Simulation of forest fire fronts using cellular automata

In this work a new model for fire front spreading based on two-dimensional cellular automata is proposed. It is a more realistic modification of the model introduced by Karafyllidis and Thanailakis (see [Karafyllidis I, Thanailakis A. A model for predicting forest fire spreading using cellular automata. Ecol Model 1997;99:87-97]), which is based on the transfer of fractional burned area. Specifically, the model proposed in this work introduces a more accurate factor of propagation from a diagonal neighbor cell and includes, in a detailed form, the rate of fire spread. Moreover, the model is useful for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous environments. Some tests have been passed in order to determine the goodness of the method. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. and Civil-Comp Ltd. All rights reserved.