BOULDER, Colo. — When the Marshall fire swept through Boulder County, no one could have predicted its path of destruction, but researchers are working to develop tools that can.
Timothy Juliano is a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder.
Juliano and his team are studying a different fire to better understand what could happen here in Colorado.
"We focused on the Lahaina fire which happened in Hawaii," Juliano said.
Using advanced computer models, the researchers were able to simulate the wildfire that devastated the town of Lahaina.
They replicated how the intense winds there whipped up a brushfire and drove flames into populated areas.
"We learned that, first of all, downslope wind storms are really destructive," said Juliano. "If there is a an ignition that kind of correlates with a downslope windstorm, then that can just lead to really disastrous results."
For years, scientists have been working on improving predictions of wildfires that burn through forests and grasslands, but they have, only recently, tackled the challenge of predicting how a fire spreads into and through communities.
New research suggests, while the overall number of wildfires worldwide has declined, the number of wildfires that have burned into populated communities has increased in the last decade.
These new fire forecasting tools will not only help with firefighting efforts and safer evacuations but also help planners design more wildfire-resistant communities.
"You're not gonna be able to control the day-to-day weather and how strong winds are, so people should be trying to do what they can to protect themselves," said Juliano.
Juliano said that having federal wildfire warning systems in place is also critically needed, not only in the United State but worldwide.
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