St. Lawrence Burns: general report

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R e f S e r TH1 IVATE COPY R 4 2 7 no. 150 ?: I RC

NATIONAL

RESEARCH

COUNCIL

C A N A D A

-

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH

NATIONAL R i S E A R C l 4 COUNCIL I (-- )A

ST.

LAWRENCE

BURNS

GENERAL REPORT

BY G. W. SHORTER

THIS REPORT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR INFORMATION AND RECORD P U R P O S E S A N D IS NOT TO BE CITED A S A REFERENCE IN ANY PUBLICATION.

OTTAWA NOVEMBER 1959

ST.

LAWREmCE BURNS

VIEW OF BUILDING NO. 2, 23 MINUTES AFTER I G N I T I O N

NATIONAL

RESEARCH COUNCIL

CAmADA

DIVISIOR OF BTJILDIITG

RESEARCH

ST,

LAWRENCE BURNS GENERAL

REPORT

by G.

W.

Shorter Report So. 150 o f the M v i s i o n of B u i l d i n g Researoki .O!M?AWA

November

1959

The circumstances which l e d t o t h e c a r r y i n g o u t of

f i r e t e s t s on e i g h t b u i l d i n g s i n t h e p r o j e c t known a s the

3 t . Lawrence Burns, and t h e o b j e c t i v e s and t h e ways i n which

t h e s e were achieved a r e fully d e s c r i b e d i n t h e r e p o r t which

follows. I t c o n s t i t u t e s t h e complete r e c o r d of t h e planning and e x e c u t i o n of t h e experiments, t o g e t h e r w i t h a l l g e n e r a l information. D e t a i l e d i n f o r m a t i o n on each k i n d of measure- ment made, i n c l u d i n g t h e r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d , is contained i n s e p a r a t e companion r e p o r t s . A l l t h e r e s u l t s a r e combined and a r e d i s c u s s e d and f i n a l c o n c l u s i o n s drawn i n a summary

r e p o r t .

D u p l i c a t i o n h a s b e e n avoided as f a r a s p o s s i b l e s o t h a t

i t

w i l l be n e c e s s a r y t o r e f e r t o t h e g e n e r a l r e p o r t i n r e a d i n g any of t h e o t h e r . r e p o r t s f o r any i n f o r m a t i o n which i s p e r t i - n e n t t o more t h a n one of them. A l i s t i n g of a l l r e p o r t s on

t h e p r o j e c t f o l l o w s t h i s p r e f a c e .

!Che p a r t i c i p a t i o n of t h e B r i t i s h J o i n t F i r e Research O r g a n i z a t i o n i n t h e experiment, t h e i n t e r e s t and s u p p o r t of

t h e F e d e r a l C i v i l Defence a u t h o r i t i e s , t h e a s s i s t a n c e of t h e Ontario F i r e Marshal and h i s s t a f f , and f i n a l l y , t h e complete 0 0 - o p e r a t i o n and v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l e a s s i s t a n c e extended by t h e Rydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario a r e a l l g r a t e - f i l l y acknowledged. It i s a p l e a s u r e a l s o t o be a b l e t o r e c o r d t h e s p e c i a l c o n t r i b u t i o n made by members of t h e s t a f f

of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n who worked l o n g h o u r s , o f t e n under

t r y i n g f i e l d c o n d i t i o n s and a t g r e a t p e r s o n a l inconvenience, t o meet t h e many d e a d l i n e s and t o complete t h e p r o j e c t i n a most s a t i s f a c t o r y manner. me a u t h o r of t h i s r e p o r t i s Mr. G.W. S h o r t e r , head of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n of t h i s D i v i s i o n , who was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e immediate d i r e c t i o n of t h e p r o j e c t . O t t a w a November

1959

_{A s s i s t a n t D i r e c t o r}

N.

B o Hutcheon

REPORTS ON THE ST. LAWRENCE BURNS .--

SUB-TITLE General Report

Smoke and Sound Measurements Temperature Measurements Radiometer Measurements

V e n t i l a t i o n Rate Measurements R e s i s t a n c e Thermometer

Mea su.re'ment s

Radiant Temperature of Openings Gas A n a l y s i s Summary Report G. 1. S h o r t e r G. Williams-Leir G. Williams-Leir J . H. McG~zire J. H. McGuire J . H. McGuire D. G. Stephenson J. R. J u t r a s G . V1. S h o r t e r and J. H. McGuire

TABLE

OF COITTENTS

Page

PlTlrnSE

...

1

3QOPR

AmD

LIMITATIONS

...

2

...

f?TTCIFIO EXPERIMENWL OBJECTIVES 3

...

1

.

Survival of Occupants 3 2

.

Spread of Fire by Radiation

...

4

3

.

Ventilation Rates

...

5

KECHANICS O F OPEWTION

...

6 1

.

Preliminary

...

6

...

2

.

During Experiment 10

BURNS

...

12 GF;mERAL COMMENTS

...

...

37

....

1

.

Abandoned Buildings as Test Structures 37

...

2

.

Services

39

3

.

Instrumentation

...

40

4

.

