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Worldwide Reach: 8 Major Fire Events This Year

7/24/2017

 
As we pass the halfway point of 2017, we stop to take a look at major fire events of 2017 that have captured headlines and impacted ongoing discussions of fire protection and life safety around the world.
​
1. Chile Wildfires
January 20, 2017 | Central and Southern Chile

Major fires in Chile destroyed roughly 385,000 acres in central and southern Chile where strong winds, hot temperatures and a lack of rain prolonged a firefight that lasted over two weeks [1]. The blaze has claimed over 1,000 homes, 11 lives, and has led to a state of emergency with some international firefighting aid [2]. President Michelle Bachelet: "We have never seen anything on this scale, never in the history of Chile" [3].

More Reading: Al Jazeera, CNN, The Telegraph
​

HTI Factory Fire
2. HTI Factory Fire
February 1, 2017 at 6:00pm | General Trias, Cavite, Philippines
​
An apparent equipment overheating brought about a major fire at a 3-story factory in General Trias, Cavite, Philippines [1]. The factory regularly housed over 3,000 workers as it had at the time of the fire. Fortunately there were no reported fatalities, but reported serious injuries including major burns range between 80-120 persons [2]. Losses are estimated at P15 billion, or nearly $300 million and over 10,000 jobs have been reported to be affected by the fire [3].

More Reading: CNN Philippines, Manila Bulletin, ABS-CBN News
​
3. Guatemala Orphanage Fire
March 8, 2017 | San Jose Pinula, Guatemala

A fire broke out and killed at least 40 girls in an an orphanage which housed nearly 800 children in San Jose Pinula, Guatamala [1]. According to interviews from the Washington Post, the fire was started by igniting mattresses as protests to continued mistreatment and abuse [2]. The event has sparked a continued debate of the role of orphanages and poverty of children in the region [3].

More Reading: Reuters, The Guardian, Washington Post
​

Guatemala Orphanage Fire
Grenfell Tower Fire
4. Grenfell Tower Fire
June 14, 2017 at 12:54 am | West London, England

An apparent faulty refrigerator-freezer [1] started a fire that lasted a over a full day before controlled and took nearly three before being extinguished. The 24-story residential tower block housed 129 flats where the fire claimed at least 80 deaths [2]. A major contributor to the acceleration and spread of the fire was the combustibility of the plastic-based exterior cladding and sub-surface insulation [3]. The tower did not contain a fire sprinkler system and has since prompted discussion on use of exterior cladding for similar structures.

More Reading: BBC News, The Telegraph, ABC News
​

5. Portuguese Wildfires
June 18, 2017 | Central Portugal

An apparent lighting strike is believed to have started a blaze that has reportedly killed as many as 70 people in Portugal [1]. Many of the victims were found fleeing the fires in vehicles as a result of 'dry thunderstorms', where water evaporates before reaching the ground due to high temperatures [2]. Although wildfires are not necessarily unusual, the death toll and spread of the fire was unique and likely aided by high temperatures and lack of precipitation in the area [3].

More Reading: BBC, CNN, Independent, NBC
​

6. Oil Tanker Explosion
June 25, 2017 at 6:00am | Bahawalpur, Pakistan

An overturned truck carrying over 25,000 liters (6,500 gallons) on a major highway in Pakistan resulted in the deaths of over 200 people [1]. The initial accident resulted in the overturned tanker leaking considerable fuel, where residents of nearby villages quickly gathered to collect the fuel [2]. Analysts reported the reaction as not surprising given the local problems in fuel shortages and poverty [2]. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, it has been speculated that gatherers at the scene began smoking cigarettes and using cell phones which may have sparked fuel vapors, causing the explosion [3].

More Reading: Al Jazeera, BBC News, CNN, NY Times
​

Pakistan Oil Tanker Explosion
Camden Lock Market Fire
7. Camden Lock Market Fire
July 10, 2017 at 12:10 am | North London, England

Less than a month after the Grenfell Tower fire, a famous and popular open-air market housing more than 1,000 different shops, restaurants, and other venues in North London was the location of a large scale fire. Fortunately there were not fatalities resulting from the blaze, although losses are estimated in the millions of pounds including to iconic buildings that date as far back as the late nineteenth century [1]. Suppression efforts lasted roughly three hours before being under control and the cause has yet to be identified [2].

