Forefire can also be built with scons. Install it with
apt install scons -y
A sample SConstruct file is included with the distribution.
Run it with
scons
To build with all warnings enabled
scons -Q w=1
Troubleshooting: If it does not work, try replacing the Sconstruct file with ./tools/Sconstruct. Set the environment variables, and insert the path to the Netcdf (and Java headers for JNI bindings if required).
Make: A simple makefile is also available in the tools directory
More info on build systems can be found on this issue