Fires, as a research topic, encompass the study of uncontrolled combustion processes in natural or built environments, including their ignition mechanisms, propagation dynamics, energy release, and interaction with surrounding materials and atmospheres. Scientific investigation addresses thermal radiation, convection, and conduction, flame chemistry, plume behavior, and the production and transport of particulates and gaseous emissions. Research spans wildland and forest fires, structural and industrial fires, and their impacts on ecosystems, air quality, climate, and human health. It also includes fire detection, modeling, and suppression strategies, as well as risk assessment and mitigation within environmental, engineering, and public safety frameworks.
Forest fires now burn 10 times more acreage annually than in 1985, while wildfire severity has gotten even worse. In California, 30 times more acreage burned from high-severity, forest-killing fires, according to new UCLA ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 22, 2026
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When heat waves hit the Western United States, the risk of wildfires quickly rises. The prolonged heat dries out vegetation, but that's only part of the cause—heat waves also play other roles in spreading wildfires.
Environment
Jun 18, 2026
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Hot and dry conditions have become synonymous with the risk of extreme wildfires. But a new paper argues that such conditions are not, by themselves, sufficient for blazes, and most warm years do not result in the burning ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 16, 2026
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While many people tacitly appreciate the intrinsic and aesthetic value forests and trees provide, governments and policymakers have struggled to take firm action to protect Earth's forests.
Environment
Jun 10, 2026
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In May and June of most years, NASA satellites typically begin to detect large numbers of wildland fires throughout the Top End and Arnhem Land regions of Australia's Northern Territory. On some days, especially in the afternoon, ...
Environment
Jun 5, 2026
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As California's population boomed—from 10 million in 1950 to over 40 million today—the number of people living in fire-prone areas multiplied. Over the decades, millions of new homes and commercial buildings sprang up to ...
Environment
Jun 5, 2026
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If your community was threatened by a wildfire, would you be able to quickly evacuate? A new study from UC Santa Barbara reveals that the number of roads out of a community may be one of the strongest predictors of wildfire ...
Environment
Jun 2, 2026
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Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is assessing damage to its launch pad after a rocket exploded during a test firing, creating a giant orange fireball seen and felt for miles around.
Space Exploration
May 29, 2026
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When the Dome Fire tore through the Mojave Desert in 2020, it reduced 1 million Eastern Joshua trees to blackened skeletons. Scientists expected the underground ecosystem to be equally devastated. Instead, they found it thriving.
Ecology
May 29, 2026
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With peak wildfire season approaching, scientists with NASA's FireSense project have created low-cost thermal sensors to install on fire bulldozers that will alert firefighters when heat from a nearby fire reaches a dangerous ...
Environment
May 28, 2026
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