highlights the importance of understanding nighttime fire behavior and using daytime conditions to predict fire growth and spread during the night. The findings have significant implications for wildland firefighters and communities at risk of wildfires.
The darkness of night has traditionally signalled reprieve for wildland firefighters, but a new Canadian study shows that’s changing, and drought is the driving force. At night, the study says, though warming temperatures are also eroding the “climatological barrier” that has typically limited overnight burning.
Uncovering the role of drought led the researchers to further show that daytime conditions can be used to predict whether a fire will continue to burn and possibly spread through the night –“We have fire growth models, and they handle the day really well most of the time, and that’s usually the most important part. But they don’t really do well at night,” says Mike Flannigan, one of the study’s co-authors in British Columbia. “Any kind of information of how active a fire will be at night is really critical … especially if a fire is approaching a town, like West Kelowna last year,” he says, recalling a fast-moving blaze that began tearing through part of the Okanagan community one evening last August, ultimately destroying nearly 200 home
Wildfires Drought Warming Temperatures Fire Behavior Nighttime Canadian Study
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