Laser to fight fire?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2020.0491Keywords:
wildfires, bushfires, fight fire by fire, extinguish fire by laser, climate change and fire risk, species extinction and fireAbstract
Wildfires spread as long as burnable organic matters fuel them, such as grasses and trees. When there is nothing more to burn, fires will put out naturally. Here, I would propose to fight “fire by fire” or by Laser using specific Laser devices to immediately and punctually carbonize a narrow zone in front of crawling wildfires to create a protective area that will stop fires from further propagation when the fire reaches the Laser-carbonized zone. Empirical studies will be required to determine the best conditions of Laser intensity, wavelength, and period of Laser irradiation that would be required to only carbonize organic matters in narrow targeted zone without spreading fire further.
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