Vulnerability of buildings to wildfire

Recent events worldwide have clearly shown that wildfires pose a serious threat to people and buildings located in the WUI (Wildland-Urban-Interface). In Europe, due to climate change, wildfires are expected to continue affecting areas not only in the Mediterranean but also in other European regions (e.g. alpine and Scandinavian context).  A wide range of tools is available for the assessment of physical vulnerability of buildings to different hazard types including floods, landslides and earthquakes. Yet, to date, vulnerability of buildings to wildfire still remains under-researched. Research gaps in this respect are pointed out in this study and a well-established approach for vulnerability assessment of buildings already used for tsunamis and dynamic flooding is adapted in order to be used for wildfires. The method is based on the development of a vulnerability index using building characteristics (indicators) that contribute to wildfire vulnerability, including construction material, surroundings, building design and surrounding vegetation. The index may be used as a basis for strategies for vulnerability reduction (reinforcement of buildings, building codes), evacuation planning, insurance purposes and resilient reconstruction of affected areas. Preliminary results of an application in Mati (Attica, Greece) based on the data of a wildfire occurred in July 2018 resulting in the death of more than 100 people are presented