Forest fires cost the United States millions of dollars per year in property and land loss and were responsible for the deaths of numerous firefighters and civilians last year. In addition, this year, there have been highly publicized aviation disasters that have occurred in attempting to extinguish the infernos.

What if the likely ignition locations of these fires could be predicted? What if the spread of these fires could be predicted and therefore controlled before becoming uncontrollable? Unusually for a CFD challenge this is not about reducing design costs, nor about meeting production deadlines: it is, however, about protecting the environment and saving property and lives where the deadlines are even more critical.