Fire investigations by the fire research section 1950-1954

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Fire investigations by the fire research section 1950-1954 Shorter, G. W.; Burnett, C. G.

CANADA

DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH

Fire Investigations by the

Fire Research Section

1950 1954

by

G.W. Shorter and C.G. Burnett

Report No.

78

of the

Division of Building Research

Ottawa March 1956

The study of fires in buildings has been recognized by the Division of Building Research, from the start of its

work in 194'7, as one of its prime responsibilities in view

of the tragic loss of life and of property which occurs

every year in Canada because of fires. In 1950, a special

Fire Research Section was established with this general

field of investigation as its function. From the inception

of this Seetlon, it was realized that a study of actual fires must be carried out concurrently with laboratory and

other phases of fire research work. This report is a first

statement of some of the results of this branch of the DivisionIs fire research activity.

Of necessity the Fire Research Section's activities

have been confined in the main to the Ottawa area. A few

investigations have been carried out in other parts of

Canada. Since 1952, the work has been greatly facilitated,

and visits to scenes of fires rendered more effective, through the operation by the Division of a fire research truck equipped with instruments, camera equipment, portable lighting equipment, tools anj protective clothing.

The co-operation of the Ottawa Fire Department was

prom1.sed 8S soon as this proposed study of actual fires was

first mentioned to civic authorities. With the approval of

successive Mayors of the City, the officers and men of the Department have given every possible help to the D.B.R.

Fire Research Section. The head of the Section receives

directly all second degree fire alarms and whenever

possible, he proceeds to the fire with one or other of his

｡ｳｳｯｾｩ｡ｴｾｳ so that the fire may be studied while still in

progress. Similarly, the Section has been priVileged in

turn to co-operate with the fire department (and with the office of the Fire Marshal of Ontario who has also been most helpfUl) in investigations into the cause of fires when once they have been brought under control.

Some indication of this most fruitful liaison is

given by the fact that one of the authors of this Report,

Mr. C.G. Burnett, served for rrany years as the Chief of the ottawa Fire Department, being the Chief when this

co-operative venture was launched. The Division was

indeed fortunate when he joined the staff, following his retirement from his long service with the city.

Mr. Gordon Shorter is head of the Fire Research Section;

it is fitting that tribute should here be paid to his

devotion to his unusual task, the full significance of

which ｲｲｾｹ be gauged by noting the hours at which some of .

This Report is but a beginning. The fires which are here described have shown clearly the vital need for such clinical study if any real progress is to be made

-as the Division hopes and intends .shal ; be made - in

reducing the annual toll in Canada of life and property'

caused by ｦｩｲ･ｾ in bUildings.

Robert F. Legget

Director.

Ottawa,

FIRE INVESTIGATIONS BY THE FIRE RESEARCH SECTION 1950-1954 by G.W. Shorter and C.G. Burnett

In the development of the Fire Research Section,

serious efforts have been made to co-ordinate the activities of the Section into a well-balanced program of work which would not only include basic and applied research in the

field of combustion, but also embrace field studies at fireso Such studies began in July 1950, soon after the forma-tion of a Fire Research Secforma-tion within the Division of

Building Research. Up to December 31, 1954, a total of 71

fires had been investigated; the scenes of several other

fires were casually inspected. The information gathered

during the course of these investigations, together with the experience gained from them with regard to fire protection in bUildings, have been condensed in this report.

In January 1954, the Fire Research Section began a study into the fire deaths 1n the Province of Ontario which included field investigations at a number of fatal fires. The information secured from this particular stud;y has been reported previously by one of the authors (C.G.B.) in

DBR Report No. 71 and will not be found in this report which summarizes all other field investigations from July 1950 to December 31, 1954.

Investigations at Fires

Owing to staff limitations, this study was confin.ed in the main to the Ottawa district where response was made only to "second-alarm" fires, that is fires in which

additional fire-fighting apparatus over and above that

normally first dispatched ｾ｡ｳ reqUired. In a few instances,

however, small fires in the Ottawa area, as well as a small number of larger fires in other parts of Canada, have also been investigated because of their particular significance.

The Fire Research Section responded to fires in the Ottawa area as soon as notification, which came at any hour of the day or night, was received from the fire alarm

head-quarters of the Ottawa Fire Department. The investigation

was completed while on the scene, except when fires occurred during the night, in which case the work was resumed the day following the fire.

During these investigations, an attempt wae made to discern what influence the construction and the building

materials used, as well as the contents of the bUilding,

had on the spread of the fi=e. The cause of the fire was

usually obtain3d from or determined in collaboration with,

the offL,ials of t he fire ､ｾｰ｡Ｎｲｴｭ･ｮｴ who were investigating the f'Lre , In a. gr-eat many cases, it was almost impcssi ble to secur-e complete ＱｮｦｯｲｭＳＮｴｾ｟ｏＡＱｊｾｔｩｮｧ to the pr-act Lca l time limitation which must be Lmpoaed en studies such as these.

Presentation of Data

Sunune.ries ｡ｲｾ pr-esent ed in th.is r-epor-t of ｯＧＱＱｾＡ 42 of

the 71 ｦｩｲ･ｾ for which recorda are available. These concern

all the larger f1.:'€8 investigated togs ther w:"the. numbe.r of smaller fL."€8, s,e2.ectsJ. ·",:l.th the .i.ntenti;);;1 cf showing tr:e

great variety that ｾ･ｲ･ ettAnded. ｐｨｾｴｯｧｲ｡ｰｨｂ taksn at the scenes :,)f ｴｾｾ f':t:ces 8'J.pplelT\E:m.t the wr·it t en r-epor-ts , :(r, each

summar-y , the fire is deｇｃＺＺｉＮＢｾ｢･､ under 5 headingsｾ (a) General

(b) Weather Data (e) ｃｯｮ｡ｴｾｵ｣ｴｩｯｮ (d) Spread of Firs, and

(e ) Remarks. Except where specif'icp-l1y r.efel:::'l?d t.)ｾ the

weather tata are ｩｮ｣ｬｵ､ｾ､ merely to indicate, to th08E who

are f:ot f2.mlJ.a:... with the weath-.=::- in Can.ad8., th-e climatic condat Lo.rs c..t vartous times in the Yf;p,r.

DF...._ｾＲ fer s,},l the fires investigated have, however,

beer. ｵｾＮ･､Ｎ for the ｢ｬﾷｾｉＮ［ＺＮｦ anal.ysis appe ...ｾＺｲＧｩｮｧ in Appendix A.

Gr-aphe given irl ｆＧｬｧｵｲ･ｾＬ A-1, A-2 .• &.c.d ＡｾＭＳ sho',"; the frE:q1.J.l8 ncy

､ｩ l<-'-.;oe,Ｚ［ ､ Ｍ Ｗ＾ Ｂ Ｂ Ｂ Ｇ ｵＮ ＫＭ ｾ ·-)'1_u ｾＮｬＮ

.... ..

..."""'...

