Exploratory Simulations on the Effectiveness of Sand Protection Strategies Against Firebrand Accumulation in Wildfires

Abstract

Firebrands are the leading cause of infrastructure damage during wildfires. However, dedicated protections specifically designed to mitigate firebrand accumulation, remain limited. In contrast, infrastructure protection strategies against sand accumulation have been developed, implemented and studied in detail. Because both sand and firebrands are airborne particles, this paper explores the potential applicability of sand protection strategies to mitigate firebrand exposure. A literature review of existing protection strategies from both sand and firebrands is presented, followed by exploratory numerical simulations using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The simulations study the effectiveness of shielding a simplified cubic structure from particles simulating firebrand exposure under varying ambient wind speeds (4, 6, and 8 m/s). Two sand protection strategies are simulated, a trench and wall protection; results indicate the selected protections have the potential to reduce firebrand exposure to a target obstacle. The findings provide novel insights into the feasibility of translating sand protection strategies to firebrand mitigation and establish a foundation for innovative infrastructure solutions against wildfires.