NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 99

including an apartment building and a mixed-use
property. The combined losses in special properties
was $87.2 million.
Four fires occurred in manufacturing plants-the
facilities produced, respectively, baby food, chemicals, and vehicle parts, and one was a recycling
plant-causing a combined loss of $57.1 million.
Three large-loss fires occurred in stores and office
properties, including two stores with losses totaling
$31.9 million and one office building with a loss of
$17.2 million, for a combined loss of $49.1 million.
Two fires occurred in the WUI, resulting in combined losses of nearly $1.1 billion, and two fires
occurred in public assembly properties (both were
restaurants), with total losses of $25.5 million.
One fire each occurred in a residential property (an apartment building, with losses of $14.2
million) and a vehicle (a towboat, with losses of
$10.2 million).
The cause and origin of fires was undetermined
or reported as unknown in 17 of the fires. In several cases, the destruction was so massive that
investigators could not make a definitive cause
determination or could not rule out several possibilities. Other fires are still under investigation.
Cause was reported for eight of the 25 fires, including six of the structure fires. Three of the structure
fires were due to a mechanical failure of some sort,
two were caused by torch operations too close to
combustibles, and one structure fire was reportedly
due to an electrical failure of unknown type. The
causes of the two WUI fires and one structure fire
were listed as incendiary. The property loss in the
three incendiary fires totaled almost $1.1 billion, or
76.2 percent of the losses in the 25 large-loss fires.
Operating status was reported for 14 of the 22
structure fires and the towboat fire. In 10 cases,
the facility was open and operating, with eight at

Six large-loss fires

topped
$20 million
each in 2016,
totaling
q

other information was reported.
Fire Protection Systems
No information was reported.
Fire Development
There was no information reported.
Contributing Factors and Details
When the local fire department
arrived, the plant fire brigade was
attempting to extinguish the fire
and cool nearby structures.
California
Month, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
July, 2:34 a.m., $14.5 million
Property Characteristics and
Operating Status
This was a one-story, 200,000square-foot (18,580-square-meter)
baby food manufacturing plant.
Information on the construction
type and operating status was not
reported.
Fire Protection Systems
There was an automatic detection
system present, but the type and
coverage were not reported. The
system did operate. There was a
partial coverage wet pipe sprinkler
system in the structure and it did
operate, with 25 sprinkler heads
flowing. It was reported that the
system was ineffective due to an
insufficient supply of water, the
result of a municipal water supply
pump that had been affected by a
power failure.
Fire Development
The fire began in an equipment
area but the cause was not
determined.
Contributing Factors and Details
The damage was listed as $11.4
million to the structure and $3.1
million to the contents.
STORE and OFFICE
PROPERTIES
California
Month, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
July, 4:28 a.m., $18.9 million
Property Characteristics and
Operating Status
This was a one-story, 12,100-

square-foot (1,124-square-meter)
multi-tenant strip mall of unprotected ordinary construction. Its
operating status was not reported.
Fire Protection Systems
No information was reported on
automatic detection equipment.
There was no automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Development
The cause is undetermined and
under investigation.
Contributing Factors and Details
The fire involved six businesses.
Aggressive defensive operations
enabled firefighters to prevent the
fire from spreading to two additional businesses.
Oregon
Month, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss
October, 9:07 a.m., $17.2 million
Property Characteristics and
Operating Status
This was an office building with
businesses operating on ground
level. No additional information
was reported on the structure.
Fire Protection Systems
No information was reported
on detection or suppression
equipment.
Fire Development
A natural gas explosion occurred
when gas filled the basement of
the building. The cause of the ignition is still under investigation.
Contributing Factors and Details
Natural gas entered the basement
after a contractor accidentally
pulled a natural gas pipeline while
digging, disconnecting the pipeline
at a severed valve. Gas flowed from
the pipe to a vault next to the basement of the structure. Firefighters
arrived approximately five minutes
after a 911 call and were in the process of evacuating the structure
when three explosions occurred.
Three firefighters and five civilians
were injured in the explosions.
Florida
Month, Time of Alarm, Dollar Loss

WILDFIRE, Tennessee

WAREHOUSE FIRE, Minnesota

WILDFIRE, California

CONSTRUCTION SITE, California

WAREHOUSE FIRE, California

MIXED PROPERTY STRUCTURE
UNDER RENOVATION, Washington

$911m

$175m
$40m

$25m

$20m
$20m

$1.19 BILLION
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 - November/December 2017