(0) day of tq'.)ek, ｸﾷ｣ｇｰ･ＺｴｾｶｴＮｬｹＮ In acc f t.Lcn ,

othel'miscel-Lanecus d::"t,'3 OTl the fires _by occupancy are presented in

Table A-l. It t<hould be empnasfzed that th i.s anaLys Le

illustratss the distribution of only those ｦＱｲｾｳ which have

been ｩｮｶ･ｾｴｬｧ｡ｴ･､ by the Fire Research Section and does not

apply t o fi:"ee, itl genez-a.; ,

Whenever" the te rm "gr-ound floori

! is used tn thi.3

repo:.,....t , it rz:L's;'''''3 to ｴｲｾ･ floor which is at appr-ox imateLy

street LeveL, AC('.t.Ｎｮｾ､ｬｮｧｬｹ "first f1,)o1"" means

t:...

immediately above the gr-ound fl<,.oI'.

The hJ.ild,ing refe:t'red to in the caption rOI' each

summary is always that in which the f:!..re IJr':i.g1.nated. ｔｨｾ

losses reported refer not only to this ｾｵＱＱ､ｩｮｧ but also to

any ｯｴｨ･ｲｾ involved in the fire. The figures given are

only approximate valuE:1S and may vary considerably from the

actual losses susts.tned , They are includ€,j, however, to

which arose concerned the practicability of a research group working in close co-cper-ar i.on with municipal fire depart-ments at the scenes of ac't ua l fires and in subeequerrt

investigations. The value of such a project has certainly

been proved by the excellent co-operation developed between

the members of the Fire Research Section and all the fire

departments with whom they have been ｰｲｩｶｩｬｾｧ･､ to work.

With a ｳｰｬｲｾＬｴ of mutuaI r-eape ct for each otherIs interests,

confidence has been gained: this is evidenced ty the

approved pre serice of member-s of t ns Fire Research Section

DBR FIRE STUDY NO.1

RETAIL STORES ON GROUND FLOOR WITH

APARTMENTs ON UPPER TWo FLOORS

Date of ｆｬｲ･ｾ 20 July 1950

Time of Alarm: 90 2 1 p.m.

Day of ｗ･･ｫｾ Thu.rsday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 3

Estimated Loss: $45,000

General. - A fire that broke out in a bakery shop located on

the grow1d floor of this building (Fig.

1)

shortly after 9QOO p,m. by the occupants of the apartments

above. In addt t i.on to :;n'e bakery there was also a tobacco

shoo and a drugstore ＱＰ｣ｾｴ･､ on the ground floor with several

｡ｰ｡ｲｴｾ･ｮｴｳ on the upper two floors. .

This fire originated in the rear portion of the bakery

shop which housed the baking ovens and other equipment. This

electrical equipment was twattended at the time of the fire and it was thought that the cause of the fire may have been

the overloading of ･ｬ･｣ｴｾｬ｣｡ｬ circuits.

Weather Data.- The air temperature at 9.30 p.m. was 67°F.; the

relative humidity was 70 per cent and there was a 6-m.p.h. wind from the north.

Conatructlon.- This bUilding was of solid brick construction

with wood

.i

Spread of Flre.- The fire spread from the bakery shop to the

upper floors and caused severe damage. It was confined, however,

to this Qne building. The occupants of the apartments were able

to escape down ｴｨｾ front and rear exits before the fire spread

too far.

Remarks.- This flre appeared to have burned undetected for some time and had spread to the wooden structural members by the

time the fire department arrived0 Great care should be taken

by those using machines which demand large quantities of electrical power: in no case should an attempt be made to

Date of ｆｩｲ･ｾ 1 ｄＺ･｣･ｭ｢ｾＺｲ 1950 Location: Ottawa, Ont ,

Time of ａｬ｡ｲｭｾ 5044 porno Noo of ｓｴｯｲ･ｹｳｾ ₃

Day of Week: ｆｲｩ､｡ｾｬ Estimated Loss: $10,000

General0 - This fire originated in the basement of one of a

number of apartment bUildings being constructed as part of a

housing ､･ｶ･ｬｯｰｭｾｮｴ on the outskirts of the city. At this

stage in the construction neither access roads nor water

facilities were ｣ｯｭｰｬｾｴ･ in the immediate area. Owing to the

cold weather prevaili.ng at this time of the year it was

necessary to ｩｮｳｾｬ｡ｴ･ ､ｾｲｬｮｧ its curing period the concrete

floor of the basement with straw0

This fire broke out shortly after all the workmen had

left; it was therefore ｡ｳｳｬｾ･､Ｌ in the absence of other

apparent causes, that a smouldering cigarette had ignited the

straw. Since there was ｮｾ watchman on duty in the bUilding

the ｦｩｾ･ was not discovered for some time; this allowed the

fire to reach serious proportions before the fire department arrived.

Weather Data.- The air temperature was 31oF.; the relative

humidIty was 92 per cent and there was a calm condition

pre-vailing at 6.00 p.rno

Construction.- The const z-uct Lon of these apartment buildings

was "plank wall". In th.is type of construction 3- by 10-inch

timbers ar-e laid hor-LzontaLt.y on edge between uprights and run

continuously ｾｯ one-storey ｨｾｩｧｨｴＮ Beam members to carry the

joists of the storey atcve are then placed and the wall is

continued for the next stor<-;Y0 The outside finish of the walls

was brick veneer and the ｩｾｴ･ｲｩｯｲ finish was plaster over

plasterlath t'ast ened t;1:; _{ｬｾｩｮ｣ｨ} strapping members. There were

two concrete-block fire walls separating each

4

12-unit building0 At the t rme of the fire this buf.LdLng had

only the ｴｩｭ｢･ｾ structure and fire walls erected.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the one building

although It threatened at ｴｾｭ･ｳ to spread to adjacent bUildings 0

Remarks.- The roads were almost li.ke quagmires (Fig. 2). The

heavy fire department ｶ･ｨｬ｣ｬｾＺｂ had to park therefore some

distance away to avoid becoming mired down and long lengths of

hose lines had to be usedo There were no lights in the vicinity

and, as the grou,"1d was extremely slippery, fire-fighting

opera-tions were carried out With difficultYo The use of straw for

cold weather curing of concrete is a recognized practice, but precautions should be taken to avoid fire breaking out as, once fire starts at this stage in construction, it spreads rapidly owing to the many openings in the structure.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO.3

STORAGE BUILDING (MOTOR TRANSPORT)

Date of Fire: 19 December 1950 Location: Ottawa, Onto

Time of Alarm: 2.28 a.m. No. of Storeys: 1

Day of Week: Tuesday Estimated Loss: $30,000

General. - A fire broke out in the furnace room of this

one-storey bUilding shortly befor.e 2.30 a.m. This bUilding had an

office area and a furnace room at the front; in the rear there was a loading platform used for the storage of goods to be

trans-shipped, and a space f)T trucks to be backed up to the

platform (Fig.

3).

over-head doors which were ｣ｬｾｳ･､ at the time of the fire. Some of

the employees on the night shift were sitting in the front

office when they heard an explosion. Upon investigation, they

found fire spreading in the furnace room. Soon after this the

fire reached the storage area through unprotected window openings and a doorway.

Weather Data.- At the time of the alarm the air temperature was

'T°F.;

Construction.- The front wall of this building was constructed

of stone. The side wall adjacent to a furniture warehouse was

solid brick; the other side wall had large overhead doors. The roof deck was of laminated wood construction on wooden

columns. There was a concrete block wall between the storage

area and the front part of the bUilding but it contained unprotected openings.

