Fire Prevention News

News Archive

2025

Calculating spot-fire distance in grassland vs woodland wildfires

Changes in fuel structure during the transition from a grassland to woodland state shift fire regime characteristics from frequent, low flame length surface fires in grasslands to infrequent, high flame length crown fires in woodlands .

Calculating spot-fire distance in grassland vs woodland wildfires

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20190224_Zeebrugge_IMG_5571_by_sebaso.jpg

Scientific Perspectives on Wildfire Risk Management from 34 leading researchers across 10 countries

This new book is available free of charge and can be downloaded here. coordinated by Miguel Almeida,...

Scientific Perspectives on Wildfire Risk Management from 34 leading researchers across 10 countries

Photo Credit: Public Domain photo. https://nara.getarchive.net/media/us-forest-services-wildland-firefighters-and-westover-a126da U.S. Forest Services wildland firefighters and Westover Air Reserve Base Fire Department carried out the annual controlled burn on the airfield, March 27, 2019, at Westover Air Reserve Base.

US wildland firefighting struggles after federal workforce cuts

The termination of around 700 red-card-carrying employees—key players in firefighting support—has st...

US wildland firefighting struggles after federal workforce cuts

Screenshot from the Fire Investigation Commission meeting in February 2025.

CTIF Fire Prevention Commission held a virtual meeting in February

The meeting was attended by 6 participants from 3 member countries. As the commission still does n...

CTIF Fire Prevention Commission held a virtual meeting in February

Study finds flame retardants in Lithium-Ion battery cases lack proven fire safety benefits

A recent study published in Environmental Science and Technology reveals that flame retardants commonly used in lithium-ion battery enclosures do not offer proven fire safety benefits. The research warns that these chemicals may pose serious health risks.

Study finds flame retardants in Lithium-Ion battery cases lack proven fire safety benefits

A citrus-based natural fire retardant is being tested on dry vegetation to prevent wildfires

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has been actively spraying Citrotech along evacuation routes and near homeless encampments to prevent potential fire outbreaks. The spray is environmentally friendly and safe for use around homes and schools.

A citrus-based natural fire retardant is being tested on dry vegetation to prevent wildfires

Canadian province of Ontario launches a fire prevention mentorship program with tribal Cree communit...

- Fire prevention is so vital for our communities, especially with the unique challenges we face, sa...

Canadian province of Ontario launches a fire prevention mentorship program with tribal Cree communities

Homes made from innovative and fire resistant materials withstood Cali fires better

In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, certain homes have remarkably withstood recent wildfires thanks to innovative fire-resistant designs. A notable example is a local couple who incorporated several fire resistant materials and features.

Homes made from innovative and fire resistant materials withstood Cali fires better

"No water system in the world could have handled the Los Angeles Fires": Possible strategies to mini...

As wildfires wreak havoc in Southern California, particularly Los Angeles, a pressing question arises: Is this the new reality in an era of climate emergencies? A review by CNN indicates it is a combination of both human factors and natural conditions.

"No water system in the world could have handled the Los Angeles Fires": Possible strategies to minimize future damage

California Wildfire Insurance crisis. From an idea by Bjorn Ulfsson, Executed by Chat GPT.

LA wildfires puts a new knife edge focus on California's insurance crisis

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have intensified the ongoing homeowners insurance crisis in Cali...

LA wildfires puts a new knife edge focus on California's insurance crisis

2024

A generic illustration of a firefighter in full gear teaching a family how to prevent fires. From an idea by Bjorn Ulfsson, executed by CHAT GPT.

Focus on solar panels, batteries and hydrogen: The Fire Prevention Commission is re-starting their a...

Prioritized topics are photovoltaic systems, batteries, battery storage – preventive measures, stati...

Focus on solar panels, batteries and hydrogen: The Fire Prevention Commission is re-starting their activities

Fire Prevention Meeting during DA in Las Vegas 2018

The Fire Prevention Commission has reformed and started up again with a wider focus

The commission was very active and had good results in the past. Due to the challenges which firefig...

The Fire Prevention Commission has reformed and started up again with a wider focus

2023

Night firefighters. Original public domain image from Flickr Public Domain Free U.S. Government Image

CTIF Addressing the Climate Crisis: A Call to Action for Fire and Rescue Services Worldwide

PRESS RELEASE: The Executive Committee has released an official statement on the subject of Climate ...

CTIF Addressing the Climate Crisis: A Call to Action for Fire and Rescue Services Worldwide

With the help of artificial intelligence, the sensor can tell the difference between a nascent wildfire or, for example, the fumes from a passing diesel truck. Image Courtesy: Dryad

German researchers prevent forest fires with electronic "sniff detectors"

The smoke sensors are tested by lighting bonfires at different distances from them. The hope is that...

