The ‘Balbi model’ is a simplified rate of fire spread model aimed at providing computationally fast and accurate simulations of fire propagation that can be used by fire managers under operational conditions. This model describes the steady-state spread rate of surface fires by accounting for both radiation and convection heat transfer processes. In the present work the original Balbi model developed for laboratory conditions is improved by addressing specificities of outdoor fires, such as fuel complexes with a mix of live and dead materials, a larger scale and an open environment. The model is calibrated against a small training dataset (n = 25) of shrubland fires conducted in Turkey. A sensitivity analysis of model output is presented and its predictive capacity against a larger independent dataset of experimental fires in shrubland fuels from different regions of the world (Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) is tested. A comparison with older versions of the model and a generic empirical model is also conducted with encouraging results. The improved model remains physics-based, faster than real time and fully predictive.

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This paper reports two experimental fires conducted at field-scale in Corsica, across a particular mountain shrubland. The orientation of the experimental plots was chosen in such a way that the wind was aligned along the main slope direction in order to obtain a high intensity fire. The first objective was to study the high intensity fire behavior by evaluating the propagation conditions related to its speed and intensity, as well as the geometry of the fire front and its impact on different targets. Therefore, an experimental protocol was designed to determine the properties of the fire spread using UAV cameras and its impact using heat flux gauges. Another objective was to study these experiments numerically using a fully physical fire model, namely FireStar3D. Numerical results concerning the fire dynamics, particularly the ROS, were also compared to other predictions of the FireStar2D model. The comparison with experimental measurements showed the robustness of the 3D approach with a maximum difference of 5.2% for the head fire ROS. The fire intensities obtained revealed that these experiments are representative of high intensity fires, which are very difficult to control in the case of real wildfires. Other parameters investigated numerically (flame geometry and heat fluxes) were also in fairly good agreement with the experimental measurements and confirm the capacity of FireStar3D to predict surface fires of high intensity.

The GOLIAT project is a consortium of academics and firefighting operators and land-use planning professionals of Corsica. One goal of GOLIAT project is to provide four operational decision support tools. To reach this goal, a survey of past fires occurred in Corsica since the twentieth century beginning is made. This inventory contributes to build up a database with a web display interface easy to use as fire patterns history. A fire behavior and impact simulator prototype for vegetation fires, a geolocation tool for hot spots using UAV images, and a guide of good practices of prescribed fires in the undergrowth are building. At the same time, experimental fires are carried out to improve knowledge about high intensity fire and the experimental results were compared to the predictions provided by a complete physical 3D model, namely FireStar3D.

Field-scale experiments have been conducted on steep sloped terrains in Speluncatu and Letia, north-western and southern regions of Corsica. This work lies within the GOLIAT project framework and it was provided by the Fire and Rescue Service of North Corsica and the Corsican DFCI (Défense de la Forêt Contre l’Incendie) Group. This work reported high intensity fires propagating through shrub vegetation areas (Genista Salzmannii) lying between 60 cm and 85 cm. These sites were selected because of the density of the vegetation, the high slope angle values with a wind direction aligned with the main slope, which can generate a fire close to wildfire behaviour. A detailed experimental protocol is used in order to determine the propagation conditions and the fire behaviour using UAV cameras and heat flux gauges. In order to investigate the different phenomena encountered in these types of fires, numerical simulations were conducted using a complete physical fire model, based on multiphase formulation, namely FireStar2D. Numerical predictions were used to examine the fire front dynamics related to the fire’s rate of spread and fireline intensity. Despite the unfavourable wind and humidity conditions, experimental results analysis showed that the fireline intensity was higher than 7 MW/m, which means that these fires fall into the category of the very high fire severity. Numerical results predicting the fire’s rate of spread, fireline intensity and fire impact were in good agreement with the experimental data.