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Fire scientist Jack Cohen: make homes less ignitable; embers—not just nearby flames—drive structure loss
Summary
Jack Cohen, a longtime fire-lab scientist, told an audience that structure ignitions during wildland-urban fires often come from windborne embers and that homeowner measures—nonflammable roofs, defensible space and prescribed burns—can make ignitions manageable when suppression is overwhelmed.
Jack Cohen, a fire scientist associated with a fire laboratory, told a public presentation that reducing a home’s ignitability is the most effective way to prevent structure loss during severe wildland-urban interface fires.
Why it matters: Cohen argued that suppression can be effectively zero when many structures are exposed simultaneously under high-wind conditions. Therefore, homeowner actions and structural measures that reduce ignition potential are critical to increasing the chance a structure survives when suppression resources are strained.
Key points Cohen made: He said embers (firebrands) can ignite structures well ahead of a flame front…
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