Smokejumping and the Science of Megafires – the Fire Science Lab in Missoula, Montana

Are we in the age of megafires?

Many scientists think the era of megafires is upon us, and not just because of the massive fires Russia suffered this year. Three of the eight worst forest fire years on record occurred in the past 10 years, according to fire experts.

A combination of rural development, climate change and years of firefighting policies that allowed brush to accumulate have set the conditions for massive blazes, and firefighters and researchers are investigating new ways to understand and fight megafires. Popular Mechanics visited the Fire Science Lab http://www.firelab.org/ at Missoula, Mont. — the birthplace of "smokejumping" and the largest fire research lab in the world — to get a glimpse of how fire fighters use vast amounts of data, technology and some high-risk DIY to defeat tomorrow’s conflagrations.

By Tyghe Trimble

Full Story: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/08/firefighters-smokejump-science-megafires/