NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 48

Large-Loss Fires in
the United States in 2019 (continued)
ignited by an unknown source.
Contributing Factors and
Other Details
A passerby reported the smell of
gas at a location away from the
scene. Firefighters initially found
no issues. A few minutes later,
firefighters responded to the site
of the gas leak. Upon smelling
the odor of gas, evacuations
began in the area. The coffee
shop was found to have a lower
explosive limit of 100 percent
in the building moments before
the explosion. Two people were
killed in the explosion, and one
firefighter and 24 civilians were
injured.
STORES AND OFFICES
Maryland
Month, Time of Alarm, Dollar
Loss
August, 6:53 a.m., $14,000,000
Property Characteristics and
Operating Status
This was at a two-story, L-shaped
office building. No additional
information was reported.
Fire Protection Systems
There was a complete coverage
detection system present that
operated as intended. Its type
was not reported. There was an
automatic suppression system,
but its type, coverage, and activation were not reported.
Fire Development
An undetermined source ignited
gas escaping from a fractured
gas line under a parking area. The
fire was confined to the escaping
natural gas, but an explosion
caused heavy damage to the
building.
Contributing Factors and
Other Details
The explosion occurred 65 minutes after the original call.
WILDLAND/URBAN
INTERFACE
California
Date, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
October, 9:22 p.m., $383,750,000
Setting
This was a wildland/urban interface fire known as the Kincade
Fire.
Climate
Weather conditions when this
fire broke out were clear and dry,
with low humidity, strong winds,
and a temperature of 91° F (33°
C).
Fire Origin and Path
An electrical high-tension line
failed, and sparks ignited nearby
dry vegetation. The cause of the
failure was not reported.
Contributing Factors and Other
Details
During this fire, strong Santa Ana
winds were blowing, resulting
in an extreme rate of fire spread
through annual grasses. The fire
burned over 77,758 acres (31,468

hectares), destroyed 374 structures, and damaged many more.
Area evacuations were conducted for 90,000 homes. This
was the largest wildfire of the
2019 season in California. There
were four injuries reported.
California
Date, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
October, 9:02 p.m., $20,486,000
Setting
This was a wildland/urban
interface fire known as the Saddleridge Fire.
Climate
The weather was fair, with a temperature of 82° F (28° C) and no
precipitation with low humidity.
Santa Ana winds blew embers
half a mile and started spot fires
during red flag conditions.
Fire Origin and Path
The cause and origin were
undetermined.
Contributing Factors and
Other Details
The fire destroyed 19 structures
and damaged 88 structures.
There was one civilian death and
eight firefighter injuries. The fire
burned over 8,799 acres (3,561
hectares) of grass, brush, and
chaparral. Area-wide evacuations
were conducted, and the fire
resulted in the closing of several
major freeways.
California
Date, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
October, 2 p.m., $16,000,000
Setting
This was a wildland/urban
interface fire known as the Sandalwood Fire.
Climate
The temperature was 82° F (28°
C). Conditions were dry, with no
precipitation for several days
prior to the fire, and high Santa
Ana winds.
Fire Origin and Path
This wildfire started when a garbage truck driver emptied his
load of smoldering trash in an
area next to dry vegetation. The
wind pushed the fire into the dry
brush and the fire spread rapidly.
Contributing Factors and
Other Details
By the time firefighters arrived,
the fire had burned 3 acres (1
hectare) and high winds were
contributing to rapid fire spread,
including through a manufactured home park. The fire spread
over 1,011 acres (409 hectares),
destroyed 74 structures, and
damaged 16 others. Two people
died and three were injured.
California
Date, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
October, 1:35 a.m., $12,008,000
Setting
This was a wildland/urban interface fire known as the Getty Fire.

result of a pipeline fracture. The exact cause of the
other three failures/leaks was not determined.
The cause was reported for two of the four
vehicle fires. One was due to an unknown type
of electrical failure in a control box and one was
attributed to an unknown mechanical failure
when a wheel rubbed against a vehicle body part.
The cause was reported for three of the four
wildland fires. One occurred when a truck dumped
a load of smoldering debris next to dry vegetation,
one when an electrical wire malfunctioned and
sent sparks into dry brush, and one when a tree
limb landed on high-tension wires that sent sparks
into dry grass and brush.
The operating status was reported for 15 of the
18 structure fires; in 12 incidents, the facility was
open, operating, or had workers on site. Three
were closed and the properties were unoccupied.
Six of the 18 structure fires broke out between
11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and had a total direct property
loss of $1.2 billion. One of the non-structure fires
broke out between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and had a
total direct property loss of $12 million.

Smoke detection and automatic
suppression equipment
Information about automatic fire or smoke detection equipment was reported for 10 of the 23
large-loss structure and vehicle fires. Of those 10
fires, four properties had detection equipment
present; one of the four systems operated as
designed, and in three cases the operation was
unreported. The six remaining properties had no
automatic detection equipment installed.
Information on automatic suppression equipment was reported for 11 of the 22 structure and
vehicle fires. Of those 11, seven properties had
suppression systems and four did not. It was not
reported if any of them operated. In three cases,
the systems did not operate: one because the
sprinkler systems were installed but not yet activated due to construction, one because the system
was manual and was turned on, and one because
it was damaged by an explosion.
Complete information on the presence of
both detection and suppression equipment was
reported for 10 of the 22 structure and vehicle
fires. Four had neither system present, four had
both detection and suppression equipment, and
two had just suppression equipment.

What we can learn, where we get our
data, and acknowledgments
Adhering to the fire protection principles reflected
in NFPA codes and standards is essential if we
want to reduce the occurrence of large-loss fires
and explosions in the U.S. Proper construction,
proper use of equipment, and proper procedures
for chemical processes, storage, and housekeeping
can help make fires and explosions less likely to

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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2020