  In recent years, advances in computational power and spatial data analysis
(GIS, remote sensing, etc) have led to an increase in attempts to model the
spread and behaviour of wildland fires across the landscape. This series of
review papers endeavours to critically and comprehensively review all types of
surface fire spread models developed since 1990. This paper reviews models of a
physical or quasi-physical nature. These models are based on the fundamental
chemistry and/or physics of combustion and fire spread. Other papers in the
series review models of an empirical or quasi-empirical nature, and
mathematical analogues and simulation models. Many models are extensions or
refinements of models developed before 1990. Where this is the case, these
models are also discussed but much less comprehensively.
