Numerical Prediction of Fire Propagation in Idealized Wildland and Urban Canopies

Numerical methods are used to examine the development of fires within porous urban canopies. Idealized generic porous models of 2-D and 3-D city structures are used to- gether with inserted heat sources to predict combined flow circulations. The presence of struc- tures of different densities, height and distribution produce unique flowfields associated with the porous canopy structure of cities, but the buoyancy produced by combustion products modifies, and for large fires, dominates the urban canopy flow.