NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 25)

ordered a defensive attack to prevent the fire from spreading, and firefighters used three large-diameter hose lines to knock the fire down. During his size-up, the incident commander found the victim’s body sitting in a chair on a patio at the rear of the house with a gasoline container by his feet. His head injuries were consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a gun was found on the ground under the victim’s chair. After the fire was extinguished, the area around the home and the house itself became a crime scene. Based on the degree of damage and evidence collected at the scene, investigators determined that the victim had poured an accelerant throughout the house and introduced a competent ignition source in the kitchen, which was the point of origin. The sudden ignition of flammable vapors caused a pressure wave that blew glass and building debris some 86 feet (26 meters) from the front of the house and 40 feet (12 meters) from the rear. A family member told investigators that the man, whose age was not reported, had sent an e-mail stating he was going to burn down the house and take his life. The house, valued at $75,000, and its contents, valued at $15,000, were completely destroyed. supplying the LP-gas heater on which he was working. When he used a lighter, the gas ignited. The house, which was valued at $60,000, and its contents, valued at $10,000, were destroyed. Cigarette starts fatal fire Man dies in home when leaking gas ignites WEST VIRGINIA—A 45-year-old man died of second- and third-degree burns to his upper body, which he sustained when leaking LP-gas ignited in his single-family home. The one-story, wood-frame house, which was 40 feet (12 meters) long and 50 feet (15 meters) wide, had no smoke alarms or sprinklers. A neighbor saw the fire and called 911 around 9 p.m. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread through the entire living space and into the attic. Investigators determined that the victim failed to shut off the gas line VIRGINIA—A 79-year-old woman died as a result of a fire started by her 83-year-old husband’s cigarette. The husband suffered a fatal heart attack. The 12-unit, three-story, woodframe apartment building in which they lived had exterior siding that was a mix of brick veneer and wood. There were hardwired smoke alarms in the unit’s hallway, and a neighbor told investigators she heard them operating. The building had no sprinklers. A neighbor heard a crackling sound, and her daughter saw smoke in the building’s hallway. Failing to get an answer when she banged on the door of the unit from which the smoke was coming, the daughter called 911 shortly after 8 a.m. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 25 http://www.nohmi.co.jp/english

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2012

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Past + Present
Easy Being Green?
Pressure Points
2011 Large-Loss Fires
2011 Firefighter Injuries
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012