Movie Record

...

41

5

.

Trailer

...

41 6

.

Fire-Spread Precautions

...

41

7

.

Labour Force

...,,...

41

8

.

Fire Section Staff

...

42

9

.

Public Relations

...

43

ST. LA.WR~CE BURRS GENERAL REPORT

G. W. S h o r t e r

I n J a n u a r y and Pebruary, 1958, a number of b u i l d i n g s

Ln t h e a r e a t o be f l o o d e d by t h e S t . Lawrence Power P r o j e c t

mere burned by t h e F i r e S e c t i o n of t h e D i v i s i o n of B u i l d i n g

Roaearch, N a t i o q a l Research Council, w i t h t h e o b j e c t of s t u d y i n g b u i l d i n g f i r e s under c o n t r o l l e d c o n d i t i o n s ,

m e d e m o l i t i o n of s t r u c t u r e s which could n o t be moved

from t h e a r e a was o r i g i n a l l y envisaged by Civil Defence a u t h o r i t i e s a s a r a r e o p p o r t u n i t y t o s t u d y mass f i r e s , and

t h e y approached t h e Hydro-Electric Power Comm' s s i o n of O n t a r i o

t o

a r r a n g e f o r a number of b u i l d i n g s t o be made a v a i l a b l e f o r axperiment. A s t h e f e d e r a l agency concerned w i t h the study o f f i r e s , t h e D i v i s i o n of B u i l d i n g Research w a s given t h e oppor- -t;unity f o r making c o n t r o l l e d t e s t s a n i n d i v i d u a l b u i l d i n g s , whiah f u r t h e r d i s c u s s i o n s u g g e s t e d would be of b e n e f i t and

prove more p r a c t i c a b l e , A f t e r c a r e f u l survey, t h e r e f o r e , by

the D i v i s i o n ' s F i r e S e c t i o n and a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e f e d e r a l

Olvil Defence A u t h o r i t y of t h e e i g h t v i l l a g e s and towns t o be inundated, s i x houses and two l a r g e r s t r u c t u r e s were s e l e c t e d from approximately 100 b u i l d i n g s i n t h e v i l l a g e of A u l t s v i l l e , on t h e n o r t h bank of t h e S t . Lawrence. O f similar s i z e and l a y o u t , many o f b r i c k c o n s t r u c t i o n , t h e r e s i d e n c e s chosen appeared t o be s u i t a b l e f o r t e s t s .

An i n v i t a t i o n t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e burns was extended Lo t h e B r i t i s h F i r e Research O r g a n i z a t i o n , who n o t o n l y

a s s i s t e d i n t h e p l a n n i n g of t h e o p e r a t i o n and i n t h e fabri- c a t i o n of i n s t r u m e n t s , b u t a l s o s e n t one o f t h e i r s e n i o r s c i e n t i f i c o f f i c e r s t o l e n d support. A similar i n v i t a t i o n was extended t o the D i v i s i o n o f B u i l d i n g Technology, U , S . National Bureau of Standards, who s e n t a member of t h e i r

staff as an o b s e r v e r , i n s p i t e of t h e p r e s s u r e of work a t t h a t time.

EZxrther a s s i s t a n c e w a s provided by t h e N a t i o n a l

Hlm Board, who were r e q u e s t e d t o film t h e o p e r a t i o n i n o r d e r t o p r e s e r v e a p i o t o r i a l r e c o r d of t h e burns f o r f u t u r e

r e f e r e n c e ,

When p l a n n i n g a n o p e r a t i o n such a s t h e S t . Lawrence burns,

it

q u i c k l y becomes e v i d e n t t h a t l i m i t s m u s t be imposed

on t h e number of phenomena t o be s t u d i e d . The first l i m i t a t i o n

dnvelopment of f i r e i n b u i l d i n g s and n o t i n c l u d e o t h e r s such R S f i r e extinguishment. F u r t h e r , t h e s t u d i e s were t o be r o e t r l c t e d t o t h e development of f i r e i n b u i l d i n g s a s it a f f e c t s ( a ) s u r v i v a l of t h e occupants ( b ) s p r e a d by r a d i a t i o n ( c ) v e n t i l a t i o n r a t e s I t was thought t h a t i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n i n s t a l l e d t o s t u d y t h e above phenomena m i g h t a l s o provide evidence .of t h e v a l i d i t y of time-temperature c u r v e s , which a r e used when c a r r y i n g o u t

f i r e r e s i s t a n c e t e s t s .