ｾｨｲ･｡､ of Fire.- This fire was confined to the one bUilding

ough it was feared that the adjacent furniture warehouse might become involved and also that a nearby 500-gallon gasoline

storage tank might explod€.

Remarks.- The rapid spread of fire from one area to another demonstrated the wisdom of haVing adequately protected openings

in any wall erected to restrict the passage of fire. The

laminated roof on wooden columns stood up well and certainly restricted the spread to other buildings caused by flying embers.

FLOUR-ANn-FEED SALES AND STORAGE BUILDING

Date of Fire: 1 January 1951

Time of Alarm: 12.15 p.m.

Day of Week: Monday

Location: No. of Storeys: Estimated Loss: Ottawa, Onto

2i

Genel"al.- A fire broke out in this bUilding around noon on

New Year's Day. The building was closed for the holiday and

the janitor was the only person who had been in the bUilding

earlier in the day to stoke the fire in the furnace. The sales

department was on the ｧｲｾｑｾ､ floor, offices on the first floor,

and a heavy storage of feed and flour on the second floor. The bag$ containing these pr0ducts were piled against the windows and only narrow passages were left between piles. The fire appeared to have been caused by a hot poker being left against a wooden post in the basement (Fig. 4)

which allowed the fire to proceed unnoticed for a considerable

period of time, neces51tating a mUltiple-alarm. Although 60

men were called to attack the fire, the return was not sounded

until 9.00 p.m.

Weather Data. - At noon the air temperature was 14°F.j the

relatIve humidity was

89

northeasterly wind.

Construction.- This was a solid brick bUilding with wood joist

floors.

A

the first floor. At the ｾ･｡ｲ there were two cinder block

additions one and two ｳｴｯｲｾｹｳ high with tar and gravel roofs.

The wall of the building adjacent to the west side of this store

was of ｢ｾｩ｣ｫ［ ｴｨｾ bu:ldlng adjacent to the east side had a wood

stud wall with fill ＱＱＺ｜ｾ｜ＢｩＩＬｬ｡ｴｩｯｮ and an interior finish of plaster

on wood lath.

Spread of Fire.- The fire Ｇｾ｡ｳ restricted to the store and to the

additIons at the rear, the spread in either direction being

prevented by the walls of the adjacent buildings. These however

suffered severe smoke and water damage, the latter being

particUlarly heavy in the basements. The spread of the fire

inside the bUilding was influenced not only by the stores of

feed and flour but by quantities of cod liver oil and molasses.

In addition, when the fire appeared to be under control, an

explosion took place with a resultant increase in the intensity

of the fire.

Remarks. - ｾ｣ＺｊＮｲ･ <'1g:';;,:: 2\1,6 opez-at.Lone were hampered by the heavy

stock piled up ｡ｧ｡ｾｮｳｾ the windows on the second floor. A number

of trucks stored in the laneway had to be removed even though the ignition keys were not available.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO.5 RECREATIONAL HALL

Date of Fire: 3 January 1951 Location: Ottawa, Onto

Time of Alarm: 1.05 a.m.

Day of Week: Wednesday

No. of Storeys: 2

Estimated Loss: $30,000

General.- About 1.00 a.m. a fire was noticed in the bUilding

by a passer-by. The fire had eVidently gained considerable

headway as a smoke explosion occurred before the fire apparatus arrived; the first floor was alight by the time the fire

depart-ment arrived. This two-storey bUilding was used as a parish

recreation hall with bowling alleys on the ground floor and

billiard tables on the first floor. In addition there were

rooms in the basement. Although there was no apparent source

of igni.tion,the fire appeared to have originated in a supply cupboard in the basement area used for storing sporting

equip-ment. The caretaker had left around 10.30 p.m. and stated

that everything was in order in the basement area when he left. When the caretaker left a few people were still playing

billiards but they were out by 11.00 p.m.

Weather.- At 1.00 a.m. the air temperature was 35°F.j the relative humidity was 91 per cent and there was a 2-m.p.h. wind from the east.

Construction.- This was a solid brick bUilding with wood joist floors and a flat tar-and-gravel roof.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to this bUilding but one

of the ｦｾｲｳｴ actions of the fire q.partment was to play hose

lines on ｾ､ｪ｡｣･ｮｴ buildings to prevent their ignition.

Remarks.- It appears that the fire must have gained con-siderable headway as there was a collapse of the brick walls

shortly after the arrival of the fire department. A number of

high-voltage wires were carried down with the collapsing walls, which, together with the continual freeZing of water underfoot, added to the difficulties of the firemen.

ｒｅｓｔａｕｒａｾｔ

Date of Fire: 3 January 1951

Time of Alarm: 2.41 a.m.

Day of Week: Wednesday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $20,000

General. - A fire was discovered around 2.40 a.m. by a

passer-by who saw the flames in the rear area of the restaurant. There

was a fruit store located on one side and a business machine

firm on the other side of the restaurant. Upon examination

after the fire, it appeared that an electrical short circuit had occurred and that a piece of molten metal from a length of conduit had fallen on the wooden floor at the rear of the

kit.c.sen area igniting the floor. The premises were stated to

have been in order when the owner had left around midnight. The alarm for this fire was turned in at the same time as the return was sounded for the recreation hall fire described in DBR Fire Study No.5.

Weather Data.- The air temperature was 34°F. at 2.30 a.m.; the relative humidity was 94 per cent and a calm condition prevailed.

Construction.- This was a solid brick building with a flat roof covered with tar and gravel.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the restaurant although the delayed discovery and the grease-covered walls of the kitchen area aided the spread in the restaurant itself. Remarks.- A significant factor at the fire was the delayed discovery which allowed the fire to develop before an alarm was turned in.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO.7 ARMY ORDNANCE DEPOT

Date of Fire: 2 June 1951

Time of Alarm: 9.39 p.m.

Day of Week: Saturday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $700,000

General. - On June 2, 1951, at approximately 9.30 p.m. a fire

broke out in the north end of this large ordnance depot of the Canadian Army, located in the centre of Ottawa immediately adjacent to three lumber yards and right beside a main bridge. This depot was divided into six main areas (each approximately

30,000 feet square) separated by fire walls. At the time of

the fire there was no sprinkler system in the buildings but tenders were being opened for such an installation the week

after the fire. Because storage space was at a premium, the

cOllcentration of combustible material, particularly in the area involved in the fire, was high (over 100 lb. per square foot)

on the average. In individual areas the fire load far

exceeded this figure.

Figure 6 shows general debris and structural collapse in the fire area; the fire wall separating this area from an

adjacent area can be seen at the left. It was fortunate that

a calm condition was prevailing at the time because, as soon as the fire vented itself through the roof, the air was filled with flying brands and the fire department was hard put to prevent a conflagration.

Weather Data.- The weather. data given below were obtained from

a meteorological station about

7

the fire.

Construction.- The structural frame was reinforced concrete with precast concrete roof slabs, clay tile exterior walls and fire

the efforts of both the fire department and Army personnel and

to the existance of the fire wall. The spread of fire outside,

particularly when the fire vented through the roof, was prevented by well co-ordinated fire-fighting operations and the calm wind conditions prevailing throughout the fire. Remarks.- Even in as severe a fire as this, which raged for

several hours, a large amount of unburnt combustible material such as plywood, paper liners, linseed oil and soap was found

after the fire. This seemed to depend a good deal mainly on

how the materials were stored, such as the plywood sheets being packed tightly together, and the paper liners being

wire bound (Figs.

