STORY OF A FIRE
The fire reportedly broke out inside a wall at the end of
the west wing, above, and followed concealed spaces
vertically toward the attic as well as horizontally toward the building's center lobby, seen here as the red
portion with the green metal roof.
The building's concealed spaces were insulated with
recycled denim material, and the fire consumed this
material as it traveled vertically and horiztonally
through the structure's west wing. At left, discoloration on the building's exterior panels indicates the
fire's travel inside the wall.
The fire's vertical travel allowed it to access the building's attic. The roof was supported by lightweight
structural members, and was covered by PV arrays
that prevented firefighters from venting the attic fire
through the roof. At left, the roof begins to fail.
Lower left, the fire continues to spread inside the wall
of the wing and through the attic. Tests determined
that the damaged PV system was energizing the building's metal roof. A roof collapse severed a sprinkler
main in the attic and hastened the fire's horizontal
spread.
Below, the fire in the attic space was finally vented as
additional portions of the roof began to collapse.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
NFPA JOURNAL
59
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2014