NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 68

Firewatch
Investigators were unable to conclusively identify the cause of the fire, but
believe it was caused by an overheated
cellphone that ignited a couch in the
living room.
Local news coverage indicated that
the residence did not appear to have
smoke detectors, which the fire chief
believed could have prevented the
tragedy.
The house was a single-story, woodframe structure with a brick veneer and
occupied a ground floor area of 1,466
square feet (136 square meters).
The home suffered extensive damage
from the fire, but no information was
available on dollar losses.

TENNESSEE
Kitchen fire kills elderly couple
An elderly couple died in a house fire
that ignited in their kitchen.
Firefighters were called to the scene
at 9:30 p.m. by a passerby who spotted
the fire and called 911. It was unclear
how long the fire had been burning at
the time it was detected.
News reports indicated that arriving firefighters heard explosions from
inside the residence and that it quickly
became too dangerous to fight the fire
from inside.
The house was protected by hardwired smoke detectors with a battery
backup, but investigators were unsure
if they successfully operated.
The house was a two-story wood
structure constructed with a wood
frame, floor, and walls. It occupied a
ground floor area of 2,579 square feet
(239 square meters).
The house and contents, collectively valued at $120,800, were a
total loss.

EDUCATIONAL
TENNESSEE
Candle fire sends high school
students on early vacation
A candle flame was blamed for a
mid-morning fire in a high school classroom that resulted in an early dismissal
one day before winter break.

The fire department was dispatched
to the school by an alarm monitoring
company after the school's smoke
detectors activated at 10:24 a.m. Arriving crews reported that no smoke was
showing from the two-story structure
and that all of the students had been
evacuated. School personnel were
reported to have extinguished the fire.
Crews were directed to a second-floor
classroom where the fire originated.
They confirmed that the fire had been
extinguished, but found that the room
was still full of smoke. Crews set up
ventilation equipment to evacuate the
smoke, but stopped when they determined that opening the windows and
doors to allow for natural ventilation
was necessary due to the school's
configuration.
Investigators determined that the
fire began when a candle in a second-floor classroom ignited paper on
a wallboard. No malicious activity was
involved, investigators said.
The school was equipped with an
automatic smoke detection system with
detectors located in hallway areas outside the classrooms. It was not equipped
with an automatic sprinkler system.
The school was constructed with a
steel frame, metal roof deck, and block
walls. The building occupied a ground
floor area of 18,900 square feet (1,756
square meters).
No losses from the fire were reported
to either the building or its contents,
each valued at $1 million.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Small fires at elementary school
found to be intentionally set
Firefighters were dispatched to an
elementary school after fire alarms activated at 11:40 a.m.
Arriving firefighters found that the
students had been evacuated from the
school and that members of the school's
staff had already used fire extinguishers
to put out two small fires in separate
bathrooms.
There were no injuries, but classes
were canceled for the remainder of the
day due to smoke conditions. Crews set
up ventilation equipment in order to
remove smoke from the building.

Investigators determined that a
male student had intentionally set
fire to two plastic dispensers. School
officials and law enforcement were
reported to be following up with the
student.
No information was available on
losses from the fire.

WAREHOUSE
NORTH CAROLINA
Warehouse fire ignited by industrial
vehicle inside structure
Firefighters were dispatched to a
warehouse in the early evening hours
after a fire that began in an off-road
vehicle inside the structure spread to
an interior room, then to the ceiling
and roof.
Crews were dispatched to the facility
at approximately 7 p.m., and arriving
firefighters observed flames inside the
structure and on the roof. Incident
command instructed crews from a
ladder company to stretch a hand line
to the interior and begin extinguishment, while an engine company was
tasked with securing a water supply
from a hydrant.
After an aerial was raised to get an
overhead view of the fire, crews pulled
an additional hand line into the building to extinguish a fire in a second
interior location. Crews gained access
to the roof as the fire was brought
under control and used power saws to
open the roof and extinguish hot spots.
The last crews cleared the scene
approximately three and a half hours
after arrival.
One firefighter was evacuated from
the interior when he became ill while
handling a charged hose line during
suppression activities. He received
oxygen therapy and intravenous fluids
from EMS crews and was able to later
assist with cleanup activities and finish
his shift.
The fire was determined to have
originated in the engine of a skid steer
loader, which then ignited the wood
framing of the structure before spreading to the roof.

68 | NFPA JOURNAL * N O V E R M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0

Firewatch NOV DEC 2020 V5.indd 68

10/29/20 7:00 PM



NFPA Journal - November/December 2020

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

Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 5
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 6
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 7
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 8
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 9
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 10
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 11
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 12
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 13
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 14
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 15
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 16
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 17
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 18
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 19
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 20
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 21
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 22
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 23
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 24
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 25
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 26
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 27
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 28
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 29
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 30
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 31
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 32
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 33
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 34
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 35
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 36
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 37
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 38
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 39
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 40
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 41
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 42
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 43
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 44
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 45
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 46
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 47
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 48
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 49
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 50
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 51
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 52
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 53
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 54
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 55
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 56
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 57
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 58
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 59
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 60
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 61
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 62
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 63
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 64
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 65
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 66
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 67
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 68
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 69
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 70
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 71
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 72
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 73
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 74
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 75
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 76
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 77
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 78
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 79
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 80
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2025spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201610_sprinkler
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120304
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com