PREVENT Wildfires (Halmstad)

Wildfires

How technologies can help detecting, fighting, and mitigating the results of wildfires

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Introduction

Wildfires are becoming a huge problem globally. These fires are no longer just a threat to remote forests; they are now regularly impacting our towns and communities.The damage they cause—from the loss of homes to widespread smoke—shows we need better methods than just putting out the flames. Deep technologies offer powerful new solutions in the fight against wildfires. Tools like remote sensing and predictive modeling allow us to far better predict fire outbreaks. Furthermore, autonomous vehicles and drones provide essential support, not only by detecting and actively fighting the spread of flames but also by aiding in mitigation and recovery after the wildfire has passed.

Index

Mechanics & Dynamics

Background knowledge

Use of Technologies

European Programs

Wildfires - Definitions

01

Background Knowledge

Important Information Regarding Wildfires in Real Life Situations

After a Wildfire

Before a Wildfire

During a Wildfire

How can you help children prepare?

02

European Programs

What is the European ERCC?

The Emergency Response Coodination Centre (ERCC) is the core of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism that coordinates the assitance of disaster-stricken countries with the delivery of:

• Relief Items
• Expertise
• Civil Protection Teams
• Specialized Equipement

To activate a response from the ERCC, the request must be made by the national authorities or a United Nations Body. Note that the ERCC can help any country inside or outside of the EU and that it operates 24/7.

ERCC Activations in 2024

ERCC Activations for Wildfires in 2025

Until August 2025, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated 18 times to respond to wildifres by coordinating the assitance from 11 countries.

The rescEU

In order to further protect citizens from disasters and manage emerging risks, the European Commission created rescEU as an upgrade of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. rescEU is funded by the European Union and has been established as a strategic reserve of capabilities and resources to deal with disaster response. It covers different areas such as:

• The Wildfire Fleet (consisting of firefighting planes and helicopters).
• Medical Evacuation plane.
• Critical Medical Supplies.
• Specialized equipment to deal with different types of emergencies.
• And many others.

The rescEU resources are hosted in strategic locations across its over 22 members.

The rescEU in 2025

For the 2025 wildfire season, within rescEU the following countries have put at the disposal of other EU Member States in case of an emergency 18 firefighting planes and 4 helicopters:

• Cyprus
• Czechia
• Slovakia
• Greece
• Spain
• France
• Croatia
• Italy
• Portugal
• Sweden

The rescEU in 2025

Also, 671 firefighters from 14 European countries were strategically prepositioned in high-risk areas to rapidly help local fire brigades when fires break out.

How rescEU saved an Italian City

03

Wildfires - Definitions

A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that spreads rapidly through wildland vegetation, which can occur either due to natural causes or human fault, often encroaching upon and devastating urban areas.

Introduction to wildfires

A Wildfire can occur either by natural causes or by human intervention. Natural causes include lightning, high temperatures combined with a lack of humidity and strong winds, as well as volcanic activity. Human intervention can be broken down into careless behaviour using flammable materials and of course arson ​(European Union, 2023)​. The main reasons for unintentional arson in the countryside are discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires ​(WFCA, 2022)​, uncontrolled burning of garbage and short circuits in various equipment.

Categories of wildfires

- Ground - Underground or Terrestrial Fire, which evolves in the roots of plants and dead vegetation present in the soil. Its main characteristic is the long duration and difficulty in locating it as it does not produce flame. Therefore, the environmental damage is caused to the subsoil. - Surface Fire, which is the most common. This type of wildfire is easy to detect, and its intensity usually does not escalate. - Crown Fire, which starts from the lower layers of the ground, spreads to the highest points of the canopy and through it spreads throughout the forest, while using as fuel the materials found on the surface​. - Firebrands and Embers which are defined as burnt flying particles that flow along with gaseous combustion products and create new fires​.

Wildfires have devastating consequences and create various significant negative impacts:

On the other hand, fires have been occurring on the planet for thousands of years and have helped the growth and evolution of the planet and humans (Fideli, 2020; Baker, et al., 2020). We cannot say that all fires are destructive. Fires are a critical factor in shaping and maintaining ecosystem balance.

Fire as an essential ecosystem catalyst

In fact, people's intention to maintain and preserve the integrity of forests without supporting natural processes of cleaning and deforestation, create conditions that favour the evolution of a wildfire. For example, the dry fuel that accumulates for years in the soil creates the right conditions for wildfires. Thus, poor maintenance of protected areas is a factor that has greatly contributed to the increase in the number of wildfires over the past 60 years.