8COPE AND

LIMITATIONS

A t t h e o u t s e t , i t was decided t o c o n f i n e t h e o p e r a t i o n t o a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l number of b u i l d i n g s because of t h e

m o u n t of work t o be undertaken by t h e l i m i t e d number of s t a f f of t h e D i v i s i o n of B u i l d i n g Research F i r e S e c t i o n . A t o t a l of e i g h t b u i l d i n g s were s e l e c t e d , s i x two-story d w e l l i n g s and two l a r g e r s t r u c t u r e s , a two-story school and a two-story oommunity h a l l . S t u d i e s concerning t h e s u r v i v a l of t h e occu- ptlnts of b u i l d i n g s were t o be r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e d w e l l i n g s ; t h o s e concerned w i t h t h e s p r e a d o f f i r e by r a d i a t i o n would be undertaken a t a l l e i g h t b u i l d i n g s ; while t h o s e concerned w i t h

v e n t i l a t i o n r a t e s would be r e s t r i c t e d t o t h e two l a r g e s t r u c t u r e s . lZle i n t e r i o r f i n i s h e s i n t h e s i x d w e l l i n g s were t o be

modified where n e c e s s a r y s o t h a t t h r e e would have r e l a t i v e l y incombustible l i n i n g s throughout t h e ground f l o o r land t h e s t a i r w a y l e a d i n g t o t h e upper f l o o r , w h i l e t h e o t h e r t h r e e would have r e l a t i v e l y combustible l i n i n g s i n s t a l l e d i n similar l o c a t i o n s . No m o d i f i c a t i o n s were t o be made t o t h e l i n i n g s of t h e two l a r g e r s t r u c t u r e s , t h e s c h o o l and community h a l l , although it would be n e c e s s a r y t o remove t h e upper f l o o r s of both i n o r d e r t o s t u d y v e n t i l a t i o n r a t e s f o r l a r g e s i n g l e oompartments.

The f i r e l o a d i n each of t h e s i x d w e l l i n g s w a s t o

o o n s i s t of two c r i b s formed f r o m v a r i o u s s i z e s of wood, a r r a n g e d i n a s t a n d a r d p a t t e r n and placed i n t h e l a r g e s t

ground f l o o r room. The term f i r e l o a d i s used i n t h i s i n s t a n c e t o denote t h e combustible m a t e r i a l t o be added, r e p l a c i n g

that normally found

i n

a dwelling i n t h e form of f u r n i s h i n g s . Ihe f i r e l o a d

i n

t h e school and community h a l l was t o be formed

o f

t h e combustible f l o o r i n g removed from t h e upper f l o o r s , and those upper f l o o r j o i s t s which were l e f t i n p l a c e f o r support.

A s a l l t h e b u i l d i n g s would be vacant f o r some time, i t was decided t o supply them w i t h some form of h e a t i n g for

14

EKPERIMENTAL

OB J E C f I V E S

An f a r a s p o s s i b l e , a l l measuring i n s t r u m e n t s were $6 bm i n s t a l l e d i n a t r a i l e r provided w i t h l e a d w i r e s of

w f f l o i e n t l e n g t h t o a l l o w i t t o be l o c a t e d approximately

1t)o i t

-om

a b u r n i n g b u i l d i n g . It would provide s h e l t e r f o r

lnatruments from t h e c o l d weather of January and February

#hen We o p e r a t i o n was t o be c a r r i e d o u t , and would f a c i l i t a t e @ovmmrnt of t h e i n s t r u m e n t s from one l o c a t i o n t o a n o t h e r .

.

&p$ual of Occupants

S u r v i v a l time f o r occupants formed one o f t h e o b j e c t i v e s

for t a s t e

i n

t h e s i x d w e l l i n g s s e t a s i d e f o r experiment. I n s t r u -

y n w t i o n

was provided i n tvfo u p s t a i r s bedrooms (one w i t h t h e

&or

o l o s e d and one w i t h t h e door open) and i n t h e basement

far rtudying d e t e r i o r a t i o n of a-tmosphere from t h e p o i n t of view

gra and smoke d e n s i t y , and f o r s t u d y i n g t h e r i s e . i n tempera-

h r r

i n

t h e s e a r e a s . A n a t t e m p t would a l s o be made t o d e t e r - whether t h e n o i s e a f i r e makes p r o v i d e s any u s e f u l warning

b o o m p n t s of u p s t a i r s bedrooms p r i o r t o t h e time a t which

mrrlval

becomes i m p o s s i b l e ,

( a ) Oas a n a l y s i s

An a n a l y s i s was planned of t h e atmosphere i n t h e a r e a s

involved t o determlae t o what e x t e n t s u r v i v a l of t h e occupants

@auld be p r e j u d i c e d e i t h e r through d e p l e t i o n of oxygen o r t h e

w a r a n o e of low c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of carbon monoxide. A s i n d i - -tor8 a r e a v a i l a b l e commercially f o r t h e continuous d e t e r - l i r s t i o n of t h e s e two g a s e s , i t w a s thought unnecessary t o o m r i d e r t h e u s e o f more cumbersome i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n t o o b t a i n 0 oomplete a n a l y s i s , s i n c e t h e s t u d y d i d n o t r e q u i r e it.

ilThe o n l y drawback t o t h e adopted method was t h e f a c t

bhat aommercial carbon monoxide i n d i c a t o r s a r e s p e c i a l l y

bralgned f o r determining low c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of carbon monoxide.

