Reduction of Fire Hazards Downwind of Wind-Driven Fires by Tree Barriers: Part IV — Numerical Simulation of Real-Scale Fires Located in Kobe City, Japan

Abstract

Earlier laboratory studies were carried out to determine the effectiveness of implementing the use of tree barriers to protect open areas such as parks and schoolyards from large wind-driven urban fires. Numerical simulations based on a field fire model also produced promising results which corresponded well with the laboratory experimental observations and measurement data The confidence gained in these earlier studies has led to the present study to simulate the implementation of various tree-barrier configurations in an actual park in Kobe City, Japan under real-scale fire and prevailing wind conditions similar to those encountered in the 1995 Great Kobe Earthquake. Among the various barrier configurations studied, it has been demonstrated that the best configuration is the one using a dual barrier system to reduce the temperatures in the open park downwind from the barriers to safe levels.