More Reading: BBC News, The Guardian, The Telegraph
​

8. Honolulu Highrise Fire
July 14, 2017 | Honolulu, Hawaii

Three people died and a dozen injured as a result of a five-hour fire that began on the 26th floor of a high-rise apartment in Honolulu [1]. No sprinklers were installed in the building, which was built in 1971 prior to local sprinkler requirements for highrises beginning in 1974 [2]. The event has agitated a long-continued debate about retroactively requiring sprinklers in high-rise buildings throughout the United States, including Honolulu's mayor who said the city needs to reevaluate current legislation [3].

More Reading: ABC, CNN, NPR, Washington Post
​

Honolulu Highrise Fire
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What is the Best Height for Sprinkler Pipe?

7/19/2017

 
I have heard several times (often from those outside fire protection) that sprinkler pipe should be located "wherever it can fit around everything else," or something to the effect of "the sprinkler contractor will figure it out."

It is under that same mentality that mechanical and electrical engineers will complain when the fire sprinkler contractor is first to installation and they now have to redesign portions of their ductwork or conduit runs.

Is it really the sprinkler contractor's fault if no one allocates space for sprinkler pipe in the first place?

Coordination often comprises the most difficult and commonly the most overlooked part of building systems design. Ideally, where should sprinkler pipe be located above a ceiling?

I've asked a handful of designers, engineers and installers for their take on what the ideal height of sprinkler pipe is to effectively coordinate with other systems while minimizing extra pipe. While each project will vary in detail, much of the consistent thought has been to locate fire sprinkler pipe above the top plane of lay-in lights and underneath ductwork while routing to avoid can lights and slot diffusers (which tend to be deeper than lay-in light fixtures). The lower the sprinkler pipe, the less pipe required to create the drops down to each sprinkler.

In my experience (and as others have concurred), locating the pipe centerline 8-inches above the finished ceiling often works well. Under this location it is still important to avoid routing over the centerline of light fixtures, or over diffuers, deep can lights, and slot diffusers. While LED lights have helped keep the depth of lay-in fixtures to less than older fluorescents, it is still important to avoid the centerline of lights as to avoid the fixture hangers. Greater depths or conflicts with any of these elements can of course raise the centerline up to 10 or 12-inches above the finished ceiling.
Sprinkler Pipe Coordination
That being said, the ideal height of sprinkler pipe can be impacted by two other concepts: concealed space protection and seismic bracing. Where concealed spaces need to be protected (such as in combustible construction applications), it may be worthwhile to raise the pipe closer to the underside of the wood structure.

Another important consideration is when seismic bracing is required. Where there is a significant distance between the buildings' structure and the pipe, seismic bracing begins to lengthen and as a result must have greater reinforcement (larger pipe diameters for lower slenderness ratios). In these scenarios, it can be easier to shorten the bracing lengths by raising the system closer to the height of structure.

Regardless of where pipe is to be located, establishing space for sprinkler pipe early in a project is a benefit to both upfront engineers and contractors on the back end. 

What is your routing preference? Have you found any height to be more ideal than others? Feel free to comment if so.

If you've found this helpful, please consider forwarding to others who might be interested. Anyone can subscribe to these weekly posts, for free, here.

A Basic Tool for Ceiling Obstructions

7/12/2017

 
One of the most common and basic issues many of us encounter in fire sprinkler design or during on-site review is whether a sprinkler is considered to be obstructed. While the premise of the obstruction tables within NFPA 13 is fairly straightforward, there are a handful of variations in the tables that are dependent upon the edition of 13 being used, the sprinkler type, and in some cases the orientation of the sprinkler.

This reference tool below was built to quickly determine whether a ceiling-mounted element is considered an obstruction. It can be especially helpful during sprinkler layout or during site review where lugging the entire code volume might not be practical
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Common examples of where obstructions are considered are with sprinklers adjacent to surface-mounted lights, soffits (not against a wall), mechanical equipment in walk-in coolers and freezers, signage, banners, lowered ceilings, thresholds above large openings, raised ceiling pockets, or exit lighting.

Give this a try and let us know what you think in the comment section below (the red highlighted cells are input values). Having trouble viewing? Click here to see the full tool. 

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    Joe Meyer, PE, is a Fire Protection Engineer out of St. Louis, Missouri who writes & develops resources for Fire Protection Professionals. See bio here: About


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The views, opinions, and information found on this site represent solely the author and do not represent the opinions of any other party, nor does the presented material assume responsibility for its use. Fire protection and life safety systems constitute a critical component for public health and safety and you should consult with a licensed professional for proper design and code adherence.

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