German researchers prevent forest fires with electronic "sniff detectors"

A block of flats with lots of possessions piled outside the window. Photo by London Fire Brigade

London Fire Brigade offers support to hoarders to mitigate fire risks among rising cost of living

Last year, London Fire Brigade attended almost 1,040 hoarding-related fires, with around 186 injurie...

London Fire Brigade offers support to hoarders to mitigate fire risks among rising cost of living

2022

Start-up company uses drones carrying "balls of fire" to initiate prescribed burns

The idea behind the aerial Dragon Eggs is to use a chemical agent to start the fires remotely from t...

Start-up company uses drones carrying "balls of fire" to initiate prescribed burns

"100 Cities – 100 Years - Evaluation Of Urban Fire Risks". Participate in CTIF´s research project

The Center of Fire Statistics of CTIF is working on an international book project called "100 C...

"100 Cities – 100 Years - Evaluation Of Urban Fire Risks". Participate in CTIF´s research project

2021

Are Current Fire Prevention and Education Models Failing Us?

Civilians are not the only target group exposed - more than 60 firefighters die every year in the l...

Are Current Fire Prevention and Education Models Failing Us?

Full scale fire test with a mining vehicle in a mine, performed by Rickard Hansen. Screenshot from a video.

The passive fire protection of mining vehicles in underground mines

It is highly important to mitigate vehicle fires in underground mines before they happen in the firs...

The passive fire protection of mining vehicles in underground mines

2020

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA -- Flames of the Simi Valley fire ravage a Southern California mountain side. This is one of many catastrophic fires that plauged Southern California. U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules pilots flew eight C-130 cargo airplanes and dropped 129,600 gallons of retardant on the Simi fire during 48 sorties and 32 flying hours as of Oct. 29. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dennis W. Goff)

More than ten thousand buildings and over one million acres destroyed in California forest fires

Forest fire season in the Amazonas could get worse this year than 2019

2019

Front page of the study "Fatal residential fires in Europe"

Fatal residential fires in Europe - a report

The improvement of fire safety in the living environment can only be effective when we have knowledg...

Fatal residential fires in Europe - a report

California forest fires. Photo by United States Department of Defence.

California experiment: New investment strategies in forest fire prevention

Investors buy into the bond, and the money is drawn as needed for forest restoration work.

California experiment: New investment strategies in forest fire prevention

Prescribed fire in ponderosa pine forest in eastern Washington (USA) to restore ecosystem health.

Prevention & Control: Using back fire to combat wildfire

A back fire is a fire that is deliberately initiated in front of an active fire front, usually a for...

Prevention & Control: Using back fire to combat wildfire

Monster wildfire threatened tourist areas and evacuated 9000 on Gran Canaria

Fire statistics no 24 in Persian version

CTIF World Fire Statistics now available in Persian and Hungarian

Fire Stats is growing! In 2019, a Hungarian edition for #23 was added, and a Persian version of issu...

CTIF World Fire Statistics now available in Persian and Hungarian

20 young people died in the illegally constructed school in India.

20 students killed in a school fire in India - the building frame was plastic

The ship was being repaired when the CO2 leak occurred that killed 10 people in China on Saturday.

Ten people killed by a fire extinguishing system

England, Scotland and northern Ireland Dry weather conditions sparked fires to burn in parts of England, Scotland and northern Ireland as seen (as red dots) in this image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The image shows conditions on May 2, 2011 at 11:50 UTC (7:50 a.m. EDT). Photo: NASA

Several wildfires already burning in Scotland

The CTIF Seminar Fire, Rescue & New Challenges 2019 - Ostrava, Czechia October 25-26

The CTIF Seminar 2019 will focus on four sub headlines: Communications, New Procedures, Innovations ...

The CTIF Seminar Fire, Rescue & New Challenges 2019 - Ostrava, Czechia October 25-26

The New Zeeland shooter who killed at least 49 people in March 2019. Photo is a screen shot from the live video the shooter broadcasted on Facebook during the deed.

The deadliest mass shootings and terrorist acts in recent years

Auto locking doors killed Tesla driver in fire after a crash

The automatically deploying door handles on the outside don't appear to have deployed. The exte...

Auto locking doors killed Tesla driver in fire after a crash

Windsor Fire and Rescue chief training officer Paul Acton says studies are finding oil-based products lead to rapid fire spread and rapid combustion.

200 times more smoke and 8 times faster burning rate than 50 years ago

The rapid burning rates of modern homes vs legacy homes are starting to become known in public media

200 times more smoke and 8 times faster burning rate than 50 years ago

Header for World Fire Statistcis no 23-2018

CTIF Fire Statistics Issue no 23 now available in Hungarian

Tisztelt Kollégák! A BM Országos Katasztrófavédelmi Főigazgatóság a magyar tűz-és katasztrófavédelmi...