9

serious proportions even with a sprinkler installation owing to the very heavy fire load in this area, but, on the other hand, the fire might have been held in check until the

DBR FIRE STUDY NO.8

RESTAURANT WITH APARTMENTS ABOVE

Date of Fire: 13 October 1951

Time of Alarm: 4.56 a.m.

Day of Week: Saturday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 3

Estimated Loss: $35,000

General. - A fire was discovered in this building around

5.00 a.m. by the wife of the owner of the restaurant. The

owner, who was absent at the time of the fire, and his wife occupied an apartment on the first floor; the second floor was

vacant. The owner's wife, upon smelling smoke, began to

investigate and found flames coming up the rear stairway so she went to a front window of the apartment and asked a

passer-by to turn in the alarm. On arrival the fire department took

her out of a front window with another woman who had been staying with her.

Weather Data.- At 5.00 a.m. there was a 6-m.p.h. wind from the

north. The air temperature was 30oF. and the relative humidity

82 per cent.

Construction.- This bUilding was of solid brick construction with wood joist floors and a flat roof finished with tar and

gravel. The restaurant had been recently modernized with a

new front of an opaque glass facing on the walls. In addition

a suspended ceiling of combustible board running from the kitchen to the front of the restaurant with no fire barrier had been installed (Fig. 11).

Spread of Fire.- The fire appeared to have originated in the kitchen from where it spread up the rear stairway as well as between the suspended ceiling and the floor above.

Remarks.- The spread of the fire was influenced by the fact that the fire could spread rapidly between the false ceiling and the floor above.

REPAIR AND STORAGE BUILDING WITH APARTMENTS

Date of Fire: 6 November 1951

Time of Alarm: 3.05 a.m.

Day of ｗ･･ｫｾ Tuesday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 2

Estimated Loss: $180,000

General. - About 3.00 a.m. a fire was discovered in one side

of

thIs

This block is a very old one and is in effect two buildings,

one 2 storeys high and the other 3 storeys. The ground floor

of both buildings housed the service department and receiving depot of an adjacent manufacturing plantj the upper floors

contained apartments housing a large number of persons. The

fire had spread so far befor.e discovery that a number of the

occupants had to be rescueo by the fire department. It was a

cold night and some people who huddled on an outside metal

fire escape in their night clothes had their hands stick to

the railing of the escape. The rear of this block had a

number of wooden porches and a wooden vertical lift shaft

which aided the spread of the fire. The walls of the

two-storey building eventually collapsed carrying with them

high-voltage ｷｩｾ･ｳ which added to the hazards faced by the

fire-fighters. It appeared that the fire originated at the rear

of the building where containers of hot ashes were placed against wooden shed walls.

Weather Data.- At 3.30 a.m. the air temperature was 14°F. and a calm condition prevailed.

Construction.- Both buildings in this block had solid brick walls, wood-joisted floors and tar-and-gravel on a flat roof. Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the two buildings

In this

Remarks.- Delayed discovery of this fire in the early hours

of

the

headway before the arrival of the fire department apparatus. A great many difficulties were encountered by the

fire-fighters such as overhead high-voltage wires, which eventually fell into the street, the collapse of portions of the brick walls, and slippery footing caused by ice.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 10 APARTMENT BUILDING

Date of Fire: 18 December 1951

Time of Alarm: 9.48 p.m.

Day of Week: Tuesday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: Ｒｾ

Estimated Loss: $95,000

General. - A fire, which must have been smouldering for some

tIme, broke out shortly after 9.30 p.m. in the basement of this building which had been converted from a large old house

into a five-apartment residence. In the basement there were

lockers for the apartments and immediately above one of these

lockers was a defective flue for a fireplace in a ground-floor

apartment. The weather was cold and the occupants of this

apartment were using their fireplace. Apparently live embers

came out of a hole in the flue and ignited the wooden members

of the locker. The fire spread rapidly in the walls and floors

until the whole building was completely gutted. On the next

day it resembled a fairy ice palace.

Weather Data.- The following is a summary of the weather at the tIme of the fire.

Time Wind Velocity Air Temp. of. _{Relative Humidity ｾ}

10.30 p.m. N 18 ₉ 91 11.30

_"

Construction.- This building was of solid brick construction with wood joisted floors and a pitched roof covered with slate. Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the building of origin whIch was sItuated on a large open lot giving good access from

all sides. The fire burned for several hours and completely

gutted the interior. One moment the fire would appear to be

quelled but would then break out again in the same spot. Remarks.- It was very difficult to subdue this fire in the

bitter cold weather which prevailed that night, and the question was raised by various fire officers if there was any relation

between the weather and the difficulty experienced in exting-uishing the fire.

APARTMENT BUILDING

Date of Fire: 14 March 1952 Location: Ottawa, Onto

Time of Alarm: 5.00 a.m.

Day of Week: Friday

No. of storeys: 3

Estimated Loss: $20,000

General. - A fire was detected in the basement of this

3-storey apartment house by the owner who lived in a basement

apartment. This building had originally been a large private

home but had been converted into an apartment house with

apartments on all three floors. The fire originated around

the furnace where there was a possibility of hot ashes having been placed close enough to wooden partitions to ignite them. Weather Data.- At 5.00 a.m. the air temperature was 16°F.;

the relatIve humidity was 78 per cent and there was a

north-west wind of 12 m.p.h.

Construction.- This building had solid brick walls with plaster on wood lath as an interior finish, wood joisted floors, and a pitched roof with sheet metal covering.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the bUilding but spread vertically in the space around a vent pipe which was

boxed in forming a concealed space. While there was relatively

little fire damage there was considerable water damage.

Remarks.- This fire illustrated the necessity of taking proper precautions when dealing with ashes from a coal furnace and also the necessity of plugging up openings around vent pipes etc. after they are installed.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 12

RETAIL STORES AND APARTMENTS ABOVE

Date of Fire: 8 April 1952

Time of Alarm: 1.10 a.m.

Day of Week: Tuesday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 3

Estimated Loss: $45,000

General. - A fire was discovered around 1.00 a.m. in the

basement of a photographic studio, one of a series of stores

occupying the ground floor of this three-storey building. The

upper two floors contained apartment units. This was another

fire where the delayed discovery allowed the fire to spread

into the floors and up the walls - by means of ｳｰ｡｣･ｾ around

pipes installed in the walls - before the arrival of the fire

department. The halls in the apartment were well charged with

smoke when the department arrived so that the fire fighters had to assist a number of the occupants of the apartments down

ladders from windows. The fire eventually spread up the

inside of the walls until it reached the space between the ceiling of the second floor and the roof; consequently a good deal of water damage was suffered due to the department's efforts to extinguish the fire in this concealed space.

Weather Data.- At 1.00 a.m. the air temperature was 38°F., the relative humidity was 91 per cent and there was a northeast

wind of

6

Construction.- The walls of this building were solid brick

and there were wood joist floors. The roof was flat with a

tar-and-gravel finish.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the building of origin but spread eventually up the wall spaces to the cock-loft and caused a small blast which ripped open a portion of the roof.

