NFPA Journal

Residential

MICHIGAN
Two children die in camper fire started by electrical overload

Two children died when a fire caused by an overloaded electrical system engulfed the camper trailer in which the family was residing.

The father of the children, who was working outside the vehicle when the fire ignited, was able to rescue a third child before being driven back by heat and flames, according to a fire department report.

News reports indicated that firefighters found the vehicle fully involved with fire upon arrival. Crews were reportedly able to quickly extinguish the fire, but could not save the children.

Investigators indicated that a second camper was supplying electricity to the vehicle. They determined that an overloaded electrical system started a fire in the kitchen area, then spread up and outwards through the interior.

The lack of a cell signal was said to cause a delay of approximately four minutes in reporting the fire. The camper was not equipped with smoke detection equipment.

The camper and its contents, valued at $3,500, were a total loss.

NORTH DAKOTA
Sunlight through magnifying equipment ignites apartment fire

Firefighters responded to an apartment complex following notification by the building’s commercial water flow alarm at 2:30 p.m.

Arriving crews were met by residents who indicated that there was a fire in a third-floor unit and that water was flowing out onto the balcony. Crews pulled a hose and proceeded to the unit, where they found the door locked and cold to the touch.

Crews forced the door open and found smoke banked down to the floor and water coming from three sprinkler heads, but no heat or fire. No occupants were found after primary and secondary searches of the unit.

After opening windows and a balcony door for ventilation, crews located a smoldering recliner in the living room and used a water extinguisher to complete extinguishment. Crews shut down the sprinkler system and performed overhaul before clearing the scene.

Investigators found magnifying equipment next to the recliner and determined that the fire began when direct sunlight heated a blanket and the recliner’s upholstery until they reached ignition. Their report noted that the magnifier carried a warning label instructing users to never place the magnifier attachment under direct sunlight due to the risk of fire.

The apartment building was a wood structure and occupied a ground floor area of 18,550 square feet (1,723 square meters).

The fire caused $70,000 in damage to the building, valued at $3.9 million, and an additional $20,000 damage to its contents, valued at $1 million.

MICHIGAN
Fatal fire caused by child playing with cigarette lighter

A house fire ignited by a child playing with a cigarette lighter claimed the life of a younger sibling.

The fire department responded to the scene after a smoke alarm inside the house sounded and occupants called 911. Arriving crews reported that a large amount of fire was showing from the rear of a two-story home. Smoke was starting to push from the attic and roof line, indicating that fire was moving up the walls and possibly into the attic. Occupants informed firefighters that a young girl was still inside the structure and pointed to a bedroom at the rear of the house where the child was likely to be located.

A rescue company pulled a hose into the house and began attacking fire at the rear of the structure while conducting a primary search of the remaining rooms on the first floor. A second team of firefighters conducted a primary search of the second floor.

After knocking down the bulk of the fire, crews conducted a primary search of the rear bedroom where the fire was concentrated and located the child’s body in a corner of the room. Crews preserved the scene for investigators and a fire department chaplain assisted in the notification of family members.

One firefighter suffered a sprain or strain injury following a ceiling collapse.

Investigators determined that the fire began when the victim’s older brother ignited a toy in a closet in the rear bedroom. The brother attempted to conceal the fire, causing a delay in its detection by other family members.

The residence was equipped with a single operating smoke alarm in a common area. Several other smoke alarms had been removed and were found on a kitchen counter.

The home was a two-story wood structure and occupied a ground floor area of 1,600 square feet (149 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to the residence, valued at $250,000. Damage to the contents, valued at $62,500, was estimated at $50,000.

OHIO
Fatal house fire blamed on curtains ignited by lamp

One man died in an early morning house fire that started when heat from a lamp ignited drapery materials.

The fire department was dispatched to the scene at 4:46 a.m. when one of the home’s occupants called 911. Arriving firefighters found smoke showing from a two-story residence and learned that one occupant was still inside the structure in a second-floor bedroom. Crews entered the residence to attempt a rescue and found the victim already deceased. Crews used water to extinguish the fire, which was confined to the victim’s bedroom.

Firefighters learned that an occupant in a first-floor bedroom was alerted to the fire by a smoke detector, but heavy smoke conditions prevented him from entering the victim’s bedroom. The occupant then awakened another resident and exited the residence while calling 911.

Investigators determined that a lamp in the victim’s bedroom either fell or was knocked against a window and ignited curtains before spreading to the wall. Reports indicated that the victim may have been intoxicated, impairing his ability to escape.