CTIF Fire Statistics Issue no 23 now available in Hungarian

Sudden collapses during fires a very real danger for firefighters in new US buildings

Collapse of load bearing elements in just over 3 minutes with new OSB construction beams: UL and the...

Sudden collapses during fires a very real danger for firefighters in new US buildings

2018

Controversy over who is to blame for the California wildfires

Speakers´List for the CTIF Seminar "Fire, Rescue & New Challenges"

New Technologies, drones, Alternative Energy Vehicles, the new ISO Standard and the latest in Firefi...

Speakers´List for the CTIF Seminar "Fire, Rescue & New Challenges"

Fire training for highrise residents during the 999-project. Photo by Tehran Fire Department

The "999" Safety Project instructs tens of thousands of Tehran highrise residents in tower fire safe...

Since June, more than 20,000 residents from 40 big towers are instructed to follow essential rules t...

The "999" Safety Project instructs tens of thousands of Tehran highrise residents in tower fire safety

Fire sprinkler mounted on a roof. Photo by Wikipedia

Use of Automatic Fire Sprinklers in Domestic Environments

Dramatic decline in fire deaths since UK regulated sprinklers in high rises: This paper presents a p...

Use of Automatic Fire Sprinklers in Domestic Environments

Program and Registration Link for the CTIF Seminar "Fire, Rescue & New Challenges" in Brussels

Registration is now open: Fire, Rescue & New Challenges - CTIF Seminar in Brussels November 9-10, 20...

The CTIF seminar "Fire, Rescue and New Challenges" will be held for two days, on Friday ...

Registration is now open: Fire, Rescue & New Challenges - CTIF Seminar in Brussels November 9-10, 2018

Temperature anomalies in Sweden and parts of Northern Europe summer 2018. Photo: Wikipedia

Swedish authorities evaluate the catastropic wildfires last summer - new national plan for rapid siz...

Sweden wants to be more self sufficient during wild fire season. This past summer, Sweden received E...

Swedish authorities evaluate the catastropic wildfires last summer - new national plan for rapid size up and more self reliance from EU

Dennis Davis at the European Commission Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Small Medium Sized Enterprises

Third DG GROW meeting in Brussels focused on domestic fire safety

CTIF participated with over 30 organizations and governments in the EU Commission’s Fire Information...

Third DG GROW meeting in Brussels focused on domestic fire safety

The forest fire commission meeting has just started, Monday September 17 2018.

The 3-day Forest Fire Commission Meeting has started in Switzerland

19 Delegates from 13 Countries are currently now discussing the way forward, taking into account the...

The 3-day Forest Fire Commission Meeting has started in Switzerland

American Waste and Recycling Facility Fires Spike in 2018 August 24, 2018 by Alyssa Danigelis facility fires (Photo: A scrap yard fire near Denver in early July. Credit: @RyanO_KDVR on Twitter)

Severe increase in North American number of garbage facility fires - lithium batteries believed to b...

37 US and Canadian facility fire incidents occurred in March and then 36 in April, making it one of ...

Severe increase in North American number of garbage facility fires - lithium batteries believed to be partly to blame

"Government neglect to blame for wildfire chaos - not just heat waves and climate change"

European Forest Institute addresses the root causes of forest fires

Forest fire damage Argyle Canyon 2012. Photo by Wikipedia Commons

USDA invests millions in wildfire mitigation - projects attempt to restore healthy forests on privat...

“Wildfires are a serious and on-going threat to forests and communities alike, as we’ve seen in Cali...

USDA invests millions in wildfire mitigation - projects attempt to restore healthy forests on private and public lands in 24 states

A map of the area where the five western US communities studied are located.

Innovative land use planning tools to avoid wildfires: A study of five Western US communities

Thermometer showing 31 degrees Celsius in Sweden, summer of 2018. Photo: Bjorn Ulfsson

Expert warns: Extreme temperatures are here to stay

Some scientists warn that extreme temperatures can be a permanent change in our climate in just a fe...

Expert warns: Extreme temperatures are here to stay

Train creating sparks as the metal wheels grind against the rails. Screen dump from a video by Wide World of Trains.

Government agency blames majority of forest fires on sparks from trains

Leif Sandahl, fire engineer at MSB: "It's time for the train companies to start thinking a...

Government agency blames majority of forest fires on sparks from trains

Burned building in Greece. Screen shot from Huffington Post.

Greece 2018: Over 3000 illegal buildings demolished for fire prevention

"The chaos that unregulated buildings cause is threatening human life and can no longer be tole...

Greece 2018: Over 3000 illegal buildings demolished for fire prevention

By 20minutos.es - "Decenas de muertos en un incendio en Portugal" at 20minutos, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60070712

Portugal is strengthening emergency preparedness to avoid last year´s fatal wildfire tragedy

64 people died in last summer´s forest fires in Portugal. The fires broke out after a heat wave and ...

