Smoldering Combustion

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Wildfire Knowledge Graph · Fire Behaviour

Working definition

Flameless combustion that proceeds on or within a porous fuel and can persist after visible flaming has ended.

In plain language

Flameless combustion that proceeds on or within a porous fuel and can persist after visible flaming has ended.

Why it matters

Smoldering Combustion is useful because it separates one specific part of wildfire behaviour, exposure, operations or evidence from nearby concepts that can otherwise be mixed together.

Primary terminology sourceSearch official NWCG glossary ↗

Tecnobosque explanation reviewed 12 September 2026. Source definitions are authoritative within their stated jurisdiction; the explanatory text above is an independent technical synthesis.