A burner for a fire plume generator includes a liquid fuel nozzle directed along a first axis, a peripheral shield extending around the liquid fuel nozzle, the peripheral shield extending substantially along the first axis and defining an upper end and a lower end, and a pilot flame manifold located at or above the upper end of the peripheral shield, the pilot flame manifold defining a plurality of pilot flame outlets. A fire plume generator, a fire safety protection evaluation system, and a method of evaluating a fire safety protection device are also disclosed.