NFPA Journal - March/April 2013 - (Page 19)

Overloaded wiring starts fire in store Residential ARIZONA—An appliance store in a strip mall sustained fire and smoke damage when an overloaded extension cord used to power a portable electric space heater that was left on after the store had closed ignited nearby combustibles. However, a sprinkler controlled the fire until firefighters arrived to extinguish it, significantly limiting fire damage. The wood-frame store was located in a single-story mall and covered an area of 2,100 square feet (195 square meters). A wet-pipe sprinkler system was monitored by a central station alarm company. Firefighters responding to the 1:18 a.m. alarm arrived five minutes later to find neither smoke nor flames coming from the mall’s main property, so began to check the other stores for problems. When they reached the appliance store and saw light smoke, the incident commander ordered a full first-alarm assignment. Crews forced the store’s front door and advanced a 1 3/4-inch hose line to extinguish the fire, which was being held in check by a sprinkler in an office area in the showroom. Excessive stock and housekeeping issues impeded firefighters’ access to the store’s interior. Because they could not reach the rear door, they cut a roof ventilation hole to remove smoke so the building could be searched. Investigators determined that the fire started in an area beneath a desk where a number of electrical cords were found. A space heater, left on high when the business closed for the night, had been plugged into an 18-gauge extension cord that, along with several other items, was plugged into a power strip. A circuit breaker had also tripped. The investigators determined that the overloaded extension cord ignited wood and paper nearby. The building, valued at $2.6 million, and its contents, valued at $1 million, sustained a combined loss of $30,000. There were no injuries. MASSACHUSETTS—A single sprinkler extinguished a fire in a townhouse-style condominium that began when smoking materials ignited a blanket that had been draped over a living room couch. Sprinkler saves townhouse The two-story, four-unit, woodframe condominium building, which was 100 feet (30 meters) long by 50 feet (15 meters) wide, had hardwired smoke detectors providing a local alarm on each level. A wet-pipe residential sprinkler system was installed in living areas. The water flow was not [ HOW EXPLOSIVE IS YOUR TRAINING? TABLETOP GAS EXPLOSIONS FOR PRACTICAL TRAINING. The revolutionary FlashFire™ Training System creates actual ﬁre conditions, transforming training and awareness for responders in high risk industries and for your ﬁre prevention program. Demonstrate the explosive energy of multiple air/fuel mixtures for effective HazMat training. Prepare your employees without risk using automated controls & integrated safety systems. For more information, visit us at www.BullEx.com. [ 1-888-4BULLEX [ WWW.BULLEX.COM MARCH/APRIL 2013 NFPA JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 19 http://www.BullEx.com http://www.BullEx.com http://WWW.BULLEX.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - March/April 2013

NFPA Journal - March/April 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Cover Story: Storage Occupancies
Fifty Years of Smoke Detection
Industrial Occupancies
Chicago 2013
Fire Analysis + Research
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - March/April 2013