Fires need three things to burn. They’re heat, fuel, and oxygen (see What Starts a Fire?). Anything that can burn is a fuel. This includes plants, plastic, fabric, and oil. High heat causes the fuel and oxygen in the air to combine. They go through combustion. This is the process of burning. Fuel and oxygen are all around. High heat can come from a lightning strike. It can come from a match. Or it can spark from a campfire or other sources. The fire can spread as more fuel gets hot and burns.

We do experiments with fire in a metal warehouse called a burn chamber. The chamber has tools to adjust the conditions inside. It’s like controlling the weather! We can set the temperature and how much moisture is in the air. We can make it hot, cold, dry, or windy. I use these tools to investigate how things catch fire and how they burn in different conditions. To stay safe, I wear gloves, masks, and cotton clothing that won’t melt onto my skin the way other materials would.

Many types of experiments happen at the lab. Some scientists study how trees respond to fire. Others study the smoke. A team puts together all the research.

We study fire in a metal warehouse. It’s called a burn chamber. The chamber has tools. They change the conditions inside. It’s like controlling the weather! We can set the temperature. We can change how much moisture is in the air. We can make it hot, cold, dry, or windy. This allows me to study how things burn in different conditions. I wear gloves to stay safe. I also wear masks and cotton clothing. It won’t melt onto my skin like other materials would.

Many studies happen at the lab. Some scientists study how trees react to fire. Others study the smoke. A team puts together all the research.

One area I’m interested in is how fire spreads through piles of pine needles. I want to understand how a pile’s shape affects how air flows around it. This affects how fast a fire burns.

For my experiments, I often use wooden sticks instead of real pine needles. They’re easier to measure and observe. I glue the sticks into different shapes and set them on fire. Then I observe how long they burn and how high the flames reach. I repeat each experiment up to five times to make sure I get similar results.

I’m interested in how fire spreads through piles of pine needles. I want to learn how a pile’s shape affects air that flows around it. This affects how fast a fire burns.

I often use wooden sticks instead of pine needles. They’re easier to measure and observe. I glue the sticks into different shapes. I set them on fire. Then I watch how long they burn. I see how high the flames reach. I repeat each test up to five times. That way I make sure I get similar results.

Scientists use data like ours to create digital models. They’re computer programs. They predict how fires will burn. Officials enter information into a model during a fire. This includes the material that’s burning. It also includes the weather and wind conditions. The model calculates how fast the fire is spreading. It plots where it may spread on a map. This lets officials know when and where people need help. Then they can get to safety.

But many governments still use models from the 1970s. They aren’t as exact. Our work will help make these models better. We’ll be able to better monitor the huge fires we see today.

Wildfires are affecting people more and more. We saw this happen in the U.S. and Canada last summer. Earth’s climate is warming. Summers in some places are getting hotter. They’re also getting drier. This can lead to fires that cover large areas.

Today more people are living where wildfires are a threat. That’s why we need to make better models. We can help keep people healthy and safe from future wildfires.