In

e o - b ~ a l b u r n s t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n of carbon monoxide exceeds

*sir upper range l i m i t soon a f t e r i g n i t i o n , and i n t h e s e

wrta it w a s i m p e r a t i v e t h a t h i g h e r c o n c e n t r a t i o n s a l s o be n a e u r e d . A d i l u t i o n system was t h e r e f o r e designed t o provide f o r the mixing of t h e incoming sampled gas w i t h a i r i n o r d e r t o I n c r e a s e t h e range of t h e i n d i c a t o r s .

!be carbon monoxide i n d i c a t o r s were mounted on a t a b l e

i n t h e r e a r s e c t i o n of t h e t r a i l e r and were connected s e p a r a t e l y

by means of tygon t u b i n g t o copper probes p r e v i o u s l y i n s t a l l e d

i n t h e t w o u p s t a i r s bedrooms. !l!he ends o f t h e probes were q u i p p e d w i t h d r i e r s f o r t h e removal of e x c e s s moisture i n the g a s samples. P r o v i s i o n w a s made f o r s w i t c h i n g e i t h e r i n d i o a t o r t o a t h i r d sampling l i n e i n s t a l l e d i n t h e basement whenever t h e carbon monoxide c o n c e n t r a t i o n i n one of t h e bed- rooms reaohed

full

scale, Carbon monoxide c o n c e n t r a t i o n s

WIJI-o recorded malzually a t r e g u l a r i n t e r v a l s o f 30 s e c .

An oxygen a n a l y z e r was a l s o i n s t a l l e d n e x t t h e two

d ~ l d i c a t o r s i n t h e t r a i l e r , and was connected i n such a way

that i t could be svri-llched t o any samplins l i n e . These I-audings were recorded manually a t 30-sec i n t e r v a l s .

( b ) Smoke d e n s i t y

A m a j o r f a c t o r i n t h e escape of occupants from a b u i l d i n g once a f i r e i s i n p r o g r e s s i s t h e d e n s i t y of smoke. I t was decided t o determine t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of smoke a t v & r i o u s s t a g e s i n aach o f t h e bedrooms and i n t h e basement. To this end, a number of smoke m e t e r s were c o n s t r u c t e d which wore i n s t a l l e d

i n

windovr openings, and were connected by means o f l e a d w i r e s t o a r e c o r d i n g i n s t r u m e n t l o c a t e d i n t h e t r a i l e r . I n o r d e r t o a v o i d t h e l o s s o f t h e s e i n s t r u m e n t s

a t

each burn, i t was n e c e s s a r y t o d e v i s e a means f o r r e c o v e r i n g

them once t h e concentration.^ of smoke had reached a c e r t a i n

maximum l e v e l .

In o r d e r t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e time-temperature

r e l a t i o n s h i p a s t h e f i r e developed, a number of t h e m o c o u p l e s

ware i n s t a l l e d a t v a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s i n t h e b u i l d i n g s . They were connected t o lead w i r e s which t e r m i n a t e d a t a m u l t i p o i n t r e c o r d e r . Supplementary i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n w a s provided i n each of t h e b u i l d i n g s i n t h e form of a r e s i s t a n c e thermometer l o c a t e d n e a r t h e s t a i r s l e a d i n g t o t h e upper f l o o r . The

r e s i s t a n c e wire w a s , i n t u r n , connected t o a l e a d w i r e running t o one o f t h e r e c o r d i n g p o t e n t i o m e t e r s .

( d ) Sound l e v e l s

To determine t h e n o i s e whioh a f i r e malces i n i t s

e a r l y s t a g e s i t w a s decided t o i n s t a l l a microphone i n each bedroom. These microphones were a t t a c h e d t o t h e smoke

meter assembly s o t h a t t h e y might be recovered a t t h e same time a s t h e smoke m e t e r s themselves t o a v o i d t h e i r l o s s a t aach burn. The microphones w e r e t h e n connected i n

turn

by

l e a d w i r e s t o a t a p e r e c o r d e r l o c a t e d

i n

t h e t r a i l e r .

Spread of f i r e by R a d i a t i o n

When determining t h e space s e p a r a t i o n s between

b u i l d i n g s n e c e s s a r y t o reduce t h e h a z a r d of t h e s p r e a d of

f i r e from one b u i l d i n g t o a n o t h e r , a major f a c t o r t o be aonsidered i s r a d i a t i o n . One o b j e c t i v e o f th.e t e s t s

t h e r e f o r e , w a s t o determine a t what d i s t a n c e s from burning

buildings i n t e n s i t i e s of . r a d i a t i o n s u f f i c i e n t t o i g n i t e aombustible

materials would

e x i s t ,

w i t h s p e c i a l reference

t o t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between i n t e n s i t i e s measured on t h e l e e w a r d

To determine such d i s t a n c e s by c a l c u l a t i o n , it i s

rreooab.ry n o t o n l y t o t a k e i n f o r m a t i o n concerning window

optlinga i n t o consid-eration, b u t a l s o t o assume a temperature

for

%he f i r e . A f u r t h e r o b j e c t i v e , t h e r e f o r e , w a s t o

i m r r % i g a t e t h e v a l i d i t y of t h e normally assumed temperature

of

1000 C used i n t h e s e c a l c u l a t i o n s .

( a ) & t e n s i t y of r a d i a t i o n from burning b u i l d i n 6

!I!he B r i t i s h JFRO assumed t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e rmdiation measurements and c o n s t r u c t e d a number o f s m a l l

p - b l e r a d i o m e t e r s , which were connected by l e a d s t o m o m d i n g p o t e n t i o m e t e r s i n t h e t r a i l e r . !&te F i r e S e c t i o n urrd@rbook t o provide t h e s t a n d s f o r mounting them w i t h 2 0 - f t lamfths of p i p e f a s t e n e d v e r t i c a l l y on s l e d s t h a t could be

p t t l ad away when i t was n e c e s s a r y t o remove tl em.

