Data firm Precisely has expanded its Wildfire Risk product, providing accurate wildfire data for urban and built up areas. The product now provides Wildfire Risk Extreme modelling and data covering environmental conditions for rapidly spreading urban fires across the United States. 

Wildfire Risk combines new Wildfire Risk Extreme data with representations of landscapes that reflect the true characteristics of a given location. The tool considers the impact of different variables such as the presence of vegetation or that of varying topography, including hills and valleys, which results in much more accurate and interpretable wildfire behaviour analysis.

It also evaluates the effects of significant weather events, including high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds – critical factors in devastating wildfires, such as the 2023 Lahaina fire in Hawaii.

The product was developed by a team of experienced fire scientists with real-world wildfire expertise. It is aimed at organisations in the public sector, telecomms and insurance industries.

Fire safety departments located in San Bernardino County, California, already rely on wildfire risk data from Precisely to strengthen local protection plans and, ultimately, help manage risk to property and citizens in an area that has seen a growing threat of wildfires in recent years.

“To help ensure a competitive advantage in successfully securing grant allocations, it’s crucial to make confident wildfire protection decisions based on trustworthy data,” said Justin Merino, Managing Director at Morongo Basin Fire Safe Council. “The bottom line is, if we fail to secure grants, that loss of funding could mean life or death for our community and property loss.”

“Urban conflagrations represent unique challenges, requiring tailored solutions that go beyond traditional risk analysis and planning,” said Dan Adams, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Data Enrichment at Precisely. “With the threat of wildfires ever-increasing, we’re humbled to be a trusted partner for customers responsible for protecting people, properties, and land across the United States.”

The latest scientific research shows that the risk of extreme wildfires has doubled in the past 20 years. In the first six months of 2024 alone, nearly 20,000 wildfires burned over 2 million acres across the United States – an increasing threat that is particularly concerning in urban areas.