NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 90

Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires
and Explosions in 2018 (cont.)
when the house was built, and
additions were of unprotected
wood-frame construction.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
There were no smoke alarms or
automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire of undetermined cause
began in the first-floor kitchen
area.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
The home was fully involved
when firefighters arrived. Smoke
and heat spread up the stairs to
the second floor where the victims were asleep. The fire then
spread throughout the home.
When the roof collapsed five to
seven minutes after their arrival,
firefighters went to a defensive
attack.
Kansas
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
January, 9 a.m., five (three
under age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a single-family home.
No additional information was
reported.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
No details reported.
Fire Origin and Path
No details reported.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
No details reported.
Tennessee
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
March, 3:32 a.m., five (one
under age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a one-story, 1,256square-foot (117-squaremeter), single-family home
of unprotected wood-frame
construction.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
There was an unreported type
detector present, but it was
not known if it operated. There
was no automatic suppression
system present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire broke out in a den,
consumed the furnishings
and spread into the kitchen.
The cause was listed as
undetermined.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
Arriving firefighters found heavy
fire and forced entry through
the door nearest the fire. They
began vertical ventilation, and
additional firefighters started
a primary search and rescued

the five victims. Three victims
died that morning and two died
two days later. All the victims
were located in bedrooms. The
house was protected by security
bars on all windows, and two
cast-iron storm doors. It was not
reported if this hindered escape
or firefighters making entry.
New York
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
April, 6:37 a.m., five
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a two-story, singlefamily home of unprotected
wood-frame construction.
The ground floor area was not
reported.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
No details were reported.
Fire Origin and Path
No details were reported.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
No details were reported.
North Carolina
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
May, 3:54 a.m., five (three under
age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a two-story apartment
building of unprotected woodframe construction. The number
of units was not reported. The
apartment covered 988 square
feet (92 square meters) and was
occupied by six residents.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
Smoke alarms were found, but
it was not clear if they operated.
There was no automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire began on the front left
burner of a stove and involved
unattended cooking. A pot and
food were ignited and flames
spread vertically from the stove
and horizontally across the
ceiling until the apartment was
consumed.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
The victims were located
throughout the apartment, with
three in a bathroom and two in
two different bedrooms. It was
not reported which floor they
were located on. No information
was reported on the survivor.
Missouri
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
June, 9:06 a.m., five (four under
age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a one-story,

90 | NFPA JOURNAL * S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9

was reported on their operation. There was no
automatic suppression equipment present.
Two of the remaining structures had detection
equipment present, but neither system operated-one system was disconnected or had no
batteries, and the other was installed but not yet
operational. Five structures had no suppression
equipment, one had a system that was not yet
operational, and no information was reported in
the other three structures.
Five of the 10 non-home fires broke out between
the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., killing 22 of the 39
victims in non-home fires, with four of the victims
under the age of six.
The area of origin was known in five of the
non-home fires. One fire each broke out in the
processing/manufacturing area, cellar, boiler
room, bedroom, and bathroom. The area of
ignition was undetermined in two fires and not
reported in three fires.

Catastrophic non-structure fires
In 2018, there were eight non-structure fires, five
of which were vehicle fires involving three cars,
one helicopter, and one tow boat. Three were wildland/urban interface fires, two involved crashes
with fire, and one was the result of an undetermined explosion. These fires killed 113 people,
including five children under the age of six. By
contrast, in 2017 there were two non-home fires
categorized as catastrophic multiple-death events,
both of which were wildland fires that accounted
for 47 fatalities in total. The three catastrophic
multiple-death wildfires in 2018 all occurred in
California and killed a total of 96 people.
By far the deadliest was the Camp Fire, with
86 fatalities. Around 6:30 a.m. on November 8,
a brush fire began when high winds downed
electrical transmission lines, which ignited dry
Indiana firefighters work to extinguish a
deadly home fire. INDIANA DEPARTMENT
OF HOMELAND SECURITY VIA AP

NFPA Journal - September/October 2019

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