(b)

Radiant temperature of i n t e r i o r of burning b u i l d i n 5 The B u i l d i n g S e r v i c e s S e c t i o n of t h e D i v i s i o n of Building Research undertook t h i s study. A t h e r m o p i l e

n d l o m e t e r w a s mounted on a t r i p o d i n f r o n t of a window s o

#mt t h e window completely f i l l e d t h e view of t h e radiometer.

h a d w i r e s ran from

it

t o one o f t h e r e c o r d i n g p o t e n t i o m e t e r s

in

t h e t r a i l e r . By o b t a i n i n g t h e r a d i a t i o n i n t e n s i t y from

#s

window opening i t would be p o s s i b l e t o determine t h e

blaak body temperature of t h e r a d i a t i n g f i r e .

( 0 ) Distance of flame f r o n t from burning b u i l d i n g

I n o r d e r t o determine t h e d i s t a n c e o f t h e f l a m e s *om t h e b u i l d i n g on t h e leeward s i d e d u r i n g p e r i o d s of peak r a d i a t i o n . , v i s u a l - o b s e r v a t i o n s of t h e flame f r o n t , supple- mented by a p i c t o r i a l r e c o r d , were made from a p o i n t i n

line

w i t h t h e edge o f t h e leeward w a l l . V e n t i l a t i o n R a t e s

A f a o t o r i n t h e development of f i r e , which i s of i n t e r e s t t o t h o s e engaged i n f i r e r e s e a r c h , has been t h e a f f e c t of v e n t i l a t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y , i n l a r g e s i n g l e com-

partments. A s v e r y l i t t l e i n f o r m a t i o n e x i s t s on t h i s s u b j e c t ,

i t w a s a g r e e d that a study should be made of t h e a c c e s s

rate of a i r d u r i n g t h e development of f i r e

i n

the two large b u i l d i n g s . The B r i t i s h JFRO a c c e p t e d t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

for c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e n e c e s s a r y i n s t r u m e n t s , which were u r n a l l vane t y p e anemometers. These were i n s t a l l e d i n window openings and r e a d i n g s were t a k e n by means of t e l e s c o p e s

!he o p e r a t i o n s p r i o r t o t h e a c t u a l burns f a l l i n t o

two o a t e g o r i e s : t h o s e which were c a r r i e d o u t i n t h e p r e l i m i n a r y otiagas

,

and t h o s e undertaken d u r i n g t h e experiment.

1. $urrey of b u i l d i n g s

The first f i e l d t r i p t o s t u d y t h e b u i l d i n g s i n d e t a i l war made on February 27, 1957, when it w a s a s c e r t a i n e d t h a t

of

t h e 110 b u i l d i n g s i n t h e v i l l a g e , 30 would n o t be a v a i l -

able as t h e y were t o be moved t o new l o c a t i o n s . I n many I n r t a n o e s throughout t h e a r e a t o be inundated, b u i l d i n g s were

moved by means of l a r g e s p e c i a l equipment t o new t o w n s i t e s

rrhioh were being e s t a b l i s h e d . The remaining 80 b u i l d i n g s

were photographed, a l l from a d i s t a n c e of 50 f t , f r o n t view only, From t h e s e photographs a l a r g e number of b u i l d i n g s

usre r e j e c t e d f o r v a r i o u s r e a s o n s , l e a v i n g a b o u t 25 s t i l l

t o

be considered. Side views of t h e remaining 25 s t r u c t u r e s

were

t h e n taken. Following a study of photographs and con- r t r u o t i o n d e t a i l s , e t c . , t h i s group was narrowed d o m t o 10 b u i l d i n g s . Only a f t e r f l o o r p l a n s had been drawn,

i n

a d d i t i o n t o p l o t p l a n s showing b u i l d i n g s i n t h e immediate v l o i n i t y , were s i x d w e l l i q s and two l a r g e r b u i l d i n g s @ e l e c t e d ( s e e F i g . 1

-

8 ) .

