NFPA Journal - September/October 2012 - (Page 73)

floor near the entrance to the kitchen. The other five victims were found on the second floor. Two were in the hallway, one was in a bedroom, one was found in debris from a third-floor collapse, and one was found in an unspecified location on the second floor. Kansas Date, Time of Alarm, Number of Deaths October, 7 p.m., 6 Number of Stories, Occupancy Type, Construction Type, Operating Status This 12-story grain elevator, which covered 5,000 square feet (465 square meters), was of protected noncombustible construction. It was in operation at the time of the explosion. Detection Systems and Suppression Systems Neither smoke detection nor automatic suppression equipment was present. Fire Origin and Path A grain dust explosion occurred on the sixth floor. Its cause was undetermined. Contributing Factors and Victim Locations Three of the victims were found outside the structure, one on the ground near railroad tracks, one in a partially loaded grain car, and one on a catwalk 15 feet (5 meters) above the ground. Three were found inside the grain elevator, two in an inspector’s office and one in a scale office. Two other workers were severely injured. Emergency response was complicated due to congestion of onlooker vehicles near the scene. No information was reported on the cause of death. Hawaii Date, Time of Alarm, Number of Deaths April, 9 a.m., 5 Number of Stories, Occupancy Type, Construction Type, Operating Status This was an underground World War II-era munitions bunker used to store fireworks. The bunker was 250 feet (76 meters) long, 15 feet (5 meters) wide, and 20 feet (6 meters) high. At the time of the explosion, six employees were disposing of seized fireworks, four inside the bunker and two outside. Detection Systems and Suppression Systems There was no detection or suppression equipment. Fire Origin and Path The cause and origin is undetermined . Contributing Factors and Victim Locations All four workers inside the structure were killed, as was one of the two working outside. No information was reported on the cause of death. California Date, Time of Alarm, Number of Deaths May, 11:49 p.m, 5 Number of Stories, Occupancy Type, Construction Type, Operating Status This was a one-story, residential board-and-care facility for adults with mobility and cognitive impairments that covered 3,000 square feet (279 square meters). It was of unprotected wood-frame construction. Detection Systems and Suppression Systems The activation of the battery-operated smoke alarms was not determined. There was no automatic suppression equipment. Fire Origin and Path The fire broke out in a bedroom, and heavy smoke and flames were showing when firefighters arrived. Contributing Factors and Victim Locations Six people were reported trapped in the structure when firefighters arrived. All five victims were found in bedrooms. Three other occupants, including two staff members, were injured. Investigators and coroners comb the scene of a fire that resulted in five fatalities at a California residential board-and-care facility for adults with mobility and cognitive impairments. All of the victims were found in bedrooms. Three of these catastrophic non-structure fires involved aircraft crashes and fires. Vehicle crashes and fires are included in this study if the fire in the vehicle caused the crash or the local coroner or medical examiner confirms that the victims died of thermal injuries or inhalation of products of combustion, rather than impact injuries. Each of the aircraft crashes killed four people. The first occurred during takeoff, when the aircraft slid along the runway, spewing sparks and smoke from the bottom of the wing. The airplane became involved in flames, hit several obstructions, and came to rest upright. The second crash occurred shortly after takeoff. The plane became airborne, then descended and hit a roadway, skipped back into the air, then struck railroad track, and became fully involved in fire. The third aircraft incident involved a fire that started during a flight, but no specifics were given as to the type of fire or its location. Shortly after the pilot reported a fire on board to the air traffic controller, the plane crashed and burned. In the fourth catastrophic non-structure fire, a controlled burn in grasslands on private property killed three people when it went out of Photograph: AP/Wide World SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 73

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2012

NFPA Journal - September/October 2012
Contents
First Word
Mail Call
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Lessons of Comayagua
After Waldo Canyon
Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires in 2011
Fire Loss in the United States in 2011
Section Spotlight
Research + Analysis
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - September/October 2012