Modelling fire weather and fire spread rates for two bushfires near Sydney

Authors

M S. Speer, Bureau of Meteorology
L M. Leslie, University of New South Wales
R Morison, University of New South Wales
W Catchpole, University of New South Wales
Ross Bradstock, University of WollongongFollow
R Bunker, NSW Rural Fire Service

RIS ID

20902

Publication Details

Speer, M. S., Leslie, L. M., Morison, R., Catchpole, W., Bradstock, R. & Bunker, R. (2001). Modelling fire weather and fire spread rates for two bushfires near Sydney. Australian Meteorological Magazine, 50 (3), 241-246.

Abstract

The observed headfire rates of spread of two severe wildfires in heathlands near Sydney were compared with predictions made using a meteorological model to forecast wind speeds and a new simple empirical fire behaviour model that uses fuel height and wind speed at 2 m above ground to predict rate of spread. The predicted rates of spread, using both actual and predicted wind speeds, compared favourably with observed rates of spread averaged over 2 hours and 5.5 hours for the Bell Range and Royal National Park fires respectively.