Remarks.- In order to stop the vertical spread of fires it

Is essential that not only wall spaces be firestopped but also that the area around pipes installed in wall spaces be blocked, which was not the case in this instance.

PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY BUILDING

Date of Fire: 4 August 1952

Time of Alarm: 1.47 a.m.

Day of Week: Monday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $500,000

General. - At approximately 1.45 a.m. an alarm was received

by the fire department when automatic sprinkler heads opened

in the dome of the parliamentary library. This library, which

is at the rear of the centre block on Parliament Hill, had survived a previous disastrous fire in 1916 which destroyed

the centre block itself. The centre block accommodates both

the House of Commons and the Senate Chamber. This fire, which

originated in the dome of the library, was apparently caused by a I1s hor t " in the electrical installation which ignited

wooden structural members located in the dome. It was a

difficult fire to fight as the only way into the dome was up a narrow spiral staircase (shown on the right in Fig. 12).

In addition, the heat and smoke at the top of this staircase

made it impossible for men to remain at this post for any

great length of time. As the fire went on (and since the

aerial ladder was not of sufficient length to reach the upper ledge of the roof) it was decided to use the aerial ladder plUS a 40-foot extension braced against a ledge at the bottom of the

slanted roof (Fig. 12). In addition, it was necessary to brace

an additional 30 foot extension ladder against the upper ledge

in order to enter at -this point. The fire was burning in the

wooden structural members above the sprinkler system so it had

to be extinguished by hose streams. One fireman was severely

injured when he was struck on the head by a falling piece of masonry when working on the upper" ledge.

Weather Data.- At 2.00 a.m. the air temperature was 58°F., the relative humidity 88 per cent, with a northeast wind of 7 m.p.h.

Construction.- The library itself was a huge open hall with heavy stone walls surmounted by a dome section which was

supported by both steel "structural members "and a considerable

number of wooden structural members. The roof was of copper

sheeting which made it difficult to gain entry from the outside. Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined in the main to the

library dome but water damage in the library proper was very extensive.

Remarks.- This was

a

the unusual construction and the extreme height at which the

ｦｩｲ･ｾｾｧｨｴ･ｲｳ had to work. This type of situation seldom confronts

a fireman but when it does it places a great mental as well as physical strain on him.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 14 LABORATORY BUILDING

Date of Fire: 11 August 1952

Time of Alarm: 3.35 p.m.

Day of Week: Monday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $500

General. - Fire was discovered by a relief janitor in the

crawl space beneath this laboratory building ｡ｲｯｾｾ､ 3.30 in

the afternoon. The west side of this wooden building is shown

in Fig. 13, with the trap door leading to the crawl space in

an open position. A good deal of difficulty was experienced

by members of the laboratory staff in fighting this fire when using water pump tanks, but they were able to suppress it when using C02 extinguishers until the arrival of the fire

depart-ment. The only combustible materials located in the immediate

area of the fire (according to statements received) were 3

empty cardboard cartons. There were different opinions

expressed as to the cause of the fire, with some authorities suggesting that children (who had been seen around the bUilding

earlier) playing with matches had ignited the cartons. Others

thought that sparks from the incinerator located about 30 feet away had been the source of ignition, in spite of the fact that

the trap door was supposedly closed. A further suggestion was

the possibility of a deliberate attempt to set fire to the bUilding using an accelerant based on the apparent efficiency of C02 as an extinguishing agent and certain char patterns on the wooden wall sheeting in the Vicinity of the trap door. The main interest in this fire, which was of comparatively small monetary loss, lies in the fact that the Fire Research Section undertook a mock-up test to study it to sort out some of the conflicting reports.

Weather Data.- The data given below were obtained from a meteorological station about 4 miles away.

August 11, 1952

Wind Dry Bulb Relative

Time (EDST) Velocity Temperature Humidity

2.30 p.m. WSW 14 79°F. 57%

3.30 » _{SW 12 80 52}

4.30 u

ssw

79 50

Construction.- This building was of single storey wood frame construction with wood exterior cladding and wood joist floors. Spread of Fire.- The relatively prompt discovery and subsequent

the building.

Remarks. - It was interesting to note the similarity between pictures taken after the fire in the bUilding and those taken after extinguishment in the mock-up erected by the Fire Research

Section. These pictures clearly indicated that a smoothly

curved char pattern can occur even though an accelerant has

not been used. In the test, ignition was accomplished by

lighting a cover flap of one of the cartons with a match. One striking feature noted was that in the mock-up test an experienced fire fighter quickly extinguished the

fire with one water pump tank (5 gal.), which demonstrates the

wisdom of good training in first-aid fire appliances. During

the actual fire the staff could not effectively deal with the

fire when ｵｳｬｮｾ pump tanks

'4

DBR F IRE STUDY NO.

15

Date of Fire:

8

1952

Time of Alarm:

9.14

Day of Week: Monday

No. of ｓｴｯｲ･ｹｳｾ 2

Estimated Loss: $5,000

ｇ･ｮｾｲ｡ｬＮ - Shortly after 9.00 p.m. some combustible material

in the upstairs rear shed

or

Fig. 14 became ignited. This mat.er-t.aI was accidently ignited

by a candle being used to illuminate the shed while one of the occupants of the upper apartment was looking for something in

the shed. The alarm was ｳｏｑｾ､･､ immediately but, even though

the fire department was soon spraying water on the fire the

wall of the adjacent house, shown on the right side of Fig.

14

became ignited by radiation. The time between ignition of the

combustible material in the shed and the ignition of the other

hQuse wall was 10 minutes. The distance between the shed wall

and theW'all whf ch was ignited was 13 feet.

Weathp,r- Data. -- The air tempez-at ur-e at the time of the fire was

55°F., the

75

blo'tllng from the south at 8

m.r..n,

Constructton.- Both of these residences were of wood-frame

construction. The wall of the house where the fire originated

was clad with asphalt brick siding and that of the house irradiated was finished with wood clapboard.

Spread of Fire.- The fire spread from the shed} to the kitchen

ar-ea ad.,jacent to the shed, and to the ext er-Lor- wall of the

house where the fire started. Radiated heat charred an area

of the wall of the house at the right of Fig. 14.

ｒｾｾ｡ｲｫＳＮＭ This fire vividly demonstrated how fire spreads

between bUildings by radiation, particularly in those areas

APARTMENT BUILDING

Date of Fire: 4 December 1952 Location: Ottawa,Ont.

Time of Alarm: 9.02 p.m.

Day of Week: Thursday

No. of Storeys: 3

Estimated Loss: $5,000

General. - A fire was discovered by one of the tenants in

the wall of this 3-storey frame apartment house at about

9.00 p.m. The fire originated in the wall of the ground floor

apartment (at the left side of Fig. 15) where a stove pipe

passed through the wall. It then spread up the non-firestopped

wall to the space between the ceiling of the second floor

apartment and the roof. There were 35 persons, including a

large number of children, living in this structure and it was most fortunate that the fire did not break out late at night when everyone was sleeping.

Weather Data. -The air temperature was 29°F.,the relative humidity was 73 per cent and there was an easterly wind of 18 m.p.h. at 9.00 p.m.

Construction. -This bUilding was of wood-frame construction with wood clapboard as an exterior sheathing and plaster on

wood lath as an interior finish. The walls were not firestopped

and a number of layers of wallpaper had been applied over the

years. There was a flat roof with a tar-and-gravel finish.