2. Heating of b u i l d i n g s

A s t h e b u i l d i n g s had, i n g e n e r a l , been vacant f o r erne time, it was a g r e e d t h a t some e f f o r t should be made t o

ovide h e a t i n . g f o r a t l e a s t a s h o r t period p r i o r t o t h e g r n s

,

and o i l burning space h e a t e r s were i n s t a l l e d and operated i n each b u i l d i n g f o r a t l e a s t one week b e f o r e a

burn. The rating of t h e h e a t e r s w a s 20 cc/min of No. 1 f u e l c i l , which would be e q u i v a l e n t t o 30,000 ~ t u / h r i f t h e h e a t e r s were run wide open a t a n e f f i c i e n c y of 70 p e r c e n t . The

Ontario Hydro a u t h o r i t i e s were most c o - o p e r a t i v e i n providing

t h e space h e a t e r s . Members of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n i n s t a l l e d moke p i p e s i n t h e b u i l d i n g s and connected them t o t h e space h e a t e r s . F o r t y - f i v e - g a l l o n drums of o i l were o b t a i n e d , and

f o r t h e first f i v e b u r n s r e - f u e l i n g w a s accomplished manually

b y D i v i s i o n a l p e r s o n n e l ' o n d u t y who r e - f u e l e d t h e s t o v e s

b y means of 5-gal c o n t a i n e r s when making t h e i r r e g u l a r t o u r

sf i n s p e c t i o n of each b u i l d i n g . For t h e l a s t t h r e e b u m s , the h e a t e r s were connected d i r e c t l y t o t h e 45-gal drums.

M o d i f i c a t i o n of b u i l d i n g s

Comparatively few changes o r r e p a i r s were n e c e s s a r y t o t h e b u i l d i n g s e x c e p t f o r c l o s i n g of window openings, which

h a d broken panes of glass, w i t h storm windows, and f o r plugging o f h o l e s where p i p e s had passed through f l o o r s . Modifications

a o n s i s t e d o f i n s t a l l a t i o n of a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l amount of

liniw

m a t e r i a l i n ground f l o o r rooms and s t a i r w a y s l e a d i n g t o t h e upper f l o o r s , where necessary, i n o r d e r t o s t a n d a r d i z e

#a l i n i n g s of t h e s e a r e a s . R e p a i r s o r m o d i f i c a t i o n s were o a l ~ i e d o u t by members of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n . The Hydro

a u t h o r i t i e s a r r a n g e d f o r t h e d e m o l i t i o n of t h e upper f l o o r s i n the two l a r g e r b u i l d i n g s i n o r d e r t o c o n v e r t them i n t o l a r g e s i n g l e compartments. One f u r t h e r m o d i f i c a t i o n was o a r r i e d o u t i n t h a t , where wooden porch r o o f s were f i x e d t o

t h e b u i l d i n g s , Hydro crews were asked t o remove them i n o r d e r t o e l i m i n a t e t h e i r i n f l u e n c e on t h e experimental r e s u l t s .

It

was found from t h e f i r s t burn c a r r i e d o u t t h a t such r o o f s , which a r e no l o n g e r i n common u s e , a f f e c t e d t h e r a d i a t i o n

a t u d i e s , 4. T r a i l e r

E a r l y i n t h e planning of t h e o p e r a t i o n i t was decided t h a t a l l r e c o r d i n g and i n d i c a t i n g i n s t r u m e n t s s h o u l d be l o c a t e d i n one c e n t r a l p l a c e a t a d i s t a n c e n o t l e s s t h a n 100 f t from t h e b u i l d i n g t o be burned. This f a c t , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e need f o r moving equipment from one l o c a t i o n t o a n o t h e r ,

suggested t h e use of a t r a i l e r . That Hydro a u - t h o r i t i e s would p r e f e r t h a t t h e burns t a k e p l a c e d u r i n g t h e w i n t e r months when c o l d weather would p r e v a i l a g a i n commended i t s use.

The D i v i s i o n was f o r t u n a t e t o s e c u r e on l o a n a t r a i l e r f o r this purpose from -the D i v i s i o n of Radio and E l e c t r i c a l m i n e e r i n g . It had a n i n s i d e f l o o r a r e a of 1 4 by 6 f t , with

a c e i l i n g h e i g h t of 6 f t 6 i n . i n t h e f r o n t p o r t i o n , d e c r e a s i n g i n t h e r e a r a r e a , which had a curved c e i l i n g . A d d i t i o n a l

w i r i n g c i r c u i t s were added and a number of o u t l e t s i n s t a l l e d f o r s u p p l y i n g power t o t h e v a r i o u s i n s t r u m e n t s and f o r

plugging i n e l e c t r i c a l space h e a t e r s t o keep t h e t r a i l e r w a r m .

A small o i l burning space h e a t e r was a l ~ o ~ i n s t a l l e d t o e n s u r e , i n t h e e v e n t of a power f a i l u r e , t h a t t h e s t a n d a r d c e l l s ,

e t c . , i n t h e v a r i o u s i n s t r u m e n t s would n o t be exposed t o low temperatures,

!be r e a r p o r t i o n of t h e t r a i l e r w a s used f o r a p p a r a t u s i n connection w i t h g a s a n a l y s i s . This a p p a r a t u s was mounted on a t a b l e s o t h a t t h e o p e r a t o r s were s r a t e d d u r i n g t h e t e s t ; t h u s t h e lower c e i l i n g h e i g h t was n o t a c r i t i c a l f a c t o r .