The residence was protected by at least one battery-operated smoke detector, but no detection equipment was present in the victim’s bedroom.

The residence occupied a ground floor area of 1,088 square feet (101 square meters). The fire caused $20,000 in damage to the home, valued at $51,000, and $5,000 in damage to contents, valued at approximately $25,000.

MARYLAND
Fire caused by smoking materials kills one, injures a second

A fire caused by smoking materials claimed the life of a female resident and injured the male occupant of another unit of a multifamily residence, according to fire investigators.

The male victim, who lived upstairs from the woman who died, called the fire department at 9:40 p.m. after smelling smoke. He was able to evacuate his apartment under his own power.

Arriving crews reported seeing no signs of fire from the street, but smoke was visible in a second-floor hallway as they drew closer to the two-story building.

Crews entered the building and found the female on the floor of her first-floor unit, where a fire at that point had largely self-extinguished due to a lack of oxygen. After attempts to resuscitate the victim proved unsuccessful, paramedics determined that she was deceased shortly after 10 p.m.

The upstairs tenant was taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation injuries.

Investigators determined that the fire began when smoking materials ignited a recliner in the victim’s living room. The victim’s husband was not home at the time of the fire and reported to investigators that he had begged his wife not to smoke when she was alone.

Information was not available on the presence of automatic detection equipment.

The building contained four apartment units and occupied a ground floor area of 800 square feet (74 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $2,000 in damage to the building and an additional $2,000 in damage to contents. No information was available on the pre-fire value of the building or contents.

FLORIDA
One dies when e-cigarette lighter ignites house fire

Firefighters were dispatched by an alarm monitoring company to a two-story residence following activation by the home’s fire alarm at 9:29 a.m.

An arriving engine company reported no signs of fire, but noticed smoke showing from the gable end on one side of the residence and could hear an alarm sounding inside. Crews upgraded the call to a complete structure response and made a forced entry through the front door, then advanced with a hose through heavy smoke conditions to the second floor, where they found a small fire in the corner of a bedroom.

Crews made an initial sweep of the room with a thermal imaging camera and began extinguishing the fire. After knocking down the fire, crews advanced further into the bedroom and discovered a male occupant on the floor. Crew members quickly pulled the occupant downstairs and turned him over to a medical team outside, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators determined that the fire started when a lithium-ion battery used in a vaping device went into a thermal runaway and caused a catastrophic failure, with the battery then igniting ordinary combustibles at the foot of the victim’s bed.

The residence was a two-and-a-half story wood frame structure with a plywood roof deck and concrete slab floor framing. It occupied a ground floor area of 960 square feet (89 square meters). The residence was protected by a monitored fire alarm system.

Damage to the structure and contents was estimated at $20,000.

HAWAII
Smoking materials blamed for fatal high-rise fire

Firefighters were called to a high-rise apartment building at 11:30 p.m. when a resident called 911 after hearing a smoke detector activate in a neighboring unit.

The fire occurred on the 18th floor of a 19-story building. Upon entering the apartment, firefighters found that a small fire had consumed immediate fuels on the victim’s bed, and fire suppression efforts were reported to be minimal. Firefighters found the body of a male occupant on the floor beside the bed, already deceased.

Investigators determined that the fire started when the victim either dropped or improperly disposed of smoking materials on bedding material. They indicated that the victim had a mobility impairment which impeded his ability to escape. The victim was said to have a history of smoking inside the unit against housing policies.

The building was constructed with concrete masonry unit block walls and concrete roof and floor framing. It occupied a ground floor area of 2,600 square feet (241 square meters).

The fire caused $94,000 in damage to the building, valued at $187,000, and $3,000 to contents of the apartment, valued at $5,000.

WASHINGTON
House fire ignited by lithium-ion battery explosion

Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire following a 911 call from one of the home’s occupants at 3:30 p.m.

News reports indicated that flames were coming from the basement and had spread to an attached deck and detached garage as firefighters reached the scene. Fire eventually extended up the rear of the house to the attic area. Occupants were said to have safely evacuated the structure.

Firefighters brought the fire under control in approximately 30 minutes and completed extinguishment in approximately an hour, according to the news sources.

According to investigators, a basement occupant witnessed his rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack explode into flames shortly after unplugging the charge from a power strip. The fire then spread to the main floor and detached garage. Remnants of the rechargeable batteries were found in the area of fire origin.

