Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment

The enclosed nature of indoor building spaces during fires creates complex fire environments and restricted evacuation routes, substantially elevating the risk of mass casualties. Traditional static evacuation routes not only overlook the complexity of fire scenarios but also fail to satisfy safety...

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Main Authors: Jiaojiao Bai, Xikui Lv, Liangtao Nie, Mingjing Fang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1715
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author Jiaojiao Bai
Xikui Lv
Liangtao Nie
Mingjing Fang
author_facet Jiaojiao Bai
Xikui Lv
Liangtao Nie
Mingjing Fang
author_sort Jiaojiao Bai
collection DOAJ
description The enclosed nature of indoor building spaces during fires creates complex fire environments and restricted evacuation routes, substantially elevating the risk of mass casualties. Traditional static evacuation routes not only overlook the complexity of fire scenarios but also fail to satisfy safety requirements for evacuation. To address this issue, this study proposes an enhanced A* algorithm to determine evacuation paths based on dynamic fire risk assessment. A dynamic fire risk assessment model is established using key fire environment parameters (e.g., temperature, visibility, and toxic gas concentration) and their corresponding personnel harm thresholds. This model quantifies fire risks within a discrete space. The A* algorithm is improved by integrating fire risk values and initial direction constraints into its heuristic function and path update strategy, thereby increasing the algorithm’s accuracy and efficiency. Using a subway station fire as a case study, the simulation results indicate that the improved algorithm can update evacuation paths in line with the dynamic evolution of fire risks. It also identifies evacuation routes by balancing fire risk, distance, and initial direction. This approach maintains the original path direction while substantially reducing path risk, achieving an approximate 70% reduction in individual evacuation path risk. This method can guide building fire safety design and the formulation of emergency evacuation plans. It also serves as a reference for path guidance during emergencies.
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spelling doaj-art-b2f999bda7aa45f182f8b0cd5446b51d2025-08-20T02:33:43ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-05-011510171510.3390/buildings15101715Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk AssessmentJiaojiao Bai0Xikui Lv1Liangtao Nie2Mingjing Fang3School of Traffic and Transportation, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050031, ChinaSchool of Traffic and Transportation, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050031, ChinaSchool of Traffic and Transportation, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050031, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, ChinaThe enclosed nature of indoor building spaces during fires creates complex fire environments and restricted evacuation routes, substantially elevating the risk of mass casualties. Traditional static evacuation routes not only overlook the complexity of fire scenarios but also fail to satisfy safety requirements for evacuation. To address this issue, this study proposes an enhanced A* algorithm to determine evacuation paths based on dynamic fire risk assessment. A dynamic fire risk assessment model is established using key fire environment parameters (e.g., temperature, visibility, and toxic gas concentration) and their corresponding personnel harm thresholds. This model quantifies fire risks within a discrete space. The A* algorithm is improved by integrating fire risk values and initial direction constraints into its heuristic function and path update strategy, thereby increasing the algorithm’s accuracy and efficiency. Using a subway station fire as a case study, the simulation results indicate that the improved algorithm can update evacuation paths in line with the dynamic evolution of fire risks. It also identifies evacuation routes by balancing fire risk, distance, and initial direction. This approach maintains the original path direction while substantially reducing path risk, achieving an approximate 70% reduction in individual evacuation path risk. This method can guide building fire safety design and the formulation of emergency evacuation plans. It also serves as a reference for path guidance during emergencies.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1715fire emergency evacuationdynamic fire risk assessmentimproved A* algorithmdynamic path planning
spellingShingle Jiaojiao Bai
Xikui Lv
Liangtao Nie
Mingjing Fang
Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment
Buildings
fire emergency evacuation
dynamic fire risk assessment
improved A* algorithm
dynamic path planning
title Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment
title_full Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment
title_fullStr Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment
title_full_unstemmed Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment
title_short Evacuation Route Determination in Indoor Architectural Environments Based on Dynamic Fire Risk Assessment
title_sort evacuation route determination in indoor architectural environments based on dynamic fire risk assessment
topic fire emergency evacuation
dynamic fire risk assessment
improved A* algorithm
dynamic path planning
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1715
work_keys_str_mv AT jiaojiaobai evacuationroutedeterminationinindoorarchitecturalenvironmentsbasedondynamicfireriskassessment
AT xikuilv evacuationroutedeterminationinindoorarchitecturalenvironmentsbasedondynamicfireriskassessment
AT liangtaonie evacuationroutedeterminationinindoorarchitecturalenvironmentsbasedondynamicfireriskassessment
AT mingjingfang evacuationroutedeterminationinindoorarchitecturalenvironmentsbasedondynamicfireriskassessment