Portugal is strengthening emergency preparedness to avoid last year´s fatal wildfire tragedy

Man cooling down with water from a hose. Photo: Wikipedia Commons License

The record heatwaves and droughts that set the world on fire in 2018

Unusually high temperatures in normally cool countries like Great Britain, Finland, Ireland and Japa...

The record heatwaves and droughts that set the world on fire in 2018

NASA´s Suomi satellite program can see the most intense wild fires from space

This video from 2016 explains how the NASA Suomi satellite program for wild fire detection works.

NASA´s Suomi satellite program can see the most intense wild fires from space

Pacific rim fire in 2015. Photo: Wikipedia Commons License

Wildfire safety tips from the NFPA

By working together residents can make their own property - and their neighborhood - much safer from...

Wildfire safety tips from the NFPA

Panic and Human Behavior in Fire & Emergency Situations

Emergencies do not always bring out the worst in humans. In this research article Navid Bayat from t...

Panic and Human Behavior in Fire & Emergency Situations

Helicopter applying water on a forest fire in Risco Blanco on southern Gran Canaria today, Monday. Photo: Cabildo de Gran Canaria

Heat wave over Canary Islands prompts activation of emergency plan for forest fires - here´s how the...

- Never go into ravines or distant areas and never attempt to escape from the fire by moving upwards...

Heat wave over Canary Islands prompts activation of emergency plan for forest fires - here´s how they educate the public

BEA: Fire in cockpit the likely cause of the deadly 2016 Egyptair airplane crash

French investigators rejected the Egyptian explosion theory on Friday, casting doubt over Egyptian f...

BEA: Fire in cockpit the likely cause of the deadly 2016 Egyptair airplane crash

The Fort McMurray wildfire. Photo: Wikipedia

Pine beetles: A new type of wildfire threat uncovered in Canada and northern US

Fire in London on the anniversary of Grenfell

Sprinkler system saved highrise on the anniversary of Grenfell - same system may have stopped the di...

Last week, fires broke out in high rise towers in Lewisham and Glasgow on the day of the Grenfell an...

Sprinkler system saved highrise on the anniversary of Grenfell - same system may have stopped the disaster a year ago

Wildfire threatens hom near Possum Kingdom, Texas.

Teaching Fire Prevention to the Public: 10 easy ways to defend your home or cottage against forest ...

These simple ten steps will dramatically improve the chances of your home not being destroyed in a w...

Teaching Fire Prevention to the Public: 10 easy ways to defend your home or cottage against forest fires

Fire Prevention Commission Meeting in Las Vegas Continued after DA

Italian water bombers on standby to assist Scandinavia´s forest fire efforts

The first of the large water bombers arrived on the weekend. Trains have been cancelled due to fores...

Italian water bombers on standby to assist Scandinavia´s forest fire efforts

The north prepares for an extreme wild fire season - bans daytime forestry and starts logging work a...

The fire hazard occurs when the forest harvesters hit rocks and stones and sparks occur. The major f...

The north prepares for an extreme wild fire season - bans daytime forestry and starts logging work at midnight for fire prevention

Two fires in the 5th Ave Tower this year alone - report claims two lobbying attempts were made again...

Two fires in the 5th Ave Tower this year alone - report claims two lobbying attempts were made against high rise sprinklers

Five policemen arrested for Venezuelan jail fire disaster

13 dead and 28 injured in Saigon apartment fire

VIETNAM: The fire started at the lower part of the apartment on Vo Van Kiet Street in District 8 at ...

13 dead and 28 injured in Saigon apartment fire

Fire brigade condemns controversial Kinder-Morgan crude oil pipeline project in central Vancouver, B...

CANADA: A new "Standing Rock" type of conflict is developing in Vancouver, BC, as resident...

Fire brigade condemns controversial Kinder-Morgan crude oil pipeline project in central Vancouver, BC

Goats in Gran Canaria. Photo: Hugo Ryvik

Sheep and goats prevent forest fires on Gran Canaria, Spain

The island of Gran Canaria has entered into an agreement with local shepherds on the island to pay t...

Sheep and goats prevent forest fires on Gran Canaria, Spain

CTIFs Dennis Davies & UL global fire director Bob James

UL partners with new IFT testing facility in Germany

Submission Guidelines for Questions to Delegates Assembly 2018

The Delegates’ Assembly is CTIF‘s highest decision making body. Here are guidelines for submitting Q...

Submission Guidelines for Questions to Delegates Assembly 2018

A firefighter being interviewed by another firefighter

Learn to tell your stories of Lessons Learned on video

Three firefighters being trained by an instructor in nozzle technique.

New Fire Behavior Group to start in 2018

Four firefighters walking away in the sunset