The house was a single-story wood construction and occupied a ground floor area of 1,200 square feet (111 square meters).

The fire caused $300,000 in damage to the structure and $100,000 damage to its contents. The fire also caused $400 in damage to a neighboring residence.

Hotel

CALIFORNIA
Faulty heater ignites hotel fire

Firefighters were dispatched to a hotel after a passerby spotted a fire and called 911 at 2:44 p.m.

Arriving crews found fire and smoke coming from a wall heater in one of the hotel’s rooms, with heavy black smoke banked down to the floor level inside the room.

Crews entered the room to ensure that no one was inside and found that a sprinkler had activated and was containing the fire. A bystander informed firefighters that he had used a dry powder extinguisher to extinguish the fire, but fire kept reappearing in the wall area.

Crews overhauled the area and extinguished the fire, then set up a positive pressure fan to ventilate the building. Crews secured the sprinkler riser in order to minimize water damage and advised the hotel manager to have to sprinkler system placed back in service as soon as possible.

Investigators determined that the heating and air conditioning unit had experienced an unspecified electrical malfunction, resulting in a fire that extended to drapery and then to structural finish in the room. The investigators indicated that the hotel’s wet-pipe sprinkler system operated effectively once the fire had made its way into the room.

The hotel was a two-story structure constructed with a wood frame, concrete slab floor frame, and a wood roof deck covered by asphalt.

The fire caused $15,000 in damage to the structure, valued at $4 million, and $2,000 in damage to the room contents, valued at $5,000.

Educational

MASSACHUSETTS
Electrical arcing blamed for fire in elementary school

Firefighters were dispatched to an elementary school at 9 a.m. following notification by a master box fire alarm.

Arriving crews were directed to a second-floor classroom, where a fire had ignited in a closet area behind a teacher’s desk. Crews found light smoke on the second floor but reported that the fire had self-extinguished prior to their arrival.

News reports indicated that students were evacuated and were walked to a nearby high school, where they were supported by teachers and staff from both schools.

Investigators determined that the fire started when a frayed electrical cord arced, causing the cord’s outer casing to ignite. Fire spread across a wall and ignited a small amount of paper before self-extinguishing.

The school building was equipped with smoke detectors in common hallways and a low-voltage fire alarm was tied to a municipal loop. The building was not equipped with a sprinkler system.

The school was a two-story structure with block walls, steel roof and floor framing, and a metal roof deck covered by tar and gravel. The building occupied a ground floor area of 90,000 square feet (8,361 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $5,000 in damage to the building, valued at $4.1 million, and $300 in damage to the contents, valued at $1 million.

LOUISIANA
Intentionally set fire in high school is confined to trash can

Firefighters were dispatched to a high school at 10 a.m. following a 911 call reporting a fire in a boys’ bathroom.

Arriving firefighters learned that school staff had already extinguished a fire that had been intentionally set inside a plastic trash can in the restroom.

Firefighters learned that the fire began when a student used a cigarette lighter to ignite paper towels and then set them in the trash can. A student who subsequently entered the restroom discovered the fire and alerted school staff. The fire did not spread outside the trash can.

The fire department reported that school staff detained a male student who set the fire until its investigators arrived to place him in custody.

News reports indicated that video showed the male student entering the restroom and exiting just before the fire was discovered. The reports indicated that the student was booked by fire department investigators on one count of aggravated arson.

The school building was protected by a wet-pipe sprinkler system, but no sprinklers activated before the fire was extinguished.

The fire caused no damage to the school building, valued at $10 million, and caused an estimated $150 in damage to building contents, valued at $5 million.

Public Assembly

MINNESOTA
Fire in mall contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were dispatched to an indoor mall following notification by a central station alarm at 7:45 p.m.

Upon entering the structure, crews reported that they found smoke inside, as well as water flowing from the building’s sprinkler system. Crews located a fire in a collection of chairs, carpet, and cardboard behind a movie theater, where two sprinklers had activated and were containing the fire.

Crews completed extinguishment and separated the contents to ensure that all areas were extinguished. Firefighters ventilated the area and turned the property over to management.

Investigators determined that the fire started with the ignition of cardboard in the pile of material, which was in an emergency exit corridor. The investigation concluded that the fire may have resulted from an incendiary act but were unable to rule out smoking materials as a possible cause.

The building was protected by a wet-pipe sprinkler system equipped with a water flow alarm.

