NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 70

Firewatch
Waste oil from a malfunctioning furnace was
blamed for a fire that destroyed an industrial
supply and repair facility in Iowa.

Mercantile
IOWA
Furnace malfunction blamed for fire
that destroys commercial building
Waste oil from a faulty furnace was
determined as the source of a blaze
that destroyed an industrial supply and
repair facility.
Firefighters who responded to the
early morning fire were unable to save
the property. Reports indicated that the
facility was fully involved with fire by
the time crews reached the scene minutes after dispatch.

A passing motorist spotted the fire
and called 911 at 4:09 a.m. Arriving
crews reached the scene minutes
later and issued a request for assistance from mutual aid companies
after evaluating the extent of the fire's
development.
Firefighters fought the fire with a
defensive attack from the beginning,
deploying multiple hoses and two
aerial devices, according to reports.
News reports indicated that firefighters
worked in sub-freezing temperatures
and icy conditions.
Investigators determined that the
fire began in a repair and storage area
when waste oil from a malfunctioning

furnace was ignited by heat from the
waste oil reservoir. The fire department
report noted that the facility was not
equipped with either fire detection or
suppression systems.
Two firefighters suffered strain injuries and a third suffered a knee injury
from a fall.
The building was a two-story structure constructed with steel and wood
materials. It occupied a ground floor
area of 10,000 square feet (929 square
meters).
The building, valued at $500,000,
was a total loss. The contents, which
were valued at an estimated $1 million,
were also a total loss.

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.

70 | NFPA JOURNAL * J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

DAVE KETTERING/ TELEGRAPH HERALD

SPRINKLER SAVE A fire in a college
dormitory, which began when a clothing
iron ignited clothes on a bedroom floor,
was extinguished by a sprinkler that
activated in the room of origin.



NFPA Journal - January/February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2020

Contents
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 1
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 2
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 3
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Contents
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 5
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 6
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 7
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 8
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 9
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 10
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 11
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 12
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 13
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 14
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 15
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 16
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 17
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 18
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 19
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 20
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 21
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 22
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 24
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 25
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 26
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 27
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 28
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 29
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 30
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 31
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 32
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 33
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 34
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 35
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 37
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 79
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 80
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover4
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