Major Fire Incidents - Essay Example

Major Fire Incidents First category Inter Bank Fire This incident occurred on late night of May 4, 1988 on the 12th floor of the 62-story First Interstate Bank building in Los Angeles, California. In the history of California, this fire is considered as the most challenging for the firefighters as it destroyed four floors and inflicted great damage to a fifth floor. However, due to the prompt service from the city’s dedicated firefighters there was only one casualty while 35 occupants and 14 fire personnel were injured. Although the reason behind the fire has been deduced as electrical fault, the exact source of ignition has never been identified. The rapid spread of fire was caused by the presence of computers and other equipments in the open spaces. There were plastic cabinets that increased the intensity of fire while the building staff took a long time to realize the cause of fire alarms, and this resulted in delayed reporting to the fire department. The building was constructed in accordance with the 1960 edition of the Los Angeles City Building Code which required automatic sprinkler system in basement areas and standpipes for high-rise buildings. Incidentally, the owners had already installed an automatic sprinkler system which was part of an extra precaution against fire although this was not required during that time by fire codes. However, since work was still in progress the system was not activated. For this reason, at the time of the fire the valves controlling the sprinklers were closed. The fire spread in the entire 12th floor including open areas and office enclosures, and then spread to the upper floors up to the 16th floor mainly through broken windows. The fire reached such a state of magnitude because of the building staff’s delayed notification to the fire department. Therefore, one recommendation was that fire needs to be detected at its incipient stage. Second, the presence of all precautions like automatic sprinklers, alarm system and emergency procedures can be effective only if there are trained personnel (First Interstate Bank Building Fire, 1988). CCTV Fire This 2009 incident occurred on February 9 in Bejing. The fire broke out in a modern architectural 34-story building which was located in the CCTV complex. The fire was caused by high-explosive pyrotechnic devices which were set off by surrounding residents including the chief of construction hired by CCTV as part of their New Year program. According to Chinese officials, there were leftover firecrackers in the southern roof of the burning building. The fire spread over an area of 100,000 square meters, and it completely burnt down an atrium and a digital computer room. Victims included the death of one firefighter and the injury of six firefighters and one civilian. There is considerable doubt regarding the reasons for the speed by which the fire had spread since the construction was mainly of steel and glass. While some firefighters suggested fire broke through the thin metal façade to burn the flammable insulation within, the Bejing Fire Brigade blamed the high winds. According to architects, fire had spread by interior decorations. Another theory was that the steel covering the reinforcing bars became so hot that they ignited. Moreover, since construction was still undergoing sprinklers were not installed which delayed suppression of the fire (Zoninsein, 2009). The TVCC building was constructed according to all city building codes which means the sprinkler system was left unpressurized during construction. The building has multiple egress routes during emergencies. The time of evacuation takes half the time compared to any other vertical structure comprising same floor area. Moreover, there is an additional escape route through another tower which is connected to the CCTV building by the high-level overhanging. Second category Hartford Hospital It was on December 8, 1961 that fire struck in Hartford Hospital in Connecticut. It is considered as one of the most devastating fire incidents in the history of America which took the lives of sixteen people. The root cause of the fire has been identified as cigarette ash discarded on a trash chute. According to eyewitnesses, in an instant black cloud shrouded the corridors which induced people to confine themselves behind doors or run to save their lives. The fire spread rapidly from the basement to the ninth floor. This incident led to significant changes in hospital building regulations and fire codes across the country as important fire safety lessons were learnt. Immediately after the incident, smoking was prohibited in hospitals and also doors are now required to have positive latches as opposed to rotating latches that the hospital doors had during the incident as the latter allows fire to put pressure on the doors to keep them open thus letting smoke flow in other rooms. Moreover, building materials need to emphasize on non-combustible materials. Also, it has become obligatory for hospitals to maintain sprinkler systems, fire escapes and fire drills (Stewart, 2012). The exit doors of the hallways were less than 30 feet which is rectified in subsequent building codes. Also, the hospital had 8-foot fire doors which have now been replaced by double doors (Dunne, 2012). Cleveland Clinic Fire This tragedy occurred on Wednesday, May 15, 1929 in Cleveland Clinic situated at East 93rd and Euclid Avenue. On that day a steamfitter was called to mend a leaky steam pipe. The pipe was located in the sub-basement which was at that time used as a storage room for the hospital’s x-ray films. Fire struck when the steam came into contact with 3-4 tons of volatile nitrate x-ray film. This nitrate film which was used both for motion pictures and medicine was extremely volatile and inflammable. Once ignited, the film becomes almost impossible to extinguish and if immersed in water then poisonous gas can emit. This gas flew through the pipe ducts into all rooms in every floor. This gas caused double explosions which vibrated the entire building and the roof almost flew off. The incident killed one hundred and twenty three people including doctors and nurses (Clifton, n.d.). The incident led to reexamination of safety regulations as it caught the global attention. Subsequent fire codes included regulations regarding fire-fighting practices, hospital procedures and usage and storage of hazardous chemicals. The hospital was said to be constructed in fireproof manner; but this incident revealed the fact that no building can be completely fire resistant. Therefore, usage of fire-resistant materials should be of utmost priority and also focus should be given on interior arrangement (NFPA,1929). Conclusion It can be concluded here that fire incidents mostly occur due to negligence of people or improper fire codes or building regulations. In the case of Interstate Bank fire, the incident took tragic turn because of delayed intimation provided by the staff to the fire department while in the CCTV case it was a result of illegal fireworks. In both case, sprinkler system was not activated which was another reason that caused fire to spread rapidly. In the second categories, both the incidents forced the officials to adopt a new approach towards subsequent fire codes. Use of fire-resistant materials, and points of egress have been modified in later fire regulations. References Clifton, B. (n.d.) The Cleveland Clinic X-Ray Fire of 1929, Cleveland historical, retrieved on January 28, 2015 from: http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/573#. VMiEeyyjuoo Dunne, S. (2012) 1961 Hartford Hospital Fire Focus on CPTV Documentary, Hartford Courant, retrieved on January 28, 2015 from: http://articles.courant.com/2012-01-23/entertainment/hc-hartford-hospital-fire-cptv-0124-20120123_1_city-firefighters-fire-doors-hartford-hospital-fire First Interstate Bank Building Fire (1988), NFPA, retrieved on January 27, 2015 from: https://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/Fire%20Investigations/filosangeles.pdf NFPA (1929) The Cleveland Clinic Fire, retrieved on January 28, 2015 from: http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/Fire%20Investigations/cleveland.pdf Stewart, R. (2012) The Hartford Hospital Fire: Inferno on the 9th Floor, CPBN, retrieved on January 28, 2015 from: http://www.cpbn.org/pressrelease/hartford-hospital-fire-inferno-9th-floor Zoninsein, M. (2009) New Ideas Surface about TVCC Fire in Bejing, Architectural Record, retrieved on January 28, 2015 from: http://archrecord.construction.com/news/ daily/archives/090313tvcc.asp Read More