04

Mechanics and Dynamics of Wildfires

The "Fire Triangle"

OXYGEN

The Fire triangle (Adapted from the Image created by Gustavb via Wikimedia Commons)

Extinguishing the Fires

The way fire is extinguished is based on the elimination of one of the three structural elements. The spread of fire depends on the type of fuel supplied by the region, its geology, and the meteorological conditions that prevail at the time of its occurrence (Jiang , et al., 2020; Huang & Gao, 2021). The characteristics of a typical wildfire include:

• Its Ignition Point, also known as “The Point of Origin”;
• The "Back Fire" which refers to the area that has already burned and continues with less intensity;
• The "Head Fire" which is the main front and is directed according to the direction of the wind;
• The "Flank" which is its lateral points (Trollope, de Ronde, & Geldenhuys, 2004);

Awareness of its ignition point of manifestation provides valuable and useful information, both on how to approach and suppress it.

Extinguishing the Fires

The climatic conditions of the area at the time the fire takes place shape the humidity and temperature levels in the area, which in turn influence the development of the fire. An important factor in the spread of fire is the topography of the area, which in combination with wind gusts can increase or limit its expansion. Also, fire has the potential to create its own powerful air convection current that can create tornado phenomena and dense upward clouds of smoke, known as "Pyrocumulonimbus" which, in addition to air pollution, can create pyrogenic lightning ignitions (Pausas & Keeley, 2021; Priyadarshi, Yang, Werner, & Kryza, 2020). Each Wildfire is unique due to all the factors mentioned here and that is why it is crucial to consider all aspects of the terrain along with the prevailing weather conditions. This comprehensive analysis aids in formulating an effective strategy for fire management. It is equally important to keep the local community informed in a timely manner, especially if evacuation becomes necessary.

An Example of Research on Wildfires

05

Technologies used in wildfires

Deep technologies in pre-wildfire stage

Pre-wildfire stage

The pre-wildfire stage focuses on prediction, prevention, and proactive risk assessment. Deep technologies provide the advanced sensory data and analytical capabilities for effective mitigation even before ignition occurs.

Possible applications of the deep technologies are:

Remote Sensing

Predictive Modeling

IoT - Soil Sensing, CO2 sening

Drone Surveillance

Geospatial AI

Edge Computing

Deep technologies in active-wildfire stage

Active-wildfire stage

The active-wildfire stage focuses on real-time operational response, containment, and resource deployment. Deep technologies provide immediate, actionable intelligence and autonomous operational support for effective mitigation of wildfires.

Possible applications of the deep technologies are:

Real-Time Satellite Imagery

AI Mapping

Autonomous Drones

Edge Computing

Digital Twins Simulations

Deep technologies in post-wildfire stage

Post-wildfire stage

The post-wildfire stage focuses on damage assessment, stabilization, and long-term recovery planning. Deep technologies provide the tools necessary for large-scale analysis and ecosystem rehabilitation.

Possible applications of the deep technologies are:

High-Res. Remote Sensing

Geospatial AI & Lidar Mapping

Predictive Hydrology Models

Visualization & Digital Twins

Course completed!

Heat

The environmental temperature and heat significantly influence the ignition and propagation of a fire as they affect the point of pyrolysis. During the process of pyrolysis, the combustible material present in a forest or a field is heated to a point where gases are produced. These gases, released from the specific materials, are flammable. The reason why the knowledge of the types of vegetation, as well as the green or dry points of a forest is important is because there are significant differences in the degrees of pyrolysis among them, as well as between living and dead organisms (Amini, Safdari, Weise, & Fletcher, 2019). This knowledge is crucial to understand and predict fire behaviour as well as develop effective fire management strategies. .

Oxygen

Oxygen supply is a key component in combustion production and in open spaces cannot be controlled. It determines the speed and direction of the Fire. This is an additional reason for having good knowledge of the weather conditions in the area. Fire can be combined with wind power and fuel quality, and quickly turn through Firebrands and Embers into a wildfire.

Creating a digital twin of the affected area to simulate the long-term impact on water resources, ecosystem recovery rates, and future regrowth strategies.

source: https://www.xyht.com/lidarimaging/creating-earths-digital-twin/

Oxygen

Oxygen supply is a key component in combustion production and in open spaces cannot be controlled. It determines the speed and direction of the Fire. This is an additional reason for having good knowledge of the weather conditions in the area. Fire can be combined with wind power and fuel quality, and quickly turn through Firebrands and Embers into a wildfire.

