An Intelligent Cellular Automaton Model for Crowd Evacuation in Fire Spreading Conditions

In this paper, a two-dimensional Cellular Automaton (CA) model simulates the evacuation process of a crowd responding to fire spread. The crowd consists of individuals and its behaviour is modelled by the response of each individual to a rule that directs him/her to the nearest exit. Furthermore, fire spreading and movements of the crowd members while approaching the fire are successfully simulated. Empirical studies and socio-psychological concepts that attempt to explain how individuals act under fire threat have been considered. Characteristic features of crowd dynamics, such as incoherent pedestrian motion, blockings in front of exits and mass behaviour are successfully simulated. An efficient user-friendly interface has been equipped with parameters defining the arrangement of the area, crowd formation and fire features. Finally, the model is executed fast on typical PCs and can be used for planning evacuation strategies under fire threat or as part of a real-time decision support system.