Spread of Fire.- The fire spread up the wall behind the stove In the ground floor apartment (Figs. 16 and 17) to the space between the ceiling of the second floor apartment and the roof

(Fig. 18).

Remarks.- There was not a proper clearance around the stove-pipe passing through the combustible wall and the lack of firestops in the wall allowed the fire to spread rapidly from the ground floor to the roof space.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 17 FIRE HALL AND APARTMENT

Date of Fire: 8 January 1953 Location: Arnprior, Onto

Time of Alarm: 5.15 a.m.

Day of Week: Thursday

No. of Storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $2,500

General. - Shortly after 5.00 a.m. a fire was discovered in a

fire hall (With adjacent apartment) located on a small

Government airport (Fig. 19) by a watchamn on his patrol of the

grounds. This watchamn first aroused the three occupants, who

were still asleep, although the apartment was partially charged

with smoke, and then immediately sounded the alarm. The fire

truck was driven out and used by the members of the volunteer

brigade who shortly arrived on the scene. As a precautionary

measure the fire department from the town was called to stand

by but they did not have to use their equipment. A furnace

room was located at the rear of the main hall served by an

inside masonry chimney (Figs. 20, 21). This chimney, which

had a number of weak joints, butted against the wood-frame

partition separating the furnace room from the hall. It

appeared that the heating system was being forced owing to the extremely cold weather prevailing at the time.

Weather Data.- At the time the fire occurred the temperature was 12°F. below zero and a calm condition prevailed.

Construction.- This building was of wood-frame construction

with asbestos shingles on the exterior. The main hall had

wood sheeting on the walls and a combustible fibreboard

ceiling (Figs. 21, 22). The apartment had plaster on plaster

base for the wall and ceiling finish .

•

Spread of Fire.- The fire which was confined to this bUilding

spread across the ｣･ｩｾｩｮｧ of the large hall (Fig. 22). It

penetrated the wall between the main hall and the apartment and also broke out in the space between the ceiling and the roof. Remarks.- The fire originated in the combustible wall through which the smoke-pipe passed from the furnace to the chimney, but it was not possible to ascertain definitely the cause of

the fire. The clearance around the chimney did not conform to

recognized code requirements for such an installation and possibly exerted an influence on this fire.

SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING

Date of Fire: 30 January 1953 Location: Ottawa, Onto

Time of Alarm: 7.30 a.m.

Day of Week: Friday

No. of storeys: 2

Estimated Loss: $2,000

General, - Fire was discovered in this frame residence (Fig.23)

on the

after her husband had left for work around 7.00 a.m. There was

a delay in calling the fire department and consequently by the time the firemen arrived, with tank trucks, as this area was outside the city water-supply system, the house was well

ablaze. The fire originated in the wall behind a wood space

heater where a smoke pipe passed through a combustible wall

(Figso 24, 25).

Weather Data. - At 7 a.m. the air temperature was 7°F. below zero, the relative humidity was 80 per cent and there was a

2 mop.h. wind.

Construction. - This was a wood frame structure with roll roofing over wood sheathing as an exterior finish and a combustible wallboard as an interior finish.

Spread of Fire. - The fire was confined to this single-family

dwelling, The fire within the house spread up the wall to

the first floor area where the damage was quite extensive

and also into the space between the first floor ceiling and the roof.

Remarks, - This was another case of improper clearance around

a smoke pipe in a combustible wall. The lack of firestopping

in the wall allowed the fire to spread rapidly in a vertical direction eventually reaching the space between the first floor ceiling and the roof.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 19 SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING

Date of Fire: 9 February 1953 Location: Ottawa, Onto

Time of Alarm: 5.30 p.m.

Day of Week: Monday

No. of Storeys: 2 Estimated Loss: $500

General.- At 5.30 p.m. an unattended pot of grease, in which potatoes were being deep fried, boiled over on a wood stove

and became ignited. The fire spread qUickly up the adjacent

wall in this old frame house. A fifteen-year-old girl, after

rescuing her younger sister who was sleeping, ran to a

fire-alarm box at the corner to turn in the fire-alarm. The mother had

just stepped around the corner to visit her mother when the

fire occurred. The dwelling had been expropriated by the

government in order to carry out an expansion program for a

government laboratory adjacent to this property. It was in

a poor state of repair as it was to be torn down shortly. Weather Data.- At 5.30 p.m. the air temperature was 25°F., the relative humidity was 65 per cent and there was a wind from the north of 10 m.p.h.

Construction.- This was a wood-frame structure with wood

clapboard as an exterior finish. The interior finish was

wallpaper (multiple layers) over wood sheathing.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to this single-family dwelling but due to the delay in turning in an alarm and the delapidated condition of the building itself the damage was quite extensive.

Remarks.- This fire clearly showed the danger of leaving unattended, even for a short period of time, a vessel con-taining a substance such as fat or wax while it is being heated.

BOAT-HOUSE

Date of Fire: 21 February 1953 Location: Ottawa, Onto

Time of Alarm: 8.20 p.m.

Day of Week: Saturday

No. of Storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $10,000 General.- Shortly after 8.00 p.m. an explosion in the boat-house was heard by an occupant of a nearby boat-house who upon

investigating saw one end of the bUilding aflame. An alarm

was immediately phoned in but by the time the firefighters were on the scene the fire, fed by gasoline and various

solvents, had taken hold of the structure. There were a

number of pleasure boats stored in the boat-house and also boats on which repairs were being carried out by the owner. The owner stated that he had been working until shortly before 7 o'clock and that when he left everything was in

order. It was thought that a cigarette carelessly dropped

may have caused some smouldering which erupted into a fire

of serious proportions. It was indeed fortunate that a high

cliff separated this area at the river's edge from the built-up area of the City, as a stiff wind was blowing throughout

the fire's duration. The ｦｾＭｦｬｧｨｴｩｮｧ operations of course

were hampered by the inability of the firemen to fight the fire from all sides owing to the presence of a cliff on one

side and the river on the other. The ice surface of the river

was very thin and some firemen fell through. In addition, due

to the wind and the height of the cliff, orders had to be re-layed rather than given direct.

Weather Data.- The weather for the 3-hour period during which the fire was burning is given below:

Time Wind Velocity Air Temp.

7.30 p.m. W 29 34°F. 8.30 • _{W 32 32} 9.30 _"

w

Construction.- This boat-house had a wooden structural frame covered with corrugated iron sheets, the remains of which may be seen in Fig. 27.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to the boat-house which was completely destroyed as were the boats. stored in it.

Remarks.- There appeared to be a long delay in the discovery of this fire and, in such an occupancy and such a location, the main efforts of the fire department were devoted to preventing

the spread of the fire. There was so much combustible material

stored in the building besides the structural frame itself being of wood, that the collapse of the structure soon took place

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 21

HYDRO-ELECTRIC GENERATING STATION

Date of Fire: 2 March 1953 .Location: Chats Falls, Onto

Time. of Alarm: 7.00 aom.