The building was a two-story structure constructed with concrete walls, steel roof and floor framing, and a flat roof steel deck covered by rock over tar. It occupied a ground floor area of 250,000 square feet (23,226 square meters).

The fire caused $275,000 in damage to the building, valued at $8.1 million, and an estimated $2,500 in damage to its contents, valued at $1 million.

Vehicle

FLORIDA
Two die and one injured in crash and fire involving electric vehicle

Firefighters were dispatched at 6:46 p.m. by reports of a motor vehicle crash with entrapment and possible fire.

Arriving crews found a heavily damaged vehicle that was fully involved with fire. Crews positioned their apparatus to block roadway traffic and requested an additional engine and ladder.

Medical crews began treating an injured patient who was located on the sidewalk and subsequently transported to a local medical center.

Crews noted that the vehicle was an electric car and that fire was concentrated in the engine area. After experiencing difficulty extinguishing a battery underneath the car, crews were able to complete extinguishment with a water and foam mixture.

Crews determined that two occupants of the vehicle were deceased and assisted a county coroner in extricating the victims.

A towing service began to load the vehicle onto a flat-bed truck following the removal of the victims, but the vehicle’s battery began to spark and again caught fire, and crews again utilized foam and water to extinguish the fire.

Damage was estimated at $50,000.

Manufacturing

WISCONSIN
Static electricity ignites fire at manufacturing facility

An automatic sprinkler system controlled an early evening fire at a large manufacturing facility before firefighters arrived to complete extinguishment.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene by a central station alarm at 6 p.m. Smoke was visible from overhead doors at the front of a single-story complex, and an engine company subsequently reported a working fire inside the building towards the rear.

All building occupants were accounted for and no injuries were reported.

Crews established a water supply from a nearby hydrant and additional resources were requested due to the large fire potential and size of the facility. Crews entered the facility and extinguished a substantial fire, but reports indicated that the fire was mainly controlled by the facility’s sprinkler system.

Following extinguishment, crews set up ventilation equipment to clear smoke from the structure and tested the air quality for the presence of flammable vapors. Sewer mats and booms were deployed to control water runoff into a nearby channel.

Fire department personnel conducted a conference call with facility staff and environmental authorities to discuss the potential hazardous material impacts, and it was concluded that released product was inert and not harmful to the environment. News reports indicated that environmental authorities agreed to monitor the scene.

Investigators determined that the fire occurred when a static spark ignited flammable vapor at the top of a storage tank during a chemical transfer.

The facility was a constructed with steel walls, roof deck, and roof cover. It had a concrete floor framing and occupied a ground floor area of 155,711 square feet (14,466 square meters).

The building, valued at just over $1.4 million, suffered no damage from the fire. The fire caused an estimated $30,000 in damage to its contents, valued at $2 million.

Commercial

WASHINGTON
Sprinkler system controls vending machine fire

The fire department was dispatched to a United States Postal Service office after an employee smelled smoke and called 911 at 6:15 a.m.

Arriving firefighting crews reported smoke throughout a large single-story structure with no active fire visible. Occupants had evacuated the building after being alerted by multiple heat and smoke detectors throughout the building.

Firefighting crews who investigated the source of the smoke discovered a vending machine that had an internal fire in a break room, where sprinklers had activated and were controlling the spread of the fire. Crews forced open the mechanical compartment of the vending machine to gain access to the interior and extinguished the remaining fire.

Crews pushed the vending machine to an exterior door to allow the smoke to vent outside. They also set up large industrial vent fans and opened roof hatches that allowed the building to ventilate. A plug kit was used to stop the flow of water from the building’s sprinkler system, and crews worked to remove water from the floor of the area immediately around the vending machine before clearing the scene.

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by an electrical fault inside the vending machine.

The post office building was constructed with brick walls and a steel wood frame and occupied a ground floor area of 105,000 square feet (9,755 square meters).

The fire caused $25,000 in damage to the building and an additional $25,000 in damage to its contents.

FIREWATCH is a compilation of fire incidents involving a variety of occupancies and fire types. The intent of Firewatch is to illustrate the range of fire scenarios encountered by the fire service, present the challenges contained in those incidents, recount how the fire service addressed those challenges, and record the effectiveness of fire protection systems, where such systems exist. The incidents are identified by NFPA’s Research Group from fire reports submitted to NFPA by responding fire departments. Some of the fire incidents that appear in Firewatch are augmented with details provided by media accounts.