NFPA Journal - September/October 2017 - 53

the container, which did not have a
nozzle installed, creating a momentary
flame jet that engulfed the child as she
passed by the fire pit. There was no
documented thermal damage to the
standard two-gallon portable flammable liquid container (made by Blitz®
Manufacturing, model #50810), which
was found on the scene with approximately a tenth of a gallon of liquid

was positioned above a natural gas tube
burner that served as the pilot flame.
The first four tests consisted of 100 percent gasoline, while the remaining 13
tests were conducted with a mixture of
gasoline and diesel, or all diesel.
In the first gasoline test, the portable
flammable liquid container was tilted
over the flame, and without warning a
large flame jet rapidly developed from

and the vapors were pouring from the
mouth of the container. It is hypothesized that initially, when the container
is upright, the head space above the
liquid is too fuel-rich and above the
upper flammability limit, meaning that
combustion is not supported within
the container. As the container is tilted
and vapors begin to pour from the
open mouth, however, air is entrained

remaining in it. A sample of the liquid
found in the container was analyzed
and determined to be not diesel, but
rather a mixture of gasoline and heavy
petroleum distillate. The father stated
that the liquid in the container was collected as he purged contaminated fuel
pump lines as part of his job servicing
fuel pumps. He estimated that the container had less than a half-gallon of fuel
in it at the time of the incident.
With no relevant public research
available, 17 fire tests were conducted at
the FRL's Large Burn Room. The tests
included flammable liquids-those with
flash points of less than 100 degrees F,
such as gasoline-and combustible liquids, with flash points at or above 100
degrees F, such as diesel fuel. For safety
purposes, an apparatus was constructed
that allowed a portable flammable liquid
container to be remotely poured from
an enclosure. None of the tests included
containers with nozzles. The container

the mouth of the container and extended
into the head space and the fuel-rich
in excess of 2 meters (6.5 feet). The
mixture eventually falls within the
container was not damaged. Overall,
flammable limits; if an ignition source
flame jetting was documented in 13 of
is present and combustion occurs, the
the 17 tests. Flame jetting was
flame propagation condition
observed in tests using 100
inside the container can lead
NFPA.ORG/
percent gasoline and a gasoto flame jetting.
FLAME_JET
line/diesel mix, but it was not
Flame jetting was also
See a sequence of
observed in any of the tests
documented with burner
high-speed images
using 100 percent diesel. (The detailing the anatomy flames in direct contact with
of a flame jet.
ambient temperature must
the mouth of the container
be above the flashpoint of the Read an NFPA staffer's (piloted ignition) as well
liquid to support combustion
as with burner flames that
harrowing account
of witnessing a
and flame jetting; the all-diewere several inches from the
flame-jetting incident.
sel tests never jetted, as testing
mouth of the container at
occurred below diesel's flash
the time of ignition (non-pipoint.) The longest jet observed extended
loted ignition). Testing indicated that
over 4.5 meters (15 feet) horizontally,
flame jetting typically occurred less
resulting in sustained head-to-toe burnthan five seconds after liquid began to
ing of a mannequin placed at the same
pour from the mouth of the container.
distance the child had been from the fire
The entire jetting event lasted less than
pit in the Michigan incident.
one second, with no observable warning
Flame jetting was only observed
signs prior to the phenomenon. When
when the container was being tilted
jetting did occur, there was no evidence
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2017
