Fire spread simulation using GIS: Aiming at urban natural gas pipeline

With the increasing use and complexity of urban natural gas pipelines, the occurrence of accidents owing to leakage, fire, explosion, etc. has increased. To analyze the scope of impacts of single-point fires associated with urban natural gas pipelines and the spread of urban fires caused thereby, this study analyzes single-point fires and the dynamic spread of fires by using a natural gas pipeline network fire model and a framework for an urban fire spread model by using GIS spatial analysis technology. Experiments show that by using the proposed method, we can easily determine key urban areas that are impacted by natural gas pipelines and where fire spread may occur. This study should be of great significance in preventing and controlling hazardous fires, deploying firefighting forces, planning urban construction, etc. We hope that the analysis results for hazardous areas from the viewpoint of urban pipelines using the proposed modules can be directly applied to urban safety planning. 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.