Day of Week: Monday

No. of Storeys: 1

Estimated Loss: $250,000

Generalo - At approximately 7.00 a.m. an electrical failure in

a piece of equipment resulted in the ignition of oil in a tank

forming part of this equipment. The fire spread rapidly

eventually causing failure of the structural steelwork with a consequent collapse of part of the concrete roof slab and

damage to the walls (Figs. 28, 30 and 31). This hydro-electric

power development is located on the Ottawa River about 36 miles

upstream from Ottawa (Fig. 29). Tpere were 8 generating units

and one frequency changer operating at this plant. During the

fire one generator and the frequency changer were severely

damaged. Fire fighting was delayed by the destruction of the

telephone system and by difficulty of access, and was further

hampered by the difficult terrain around the station.

One interesting feature in such a fire is that the combustiple contents such as transformer oil, insulating compound, etc., are hidden from view, being stored in tanks

or located in ducts. The fire load on the building as a

whole, which was 558 by 69 feet, was quite low, but that in the

galleries was about Ｓｾ times higher with no increase in the

structux"a1 protection afforded to this area. The relationship

of the galleries to the main floor of the station are shown

in Figo 28.

Weather Data.- The weather data reported below were obtained from a meteorological station about 40 miles from this hydro

station 0

March 2, ₁₉₅₃

Relative

Time Wind Velocity Temperature Humidity

EST (m.p.h.) ( oF.)

(%)

_"

"

_"

_"

_"

frame carrying the crane rails. The walls are concrete with the exception of an extension, where they were of hollow clay

blocks rendered with stucco to match the older part0 The

roof is concrete throughout. The galleries and hall, not

being separated from one another, form a considerable

unpartitioned air space. On the opposite side from the

galleries there are 27 windows 40 feet by 10 feet, reaching

from 6 feet above the floor to 12 feet below the roof.

Spread of Fireo- The fire spread throughout the bUilding since

fire-fighting apparatus was not immediately available. In

addition, one of the first considerations was to get the power shut down which required all the efforts of the few

men on duty at the time. The collapse of the roof allowed

the building to vent itself and reduced the heavy smoke

concentration. It was only at this ｾｯｩｮｴＬｷｩｴｨ the power

finally shut down (8.00 a.m. approx.), that a pumper could begin to get water on the fire.

Remarks.- There were many factors which exerted their

influence on the fire, such as: (a) the fire starting just before the arrival of the large day crew; (b) the difficult access to the plant particularly for the last few hundred feet; (c) breakdown in communications, (loss of telephone connection); (d) lack of available fire-fighting equipment (nearest pumper 13 miles away); and (e) insufficient number

of first-aid appliances. Probably one of the most important

factors was the lack of structural fire protection between the main hall of the station and the galleries, where the fire load waf relatively heavy.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 22

BUILDING WITH RETAIL STORES ON GROUND FLOOR AND OFFICES ON FLOORS ABOVE

Date of Fire: 7 March 1953

Time of Alarm: 6.24 p.m.

Day of Week: Saturday

Location: OttLwa, Ont,

No. of Storeys: 4

Estimated Loss: $25,000

General.- Shortly after 60 00 p.m. a fire was discovered in

the basement of a children's wear store located in the centre

of this large 4-storey building. The building had several

retail stores on the ground floor and a great many offices on

the upper floors. The main difficulty in this fire was in

getting at the seat of the fire as there was only one narrow stairway leading to the basement which was heavily charged with

smoke. The fire appeared to have originated in a remote

section of the basement (Fig. 32) possibly resulting from a dropped cigarette.

Weather Data.- At 6.30 p.m. the air temperature was 14°F., the

relative humidity was 78 per cent and there was a northwest

wind of 12 mop.h.

Construction.- This building had solid brick walls with wood joist floors and a flat roof with a tar-and-gravel finish. Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined to this building and principally to the store where the fire originated although

it caused minor fire damage to the adjacent stores. There was

a great deal of smoke and water damage throughout the ground floor area.

Remarkso- One interesting development was the request from one of the owners of a store in the bUilding to the Fire Research Section for advice on the removal of smoke Ddour on

the following day, In many buildings there seems to be a

tendency now to close the basement in by haVing modern fronts

erected which no longer have cellar windows. The rear

windows are barred for security measures and often there is only one stairway to a basement which means that a basement fire qUite frequently has a good start due to delayed discovery in the silent hours, and becomes a difficult fire to extinguish and to keep from spreading to wooden structural members.

SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING

Date of ｆｬｲ･ｾ

2a

Time of ａｬ｡ｲｭｾ 7.00 a.m.

Day of Week; Saturday

No. of ｳｴｯｲ･ｹｳｾ ｾ

Estimated Loss: ｾｪｏｏ

Gen.eralo- A fire broke out in this winterized summer cottage

shortly ｢･ｦＨＩｲｾ 7,00 a i m, A short time before -I.:;he tenant had

relit an :;11 f".'J."::'.ce heater located in the k.Ltchen after it had

ｦｬ｣ＮＨＩ､･ｵｾ and he.j gone back to bed. Evidently the oil which

had ｳｰｩｬｬＢＢｾ out had not all been mopped up; it became ignited

and in. t.i.rn i.gnited the combustible wall lining of the walls

adjacent to the st0ve. The fire spread rapidly and the tenant,

his wife ｄｾ､ three children just managed to get out before the interior was engUlfed in flame.

Heather Dat a .. - At 7,00 a irn, the air t emper-at ur-e was 38°F.,

the relative humtd Ity was 96 per cent and there was a S mop.h ,

wind from the east.

Conrtructlon, rhis residence was of wuod-frame construction

with

interiar finish. There was a pitched roof with patent

aht.r:,gLe s ,

Spread of FLr'€ 0 _. The fire was confined to this one bUilding

and was of a flash nature spreading rapidly over the wall

sur-race wi.t.h very little deep seated burning.

Bemar-ks , 'I'hfs fil'eemphasized the hazard of combustible

\'';811 i:Hl:.rf'SCEB::r,.'-t' LgnIt ed , especially when t he f Lr-e may be

ir.fl'.;e:11,.'ei t,y the preeerice of a liquid fuel euch as v-.rasthe

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 24 SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING

Date of Fire: 13 June 1953

Time of Alarm: 11.15 p.m.

Day of Week: Saturday

Location: No. of Storeys: Estimated Loss: I I St. Neree, P.Q. 2 $200,000 General.- At approximately 11.00 p.m. a neighbour detected a fire in the summer kitchen of the house next to the one whose

fo'xndation is shown in the foreground of Fig.

34.

was immediately sounded but in this small rural community

{population under 1,000) only two small portable wheeled

extinguishers were available and there was some difference of opinion as to whether they worked or not, so the bulk of the

citizens formed a bucket brigade to fight the fire. The fire

spread rapidly, first travelling down the same side of the street then crossing the street to destroy several other

buildings, inclUding a convent, the foundation and chimney of

which may be seen at the right of Fig. 34. The fire was held

at this point by the fact that pumpers arriving from

neigh-bouring towns shortly before 3.00 _{a.m. took up a stand at the}

intersecting street. Their efforts undoubtedly were helped

by the massive masonry walls of the church acting as a fire

break. This latter factor was reminiscent of the part played

by the cathedral during the Rimouski conflagration. When the

pumpers arrived, follOWing a call made a considerable time after the fire started, the firemen were forced to stretch long lines of hose (1,500-2,000 ft.) from a stream just at

the outskirts of the town, the town's only water ｳｾｰｰｬｹ other

than a well. The fire eventually destroyed 17 homes,

4

1 convent and several outbuildings, travelling a distance of

about 700 feet down the main street (Fig. 35). It was under

control by 5.00 a.m., having raged for six hours.

