WUI - Wildlife Urban Interface Fire
A wildland urban interface (WUI) fire starts as a wildfire and turns into an urban conflagration. WUI fires are very toxic — they incinerate vehicles, rubber, plastics, electronics, appliances, batteries, building and household materials. A profusion of cancer causing substances such as asbestos, arsenic, chromium-6, dioxins, PAHs and VOCs are present in the smoke and ash that settles in the nearby community.
What is a WUI fire?
A wildfire is a blaze that consumes wild vegetation, such as scrub grass, brush, and trees. While wildfires can sometimes burn structures, the bulk of what burns is organic and not man-made, meaning the toxic profile is significantly different from a WUI fire.
What is a wildfire?
The fallout it generated reflects the full toxic mix of an urban burn, not just vegetation ash. Post-fire testing and cleanup for standing homes should account for this, and may need to differ significantly from approaches used after a vegetation-only wildfire.