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CFRP composite laminates decompose by pyrolysis/oxidation when exposed to high heat fluxes. While gaseous and solid residues created within the composite material are ignored in most models, a multi-species approach is proposed to describe transient decompositions from the virgin to the final charred state of the material. The model is based on a porous medium description that includes gas creation and transport within the laminate, respectively driven by Arrhenius and Darcy's laws. Orthotropic heat transfer and decomposition gas transport within the laminate up to the surface remain often uninvestigated while it can drastically act upon the dynamics of a fire event. An experiment is carried out to analyze multi-dimensional heat and mass transfer during the charring processes of a composite laminate exposed to a high power laser beam. Transient temperature measurements on the unexposed surface of the material are confronted to 3D unsteady numerical results to validate the model formulation. • 3D numerical solver of heat and mass transfer within decomposing composite material. • Microstructure-based homogenization technique of thermal conductivity tensor. • Characterization of physical and chemical properties of virgin and charred laminates. • Experimental and numerical restitution of laser-induced material decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]