Fire damage, as a research topic, refers to the physical, chemical, and structural alterations in materials, ecosystems, or built environments resulting from exposure to high temperatures and combustion processes. It encompasses thermal degradation of polymers and composites, charring and strength loss in wood, phase transformations and spalling in concrete, microstructural changes and residual stress development in metals, and alterations in soil and vegetation properties in ecological systems. Studies of fire damage quantify heat flux, temperature-time histories, material property evolution, and post-fire residual capacity, often using experimental fire testing, thermogravimetric and spectroscopic analyses, and computational fire and heat-transfer modeling to assess performance, safety, and resilience.
When the Palisades Fire tore through Los Angeles in January 2025, it didn't only destroy homes. It took the Will Rogers Ranch House—a beloved California landmark—with it. Six months later, the Dragon Bravo wildfire burned ...
Environment
Jul 28, 2026
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Sixty-six million years ago, the six-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) Chicxulub asteroid crash-landed in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and changed life on Earth forever. The reign of the dinosaurs ended, and only creatures that ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 28, 2026
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65
By analyzing 100,000 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection inspection records from 2013 to 2024, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified the key environmental and human factors ...
Environment
Jul 27, 2026
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Thousands crowded into emergency shelters in France and Spain on Sunday after wildfires drove more than 300,000 people to flee their homes and vacation accommodations.
Environment
Jul 26, 2026
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The end-Triassic mass extinction, 201 million years ago, is linked to volcanism that resulted from the break-up of Pangea and which pumped out vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, causing extreme global warming of 5 to ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 21, 2026
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Tropical moist forests account for 70% of global living biomass. Deforestation and degradation—that is, the partial damage to tree stands—as well as the subsequent regeneration of forests therefore play a pivotal role in ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 3, 2026
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A chemical analysis of residential soils and ash around California homes burned by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires in early 2025 revealed wide variation in contamination by potentially harmful elements, including lead, ...
Environment
Jun 27, 2026
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With the North American fire season underway, and a record number of acres already burned nationwide, NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite's three instruments are observing vegetation precursors ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2026
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Fire-smart risk assessment is needed to tackle the scale of wildfire destruction, which is a growing reality across the globe. Hazardous fires are more intense and more frequent, fueled both by climate change and by the no ...
Environment
Jun 22, 2026
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3
A new analysis of global wildfire activity in 2025 reveals the world experienced some of the most destructive and deadly fire events in recent history, despite the second lowest area burned since 2002. It highlights a continued ...
Earth Sciences
May 31, 2026
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