In this article, you'll learn:
- What the Fire Spread Model is and how it helps you plan smarter
- How to run simulations
- Customizing simulations with time steps and weather models
- Finding, naming, and organizing your simulations
- Using Fire Breaks for containment strategies
What is the Fire Spread Model?
The Fire Spread Model is a powerful tool that lets you simulate how a fire will evolve over the next 24 hours. It factors in:
✅ Local topography
✅ Fuel maps
✅ Fuel moisture
✅ Wind speed & direction
*All parameters are fully customizable. You can adjust wind data and humidity directly from the simulation table.
This enables proactive planning by helping you understand which areas might be impacted next, allowing better decision-making and resource allocation.
Where to Find It
To access the Fire Spread Model:
1️⃣ Open the OroraTech Wildfire Solution dashboard
2️⃣ Look for "Wildfire Solution" in the left menu
How it helps you stay ahead
✅ Simulate diverse wildfire scenarios to enhance preparedness.
✅ Identify at-risk areas to protect communities and assets.
✅ Equip decision-makers with real-time insights for proactive response.
Wildfire behavior is unpredictable, but planning doesn’t have to be. By combining satellite data, fuel maps, and live weather models, the Fire Spread Model gives you the tools to plan smarter, respond faster, and stay ahead of every fire.
Key Data Sources
| Data Type | Source & Detail |
| Wind Forecasts | ECMWF IFS (Global, 25km), and WindNinja for localized wind conditions. |
| Fuel Maps | ESA WorldCover (10-meter resolution, 10 land cover classes) |
| Topography | Copernicus DEM (30-meter resolution) |
| Initial Fire Fonts | Real-time OroraTech detections or user-defined starting points |
🔎 Want to integrate your own fuel map or local topography data? Learn more in the Custom User Data Integrations article or contact support@ororatech.com to get started.
🌦️ How Weather Drives the Model
Our model follows a "forecast-at-time-t → fire-at-time-t+1" logic.
That means:
-
The 3:00 PM forecast predicts 4:00 PM fire behavior
-
We don’t use future forecasts to guess what hasn’t happened yet
✅ This ensures:
-
Realistic, physics-based spread predictions
-
Reliable comparisons across simulations
-
Trustworthy insights for urgent decision-making
⚠️ We don’t use future forecasts to avoid unrealistic assumptions. This ensures accurate, physics-based predictions that reflect real-world behavior.
Taylor simulations to your conditions
Personalize simulations to mirror real-world conditions:
-
Time Step Control: Choose 6h, 12h, or full 24h simulation windows
-
WindNinja: Enable for hyperlocal wind modeling (slightly longer compute time)
-
Weather Models: Let the platform choose the best-fit model for your location
-
Per-Step Weather Editing: Modify humidity or wind per hour for deep scenario planning
-
Fire Breaks: Add fire breaks to test containment strategies safely, before taking action on the ground.
These options let you mirror real-world situations or test alternative response strategies.
✅ Ready to Try It?
Now that you know what the Fire Spread Model can do, let’s put it into action.
👉 Follow our step-by-step guide: How to Run Fire Spread Simulations
You'll learn how to start a simulation, customize settings, and make the most of your results.
💬 Need help along the way? Contact us at support@ororatech.com —we're here for you.