Numerical simulation of forest fire spread behaviors in typical terrain based on Lagrangian particle model and boundary fuel model

It is difficult to predict the paths of forest fires occurring in hills, mountains, and other terrains owing to terrain undulation, which creates significant difficulties in fighting fires. The study of forest fire spread behaviors in complex terrains thus becomes essential for forest fire fighting. In this study, Blender, an open-source software, was used to model the typical terrain, and the Lagrangian particle model and boundary fuel model of the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software were employed to simulate forest fire spread behaviors. The forest fire dynamics under various terrains was revealed including flow of the flame, fire field temperature, and burn rate. The influences of parameters such as wind speed, ambient temperature, vegetation water content under terrains of flat, hillside, hill, and mountain on the forest fire spread behaviors were analyzed. During a forest fire, this method can be used to predict the spread trend quickly and accurately according to the meteorological environment and terrain in which it is located. It provides auxiliary decision-making support for extinguishing forest fires.