In t h e f r o n t , r a c k s were i n s t a l l e d t o h o l d t h e v a r i o u s

r e c o r d i n g i n s t r u m e n t s , and h e r e t h e t a p e r e c o r d e r was l o c a t e d on a bench. The o i l space h e a t e r was i n s t a l l e d on one s i d e

n e a r t h e c e n t r e w i t h t h e r e c o r d i n g i n s t r u m e n t f o r t h e anemometer used f o r measuring wind speeds and d i r e c t i o n

a d j a c e n t t o it. A t t h e r e a r of t h e t r a i l e r , on t h e o u t s i d e ,

a j u n c t i o n box w a s a r r a n g e d s o t h a t a l l l e a d w i r e s could be

connected t o i t and thence t o t h e v a r i o u s i n s t r u m e n t s i n s t a l l e d i n s i d e . . .

The t r a i l e r a l s o provided space f o r t h e s t o r a g e of t o o l s , e t c , , s o t h a t it became a s e l f - s u s t a i n e d u n i t ,

moved by means of a l & - t o n p a n e l t r u c k , which a l s o c a r r i e d a u x i l i a r y equipment such as r e e l s of w i r e , e t c .

L a t e on the day p r i o r t o t h e t e s t , t h e trailer would be moved t o t h e site o f t h e n e x t b u m s o -that i t s l o c a t i o n on t h e windward s i d e o f t h e building c o u l d be based on. t h e

a n t i c i p a t e d d i r e c t i o n o f t h e wind.

A s A u l t s v i l l e w a s

t o

be p r a c t i c a l l y v a c a t e d a t t h e time of t h e t e s t s , w i t h resul1;an-t removal of power l i n e s , t h e

q u e s t i o n o f providing power t o t h e t r a i l e r both f o r h e a t i n g and f o r o p e r a t i n g t h e i n s t r u m e n t s w a s of prime importance. The O n t a r i o Hydro a u t h o r i t i e s k i n d l y a r r a n g e d t o i n s t a l l s p e c i a l s w i t c h boxes on power p o l e s t h a t remained a t s i x sf t h e l o c a t i o n s ; t h e y a l s o s u p p l i e d a 3 0 0 - f t l e n g t h of heavy-duty c a b l e , s o t h a t it was only n e c e s s a r y i n each c a s e t o u n r o l l t h e c a b l e and t o connect one end t o a box on a p o l e and t h e o t h e r end t o a heavy-duty o u t l e t i n s t a l l e d i n t h e t r a i l e r ,

For t h e o t h e r two l o c a t i o n s , where pomer l i n e s had been t a k e n dovm, Hydro a u t h o r i t i e s provided a 20 KVA p o r t a b l e d i e s e l g e n e r a t o r i n s t a l l e d on a l a r g e t r u c k . Once a g a i n t h e r e e l of c a b l e was run between t h e g e n e r a t o r and t h e t r a i l e r ,

It w a s f e a r e d that t h e n o i s e from t h e g e n e r a t o r might i n t e r f e r e somewhat w i t h t h e t a p e r e c o r d i n g s o f t h e n o i s e of t h e f i r e

b u t it w a s n o t a s e r i o u s problem. Where it was necessary a t any of t h e b u i l d i n g s f o r t h e N a t i o n a l Film Board t o have

power, i t was q u i c k l y provided from a p o l e by t h e Hydro staff.

A l t o g e t h e r t h e s u c c e s s of t h e experiment depended t o a g r e a t e x t e n t on t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y of power, a n d t h e co-operation of t h e Hydro a u t h o r i t i e s

i n

p r o v i d i n g t h i s s e r v i c e , and t h e i r a s s i s t a n c e i n m a i n t a i n i n g t h e portabl-e g e n e r a t o r were e s p e c i a l l y a p p r e c i a t e d . F i r e l o a d

The fire l o a d f o r t h e s i x d w e l l i n g s was i n t h e forrn

of wood c r i b s , each c o n t a i n i n g t h e same number o f p i e c e s of wood of v a r y i n g s i z e s , a r r a n g e d i n t h e same p a t t e r n ( F i g , 9 ) .

llwo c r i b s were provided f o r each b u r n , l o c a t e d a s shown i n Figs. 1 t o

5

and 7,of Hemlock having a d e n s i t y of 29 lb/cu f t and a s p e c i f i c g r a v i t y of 0.46; t h u s t h e t w o cribs i n each house t o g e t h e r c o n t a i n e d 670 l b :

50 p i e c e s 2 i n . x 4 i n . x 4 f t

50 p i e c e s

$

i n . x 1 i n . x 4 f t

25 p i e c e s z i n . x l i n . x 4 f t

Crumpled newspaper w a s placed a t t h e bottom o f each t o f i l l

the space beneath t h e l a y e r o f &-in. x 1 - i n . p i e c e s . U n f o r -

wllon r e c e i v e d from t h e lumber d e a l e r , and a s i t w a s l e f t i n

a n unheated shed u n t i l s h o r t l y b e f o r e t h e first burn, t h e moisture c o n t e n t was q u i t e high. However, f a r t h e remainder

of t h e b u r n s tho c r i b s were s e t i n p l a c e

i n

advance s o that oome of t h e e x c e s s m o i s t u r e m i g h t be d r i v e n o f f d u r i n g t h e p r e - h e a t i n g of t h e b u i l d i n g .

