Wildfire Knowledge Graph · Fire Behaviour
The actively advancing portion of a fire perimeter where flaming combustion and spread are occurring.
In plain language
The actively advancing portion of a fire perimeter where flaming combustion and spread are occurring.
Why it matters
Fire Front is useful because it separates one specific part of wildfire behaviour, exposure, operations or evidence from nearby concepts that can otherwise be mixed together.
What is a fire front?
The fire front is the part of a fire within which continuous flaming combustion is occurring. Unless a report says otherwise, it is generally interpreted as the leading edge of the fire perimeter.
Fire front vs flaming front
The terms are closely related but are not always used identically. A flaming front refers to the moving zone where combustion is primarily flaming; behind it, combustion can shift toward glowing or the slower burning of larger fuels.
In ground fires, the active front may include mainly smoldering combustion rather than a visually obvious wall of flame. That is why “fire front” should not automatically be interpreted as a high-flame-height feature.
Official reference: NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire.
Related: Head, Flank and Rear of a Wildfire · Flaming Combustion.