Wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, where wildfires encroach into urban areas, are on the rise globally as the boundaries between urban and rural become increasingly blurred.

Despite their prevalence, it has long been recognized that firebrand showers are a significant contributor to home ignitions. International standards for laboratory research on firebrand showers were only standardized in 2024.

In a seminar organized by the Energy Cluster at the Institute for Fluid Science (IFS), Visiting IFS Professor Samuel Manzello, whose research has been instrumental in standardization efforts, will provide an overview of WUI fires and present recent research findings on the subject.

He will also discuss recent experiments aimed at quantifying firebrand hazards from Japanese vegetation that was present during the recent Ofunato, Japan WUI fires.

Attendees may participate in the event either virtually or in person. In-person registration is limited to 80 participants, while online registration is capped at 300 participants.

Date: March 19, 2026
Time: 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Venue: The Lecture Room, 5th Floor, IFS Building 2
Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/8EjPS8flRc69GHEfBrlfHA#/registration