Fire is rarely out of the headlines, from the huge wildfires ravaging Australia and
California to building fires such as that which destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral.
Fire on any scale can pose a serious risk to life and property. Yet wildfire is a force
of nature that has shaped Earth over aeons, while our ability to control fire has
enabled us to cook food, forge weapons, and warm ourselves.
Starting with the basics of ignition, combustion, and fuel, Andrew C. Scott
describes the nature of fire, from the causes and behaviour of wildfires, to fire prevention in buildings. He ends by considering the future of wildfire in
a warming world.