Firebrand Spotting Distance Simulator

Wildfires don't only spread along a continuous front — burning firebrands lofted by the convective plume are carried downwind and can ignite new "spot fires" far ahead of the main blaze, jumping roads, rivers and containment lines. This simulator models the two competing physical processes that decide a firebrand's fate: it falls at a size-dependent terminal velocity while being advected by the wind, and its diameter shrinks steadily as it burns. Adjust wind speed, ember size and plume lofting height to see how far firebrands travel before either landing while still hot enough to spark a new fire, or burning out into cold ash mid-flight — the same competition that drives real-world spot-fire risk assessment in fire behavior modeling.