Estimating the risk of wildfires in the municipality of Rio Verde, Goiás State, Central Brazil

The damage caused by wildfires has major impacts each year, not only on the environment but also on the economy and public health. The present study aimed at mapping the fire risk in the different areas of the municipality of Rio Verde, in the Central Brazilian state of Goiás. A number of factors that influence the occurrence of wildfires were considered in this analysis, including the orientation of the relief, the slope, population density, proximity of homes, the road network, and land cover and use. The analytical hierarchy process was used to determine the appropriate weights for each of the variables. The fire risk index was divided into five classes: water, low, moderate, high, and very high risks. Class 4 (high risk) was the most frequently recorded within the study area, followed by classes 3 (moderate risk) and 2 (low risk). Subsequently, the heat spots recorded by remote sensing were related to fire risk indices, and the framing in the classes was verified. Overall, 16.36% of the heat spots were considered low risk (class 2), while 36.29% were classified as moderate risk (class 3), and 46.72% as high risk (class 4). These findings indicate that the fire risk index provides an adequate and effective parameter for the spatial assessment of the distribution of fire events (controlled burns or wildfires) in the municipality of Rio Verde.