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Draft:List of fire behaviors

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The following is a list of different types of wildfire behaviors. Many types of fire behaviors are known, but some still not fully understood.

List of fire behaviors
Name Description Examples Notable Occasions
Flammagenitus cloud A dense cumuliform cloud associated with fire or a volcanic eruption.[1] Includes the pyrocumulus and the larger pyrocumulonimbus(Cumulonimbus Flammagenitus).[2]
A Pyrocumulus cloud created by the Boise Fire (2024).
 Many
Cumulonimbus flammagenitus/pyrocumulonimbus A type of cumulonimbus cloud that forms above a heat source, typically a wildfire or volcano.[3] Pyrocumulonimbus clouds can produce lightning, hail, erratic winds, and even tornadoes. However, they are not typically associated with significant precipitation. Typically indicative of intense fire activity.[4]
A pyrocumulonimbus cloud created by the Creek Fire (2020). This photo is from the United States Forest Service, with no provided date.
Satellite imagery of the Creek Fire cumulonimbus cloud. Taken by MODIS on September 5, 2020.
 Dixie Fire[5]

Creek Fire (2020)[6]

2019–20 Australian bushfire season[7]

Carr Fire[8]

Plume-dominated fire behavior This occurs when the fire's behavior is mostly controlled by winds generated by the fire's own plume.[9] This could lead to erratic conditions such as a column collapse and rapid runs.[10]
Typical appearance of a plume-dominated fire. This picture was taken at the Silver Fire in Oregon in 1987.
 Many
Running This occurs when the head of the fire rapidly advances, along with an increase in fire intensity and rate of spread.[9] May pose a danger to firefighters. N/A North Complex Fire[11]

Dixie Fire[12]

Torching This occurs when the fire burns the foliage of trees from the bottom up.[9] Occurs in crown fires, and tends to reinforce or increase the rate of spread. May lead to spotting.[13]
Picture of trees being torched by a wildfire. Taken in the Tetlin National Wildlife Reserve in Alaska.
 Many

Note to self: terms to add later

torching

creeping

fire whirl

fire tornado(DIFFERENT FROM FIRE WHIRL) e.g. Carr, Creek, loyalton, 2003 Canberra, Park?

counter rotating vortex pair(mention el dorado CRVP video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-0fdqkEfMY)

slopping(maybe?)

column collapse

holdover fires(mention both lightning strike fire holdovers(https://medforest.net/2023/06/21/lightning-ignited-wildfires-and-holdover-time/) and "zombie" fires(find source later should be ez)

  1. ^ "Pyrocumulus entry in the AMS Glossary". Archived from the original on 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  2. ^ "Flammagenitus Types". Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  3. ^ "Explanatory Remarks and Special Clouds". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  4. ^ "Understanding the critical elements of the pyrocumulonimbus storm sparked by high-intensity wildland fire". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  5. ^ "Pyrocumulonimbus clouds with lightning produced by the Dixie Fire in California". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  6. ^ "California's Creek Fire Creates Its Own Pyrocumulonimbus Cloud". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  7. ^ "Australia's Black Summer pyrocumulonimbus super outbreak reveals potential for increasingly extreme stratospheric smoke events". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  8. ^ "Carr Fire pyrocumulonimbus in California". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  9. ^ a b c "NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  10. ^ "Plume-Dominated Fire Safety". Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  11. ^ "Timelapse Shows North Complex Fire's 'Historic Run' Toward Oroville in California's Butte County". Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  12. ^ "The Dixie Fire Has Destroyed Most Of A Historic Northern California Town". Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  13. ^ "Stages of Crown Fire". Retrieved 2024-08-16.
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