Naturally burning coal fires and those ignited by human activities receive little attention from the media compared to other environmental hazards, but their study is gaining ground. Here, the world's leading experts present their research findings covering topics such as the gases generated in underground coal fires, the origin of gas-vent minerals and land-cover changes due to coal fires.

From prehistory to the present-day conservation movement, Pyne explores the efforts of successive American cultures to master wildfire and to use it to shape the landscape.

This report is designed to arm the fire service and others with a statistical overview of the fire problem in the U.S. -- deaths of thousands of Americans each year, injury to tens of thousands, and destruction of billions of dollars in property -- that can motivate corrective action. It can also be used to select priorities and help target fire programs, serve as a model for state or local analyses of fire data, and provide a baseline for evaluating programs. Data was collected from the more than 13,000 fire departments that participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System, and analyzed. One chapter focuses on deaths and injuries to firefighters.

"Fire Behavior and Combustion Processes was designed to provide a straight-forward yet comprehensive resource for students enrolled in fire science degree programs, or as a refresher for active firefighters. It provides an understanding of the basic principles of fire chemistry, the processes of fire combustion, and fire behavior. The subject of fire behavior is often a complex one, and this book seeks to clarify theoretical concepts, explain their importance, and illustrate how they can be applied in a practical way when responding to emergency situations"--

This book arrives at just the right time to facilitate understanding of performance-based fire risk assessment in buildings – an integral part of the global shift in policy away from traditional prescriptive codes. Yung, an internationally recognised expert on the subject of fire risk assessment, introduces the basic principles and techniques that help the reader to understand the various methodologies that are currently in place or being proposed by different organisations. Through his illustration of basic principles and techniques he enables the reader to conduct their own fire risk assessments. He demonstrates how the probabilities of fire scenarios are assessed based on the probabilities of success and failure of fire protection measures that are in place. He also shows how the consequences of fire scenarios are assessed based on the intensity and speed of fire and smoke spread, the probability and speed of occupant response and evacuation, and the effectiveness and speed of fire department response and rescue efforts. Yung’s clear and practical approach to this highly topical subject enables the reader to integrate the various tools available into a quantitative framework that can be used for decision making. He brings an invaluable resource to all those involved in fire engineering and risk assessment, including students, academics, building designers, fire protection engineers, structural engineers, regulators and risk analysts.

Long considered both best friend and worst enemy to humankind, fire is at once creative and destructive. On the endangered tropical island of Madagascar, these two faces of fire have fueled a century-long conflict between rural farmers and island leaders. Based on detailed fieldwork in Malagasy villages and a thorough archival investigation, Isle of Fire offers a detailed analysis of why Madagascar has always been aflame, why it always will be aflame, and ultimately, as Christian Kull argues, why it should remain aflame.

This volume addresses the state of the art in fire retardancy studies and the need for fire retardant chemicals and fire-retarded polymers, while considering the interrelationship among polymer degradation, fire retardant efficacy, fire testing and environmental concerns. The work examines the principles of polymer science with respect to fire retardancy.