Weather Data.- The air temperature at 10.00 p.m. on June 13

was

56°F.

2.00 a.m. on June 14 the air temperature was 50°F. and the

relative humidity was 90 per cent. During this period there

was very little wind, with calm conditions generally prevailing. Construction.- All the buildings involved in the fire, including the convent, were of wood-frame construction and were covered

with some form of combustible exterior finish. There were a

number of bUildings which had brick siding (asphalt base) as

an exterior wall finish. These walls were exposed to the

radiation from the burning walls of adjacent buildings, and consequently the asphalt proceeded to come to the surface and

mutual radiation between buildings. It is acknowledged that with greater sldeyards between buildings and adequate fire

protection this situation could have been minimized. The

walls of the church (Fig. 35) were constructed of stone and

the roof was sheathed with sheet iron. A number of the

windows were broken by the heat and several brands landed in the church but were quickly extinguished by volunteers.

Spread of Fire.- The fire spread in a northerly direction from the house where it started which was located just to

the south of the last lot shown at the right of Fig. 35.

However it also leaped across the street to destroy a few

bUildings including the convent. The buildings on this side

of the street were spaced out rather than close together as

on the other side. From where the fire started to where it

stopped at the intersecting road shown in Fig. 35 was a

distBnce of approximately 700 feet.

Remarks.- The two significant factors in this disaster were the widespread use of combustible construction with very little separation between a number of the bUildings, and the lack of

adequate fire protection, including a good water supply. A

third factor might well be the delay in requesting outside assistance because while there had been a dry spell preceeding this fire there was very little wind during the fire to fan a

conflagration. This was not the case during the conflagrations

at Rimouski and Cabano in 1950 where winds with gusts up to 70 m,p.h. were experienced during the fire.

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 25

A ROW OF ATTACHED RESIDENCES

Date of Fire: 30 June 1953

Time of Alarm: 11.08 p.m.

Day of Week: Tuesday

Location: Ottawa, Onto

No. of Storeys: 2

Estimated Loss:' $2,000

General.- At approximately 11.00 p.m. two young boys caused a fIre to start on the first floor of their home by inexpert handling of a coal-oil lamp, resulting in flaming oil spilling

to the floor. Their home was one of a series in a row of

attached residences (Figs. 36, 37, 38). The fire spread

rapidly and two young children (ages

G

and burned to death in a bedroom opening off the room where

the fire started (Figs. 37, 39). The parents were absent

at the time and a l4-year-old daughter saved three younger members of the family who were also asleep in the same room but her attempts to save the other two were thwarted by the

rapid spread of the fire. The boys threw the lamp out of a

back window and then ran downstairs to extinguish it, leaving flaming oil on the floor which they thought would extinguish itself.

Weather Data.- At 11.00 p.m. the air temperature was 70°F., the relative humidity was 64 per cent and a southwest wind was blowing at 7 m.p.h.

Construction.- This bUilding was of wood frame construction sheathed on the outside with wood clapboard with an interior

finish of plaster on wood lath. There were a great many

layers of wallpaper on the interior wall.

Spread of Fire.- The fire was restricted to the one dwelling unIt of thIs multiple unit and was in the nature of a flash fire over the surface with not too much deep-seated burning. Remarks.- While the fire itself was extinguished rather

quickly, the tragic part was the loss of the two children, who might have been saved had they been taken out immediately when the flaming oil spilled on the floor.

APARTVillNT BUILDING WITH CONFECTIONERY STORE ATTACHED

Date of Fire: 15 October 1953 Location; Ottawa, Onto

Day of Week: Thursday

No. of Storeys: 2

Estimated Loss: $10,000 Generalo- At approximately 2.00 a.m. two young men noticed

flames through the window of a ground floor ｡ｰｾｲｴｭ･ｮｴ (Fig.40)

on the left side of the apartment building. They entered

the front door of the apartment house and broke in the door leading to the apartment, but were driven back by the flames which proceeded to spread up the stairwell of this 2-storey

apartment building. The man and his wife living in the

apartment wher-e the fire started were trapped and died f.n the

fire, even though their bedroom had a window at ground floor ｾｶ･ｬ

(Figs, 40, 41)0 An older lady who had warned ner next; aoor

neighbours went back to her apartment, immediately above the one where the fire started, to see if her daughter was out and was trapped by the fire.

Weather Data,- At 2.00 a.m. the air temperature was 47°F., the

relative humidity 69 per cent and there was a

4

wind.

Construction.- This was a ｷｯｯ､Ｍｦｲ｡ｭｾ structure with an exterior

finish of wood clapboard with plaster on wood lath as an

interior ｦｩｮＱｳｨｾ and a tar-and-gravel flat roof. There was a

small one-storey store attached to the south wall (Figs. 40

and 41) c

Spread of Fire.- The fire was confined not only to the building but to the upper and lower apartments on the south side of

the building (left side of Fig. 40). While the fire spread

up the stairwell (Figs. 42, 43), the occupants in the north side of the bUilding had their doors closed which held the fire until the fire department were able to extingUish it in the hallway.

Remarks.- The fire appeared to have started in a chesterfield in a room which opened onto the bedroom where the couple died.

It was difficult to understand why they could not have

escaped through the ground floor window (Figs. 40/ 41)0 The

older lady who died on the first floor was out Safely but went

back to see about her daughter who had already ･ｾ｣｡ｰ･､ｪ which

DBR FIRE STUDY NO. 27 LUMBER AND PLANING MILL

Date of Fire: 10 December 1953 Location: Eastview, Onto

Time of Alarm: 9.45 a.m.

Day of Week: Thursday

No. of Storeys: 2

Estimated Loss: $100,000 General.- A fire broke out around 9.45 a.m. in this lumber and planing mill in the town of Eastview (Figs. 44 to 47).

Eastview is a small municipality within the city limits of

Ottawa and has its own fire department. The fire appeared to

have started near the heating unit which was located in the

centre of the ground floor of the mill bUilding. The fire

spread very ｲ｡ｾｩ､ｬｹ owing to (a) the nature of the work

carried on, (b) the resultant accumulation of sawdust, and

(c) the combustible type of construction. The water supplied

to the fire was at a minimum due to long lays of hose and low

working pressures. In addition the main efforts of the

department were directed to stopping the spread of the fire to adjacent buildings and lumber piles.

Weather Data.- At 10.00 a.m. the air temperature was 34°F.,

the relative humidity was

92

wind from the south.

Construction.- The mill building and other buildings on the same property were wood frame structures with the mill building having aluminum sheeting as an exterior finish.

Spread of Fire.- The fire spread rapidly in the mill itself

then leaped across a laneway to a storage shed (Fig. 45) and

also spread to a wooden tower which is shown collapsing in Fig. 47).

Remarks.- A fire in a ｬｬｬｩｾ｢･ｲ mill is always a difficult fire

to extinguish due to the large quantities of combustible material, a good deal of which is in the form of sawdust and

wood shavings. In this instance there did not appear to be

sufficient water available at the fire to do more than control its spread to adjacent buildings.