Wildfire Mitigation and Evaluation of Firebreaks Through FlamMap Simulations in High-Susceptibility Areas of the Metropolitan District of Quito

Wildfires represent a growing concern worldwide, and their frequency has increased due to climate change and human activities, posing risks to biodiversity and human safety. In the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ), the combination of flammable vegetation and steep slopes increases the wildfire susceptibility. Although there are no formally designated firebreaks in these areas, many natural and artificial elements, such as roads, water bodies, and rocky terrain, can effectively function as firebreaks if properly adapted. This study aimed to evaluate the wildfire behavior and assess the effectiveness of both adapted existing barriers and proposed firebreaks using FlamMap simulations. Geospatial and meteorological data were integrated to generate landscape and weather inputs for simulating wildfires in nine high-susceptibility areas within the DMQ. Fuel vegetation models were obtained by matching the national land-cover data with Scott and Burgan fuel models, and OpenStreetMap data were used to identify the firebreak locations. The simulation results show that adapting existing potential firebreaks could reduce the burned area by an average of 42.6%, and the addition of strategically placed firebreaks could further reduce it by up to 70.2%. The findings suggest that implementing a firebreak creation and maintenance program could be an effective tool for wildfire mitigation.