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Engineering LaboratoryFire Research Division

## Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Group

-  HAZARD MITIGATION METHODOLOGY (HMM)  Expand or Collapse    -  Why Implement HMM in your Community?  Expand or Collapse      -  Exposures During WUI Fires 
    -  HMM vs Traditional Hazard Mitigation 
    -  WUI Definitions 
    -  Structure Survivability in the WUI 
    -  Community Survivability in the WUI 
    -  Paths forward: Implementing HMM 
    -  Communities already implementing HMM 
  -  How Fire Spreads in the WUI  Expand or Collapse      -  How do Structures Survive WUI Fires? 
    -  Fire Spread Pathways 
    -  Why Exposure Matters, not Parcel Boundary 
    -  Hazard from Fuel Agglomeration 
    -  Community-scale WUI Fire Hazards 
  -  Community-Wide Structure- and Parcel-Level Hardening Actions  Expand or Collapse      -  How Density Impacts Community 
    -  Workflow for HMM Hardening Actions 
    -  Structure Hardening for Embers 
    -  Parcel Hardening for Fire: the Three R’s 
    -  Surrounding Parcel Hazard Mitigation 
    -  Primary Parcel Hazard Mitigation 
    -  Structure Hardening for Fire 
    -  Communities Hardening Actions 
  -  Hardening Actions: Construction Guidance 
  -  Contacts 

# Hazard from Fuel Agglomeration

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Fuel agglomeration is the accumulation of fuels in proximity to each other that increase the fire hazard. Ignition of one object can easily spread to the nearby fuels, dramatically increasing the fire intensity and exposures presented to other nearby combustibles. Agglomeration can occur unintentionally, such as when multiple combustibles are moved to the edge of parcels to maintain sufficient distance to a primary structure. Other examples include situations where:

This issue is magnified on smaller, denser properties as illustrated in figures below.

                      -  ***Fences are installed parallel to each other***	– Parallel fences burn with higher intensity thus increasing fire hazard	See NIST Technical Note 2228. 
                      - **Storage sheds are located close to each other**  	– Fire intensity increases when two sheds are on fire and are close together on two properties, fire then threatens the homes.  
                      - **Vehicles are parked next to structures or other combustibles**  
                      - **Firewood piles and other combustibles are located away from homes but close to other fuels**  	– Wood piles can become a significant source of embers leading to spot fire ignitions and can spread fire to nearby structures. See  NIST Technical Note 2251 .

NIST Technical Note 2228

NIST Technical Note 2251

The combustible sheds and gazebo on two adjacent parcels, shown below, are spaced appropriately from the residences and other fuels, except fences, on their respective lots. However, Shed A-1 is too close to Residence B, and both sheds and the fences act as an agglomerated fuel package along the property border. If ignited, the sheds and fences will substantially increase the exposures from the red highlighted area, igniting the structures.

Increased spacing between combustibles lowers fire intensity which:
                  -  lowers the threat to homes and property 
                  -  improves conditions for evacuations 
                  -  helps first responders with rescues and suppression 

-  **‹** Why Exposure Matters, not Parcel Boundary 
-  Community-scale WUI Fire Hazards **›** 

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