NFPA Journal - July/August 2013 - (Page 23)

The women discovered the fire and called 911 at 12:12 a.m. after trying to extinguish it themselves. When firefighters arrived four minutes later, they did not initially see anything until they noticed light smoke coming from the eaves. Although their access through the front door was impeded by furniture and personal belongings, crews eventually entered the house, where they encountered heavy smoke. They found the mother behind the front door and her daughter 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) away after hearing her moaning. Both victims were taken to the hospital. Investigators determined that the fire started in the living room, where they found an extension cord, estimated at 12-gauge, plugged into an outlet. They also found an older, resistancetype portable electric heater that the women were using as their sole source of heat. The heater cord, the extension cord, and the outlet were all covered with piles of paper, clothing, and other materials. When the extension cord blade and cord insulation melted, the fire spread from the combustibles to wooden paneling and then to the attic. At some point, flashover occurred in the den and living room. Hoarding conditions throughout the house added to the fuel load, making it difficult for the occupants to leave the house and for firefighters to conduct suppression operations. The building, valued at $121,000, and its contents, valued at $25,000, were destroyed. The 58-year-old survived her injuries. Three firefighters were also injured. truss roof covered by plywood and composite shingles. The property was protected by a sprinkler system. After controlling the sprinkler water flow, the officer noted two areas of burning and called investigators, who determined that a child had ignited paper at the living droom door leading to the garage with a lighter. The boy said that he tried to use the contents of a plastic sports drink bottle, thinking it was water, to extinguish the flames, but the fire ame back at him, burning his hand. Apparently, the boy’s mother had been painting and put acetone in the plastic container. You only need to know one name for Fire Protection Engineering Education, Training, and Research. The only ABET accredited Fire Protection Engineering program world-wide..................... Largest network of Fire Protection Engineers anywhere (1500+alumni, 250 current students, and 20 professors)......... Faculty that are members of the National Academy of Engineering, fellows of SFPE, ASME, and AIChe, and recipients of NSF Career and PCASE awards............................. Online graduate programs for working engineers that can be completed in as little as 6-months................................... Access to the latest research in fire suppression and detection, scale modeling of fires, evacuation analysis, risk modeling, and forensics....................................................... Sprinkler douses fire started by child playing with lighter FLORIDA—Firefighters responding to a public assist call for a water leak at a single-family home were notified en route that the alarm company was reporting an operating water flow alarm at the house. The attached, two-story, woodframe townhouse had concrete block walls, a stucco exterior, and a wood- L E A R N M O R E AT w w w.advancedengineering.umd.edu/fire JULY/AUGUST 2013 NFPA JOURNAL 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2013

NFPA Journal - July/August 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Loud + Clear
Allied in Safety
Front Burner
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States, 2012
Fire Analysis + Research
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - July/August 2013