Real-time satellite imagery provides immediate, wide-area fire mapping to define the perimeter and identify the exact direction and speed of the fire front.

source: https://flowingdata.com/2025/01/12/visual-guide-to-the-wildfire-damage/

AI-Powered fire mapping helps to automatically detection of fire lines and smoke plumes from aerial and satellite data, eliminating manual mapping time and increasing accuracy.

source: https://eo4society.esa.int/2021/10/15/artificial-intelligence-for-earth-observation-monitoring-of-wildfires/

Drones are use in direct fire surveillance using thermal and visible cameras for real-time tactical feedback to ground crews and air support. The specialized drones can be also used to drop water/retardant in dangerous zones or to perform prescribed counter-burns (backfiring) safely from the air.

source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230609-can-we-use-firefighting-drones-put-out-wildfires

Fire

Fire is "the process of burning flammable materials that produce heat, light and (often) smoke" (Vocabulary.com, n.d.), and which takes place through a chemical reaction. The combustion produces an effect completely different from the raw material: the flame (Science Learning Hub , 2009). A flame is a structure without a specific surface (Law & Sung, 2000) and occurs either at a specific constant speed or in the form of wrinkling and irregular speed.

Monitoring fuel load, mapping drought severity, and tracking vegetation health (e.g., using satellite imagery and LiDAR to calculate biomass and canopy density). See for example Copernicus maps https://drought.emergency.copernicus.eu/tumbo/gdo/map/

• Hotspot Detection: Thermal cameras are the most critical tool, allowing operators to spot small, subsurface temperature anomalies (hotspots) that indicate smoldering fires, poorly extinguished campfires, or early combustion
• Fuel Mapping & Risk Assessment: High-resolution drone imagery and LiDAR are used to create precise 3D maps of the terrain. This data is analyzed to assess fuel load (biomass density) and identify dangerous "fuel ladders"—vegetation that connects ground fuel to tree canopies—allowing managers to prioritize preventative clearing or controlled burns.
• Infrastructure Monitoring: Drones check remote power lines and railway corridors for damage or vegetation overgrowth that could cause electrical arcing or sparks, which are common ignition sources.

Rapidly assessing structural damage to buildings and infrastructure (like roads and power lines) and measuring the precise area of burned land (burn severity mapping) by comparing pre- and post-wildfire imagery.

source: https://www.9news.com.au/world/los-angeles-wildfires-altadena-palisades-california-fires-before-and-after-satellite-images/dcb25150-7f74-48be-aa5b-73ec74829aa5

Edge computing enhances wildfire management by enabling real-time data processing directly in or near the remote environment where sensors are deployed. Instead of sending vast amounts of raw data—such as high-resolution images or constant thermal readings from drones and IoT sensors—to a distant cloud server, edge devices can analyse this information instantly. This capability allows for the near-immediate detection of tiny hotspots or sudden changes in wind/humidity which leads to accelerating the response time.

Real-time forecasting of fire spread based on current wind, fuel, and topography, allowing command centers to predict the next 1–4 hours of fire behavior.

source: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/science-enabling-technology/nasa-wildfire-digital-twin-pioneers-new-ai-models-and-streaming-data-techniques-for-forecasting-fire-and-smoke/

Edge computing during active wildfires plays an important role as it overcomes the delay of transmitting large amounts of data from remote locations.Instead of sending raw drone video footage or continuous sensor readings back to a central cloud server, edge devices (small, rugged computers) placed directly on the drone or near the fire scene handle the analysis in much shorter time.

source: https://aetic.theiaer.org/archive/v6/v6n3/p5.pdf

Fuel

Fuel is defined as any material which, when burned, releases energy usually in the form of heat and light with the simultaneous emission of harmful emissions, which in any case is different, depending on the nature and form of combustion (Kohse-Höinghaus, 2020). This knowledge is also important because different vegetation types and tree species affect the speed of spread and burning duration differently. At the same time, the amount of fuel affects the spread as well as the possible path that the fire front is going to follow.

Using AI and Machine Learning to fuse meteorological, topographical, and fuel data to

• forecast fire risk zones,
• ignition probability,
• potential spread paths.

Deploying low-cost ground sensors to monitor real-time soil moisture content, ground temperature, and humidity, can provide inputs for drought indices. Moreover, CO2 sensors can be used for early detection of wildfires.

Leveraging the advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and decades of geospatial observations, highly sophisticated predictive models are now constructed using geospatial raster data to accurately assess and forecast wildfire hazard. The key components are: geospatial data, weather data, AI/ML models, dynamic risk scoring, and proactive deployment.

Automated identification of erosion and landslide risk by analyzing changes in slope stability and soil composition, enabling quick deployment of mitigation measures. Creating topographical models to track soil deformation and predict new flood paths, as burned landscapes lose their ability to absorb water.

source: https://eo4society.esa.int/2021/10/15/artificial-intelligence-for-earth-observation-monitoring-of-wildfires/

Predictive hydrology models and debris flow susceptibility models help forecasting the risk of post-fire debris flows and flooding due to loss of vegetation, helping communities prepare for secondary disasters.

source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39095-z