When the home fires are burning

Fire season is in full swing with wildfires actively burning in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah and other Western states. As fires threaten homes and other structures, emergency personnel face the decision of when to tell people to leave their homes, and anxious homeowners, once evacuated, face the agonizing uncertainty of whether or not they will have a home when they return. Geography professor Tom Cova is available to discuss the challenging science of setting evacuation trigger points, due to the unpredictable nature of wildfires. He can also discuss a proposed centralized database to help homeowners check on their homes during evacuations. Fellow geography professor Philip Dennison is available to comment on wildfire and climate in the Western U.S., remote sensing of fires from space and aircraft, and relationships between vegetation and wildfire.
Tom Cova| 801-918-0836| cova@geog.utah.edu
Philip Dennison| 801-585-1805| dennison@geog.utah.edu