I n t h e c a s e of t h e two l a r g e b u i l d i n g s , t h e wood obtained from t h e demolition o f t h e upper f l o o r s was p i l e d

QL random on t h e ground f l o o r t o form t h e major p o r t i o n of t h e

f i r e l o a d . 'Phe remainder was made up of t h o s e upper floor j o i s t s which were l e f t

i n

p l a c e t o a f f o r d s u p p o r t . The f i r e

load t h u s formed w a s c a l c u l a t e d t o be 8 l b / s q f t f o r t h e achool and

7

l b / s q f t f o r t h e communiQ h a l l . In o r d e r t o f a c i l i t a t e t h e development of t h e f i r e a crude c r i b was formed 1.n each of t h e s e b u i l d i n g s from t h e f l o o r i n g e t c . i n t h e

l o o a t i o n shown i n Figs. 6 and 8,

7 . F i r e p r o t e c t i o n

Although t h e v i l l a g e w a s t o be almost e n t i r e l y v a c a t e d a t t h e time of t h e burns, i t was considered d e s i r a b l e t o

pr0vid.e some form of f i r e p r o t e c t i o n in o r d e r t o ensure t h a t t h e f i r e d i d n o t spread. T h i s f i r e p r o t e c t i o n . w a s provided by two groups, b o t h of whom r e n d e r e d v a l u a b l e a s s i s t a n c e , One group w a s composed of Hydro s t a f f under M r . S. H i l l , S a f e t y Supervisor f o r t h e S t . Lawrence Power P r o j e c t , and t h e o t h e r

was a crew provided by t h e O n t a r i o F i r e b k r s h a l , !The l a t t e r group manned a c i v i l defence t r a i n i n g pumper which had a

300-gal b o o s t e r t a n k and a p o r t a b l e pump, which i n s e v e r a l i n s t a n c e s was u s e f u l i n r e l a y i n g w a t e r from t h e S t , Lav~rence Rlver, and i n one c a s e from a nearby c r e e k , One v a l u a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n made by t h e s e crews was t h a t of keeping t h e f i r e from s p r e a d i n g t o a t t a c h e d sheds s o t h a t t h e measurements taken r e l a t e d o n l y t o t h e b u i l d i n g proper. I n one o r two 1n.stances i t was n e c e s s a r y t o p u t w a t e r on combustible s u r - f a c e s of a d j a c e n t b u i l d i n g s t o be s u r e t h a t t h e f i r e would n o t spread.

One of t h e b i g g e s t and most unexpected problems was

t h a t of keeping c o n t r o l of g r a s s f i r e s which occurred d u r i n g t h e first two burns, s i n c e unusual weather c o n d i t i o n s pre- v a i l e d f o r t h a t time of y e a r and t h e r e was no snow on t h e ground. Another c o n t r i b u t i o n vias t h a t of p r o v i d i n g a w a t e r s p r a y a t v a r i o u s t i m e s

i n

o r d e r t o reduce t h e h e a t r a d i a t i o n f a l l i n g on personnel removing equipment a t v a r i o u s s t a g e s during t h e f i r e . The c o - o p e r a t i o n extended by t h e t w o groups mentioned was e x c e l l e n t ; it even extended t o t h e l o c a l fire

department of a n a d j a c e n t m u n i c i p a l i t y which allowed t h e hose used during t h e burns t o be d r i e d i n one of t h e i r f i r e

Movie r e c o r d

One of th.e most i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t s of t h e o p e r a t i o n

mas t h o p r o v i s i o n of an 'adequate p i c t o r i a l r e c o r d . Following d i r o u a ~ l i o n s w i t h t h e N a t i o n a l Film Board it w a s a g r e e d t h a t

( a ) a complete r e c o r d of each burn should bo f i l m e d from a

r t a t i o p o s i t i o n and (b) a s h o r t documentary f i l m complete

w i t h oornmentary and sound should e v e n t u a l l y be produced f o r

tPIs whole o p e r a t i o n . The running time of t h e f i l m f o r each 1ndIvid.ual burn would be approximately

4

h o u r bu-1; it would

r p n

a

p e r i o d of approximately one hour w i t h time l a p s e s i n d l o a t e d by t h e moving hands of a clock. The s h o r t docu- mentary f i l m would u t i l i z e a number of ran.dom s h o t s t a k e n throughout t h e o p e r a t i o n and would i n c l u d e , i n a d d i t i o n t o r h o t a of t h e burns, o t h e r s showing t h e v a r i o u s i n s t r u m e n t s

and

t h e i r use.

P r i o r t o t h e t e s t s , r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e N a t i o n a l

F i l m

Board and a member o f t h e F i r e S e c t i o n v i s i t e d t h e a r e a

and

d i s c u s s e d t h e most e f f e c t i v e coverage i n d e t a i l . S t a t i c , ooverage of t h e b u r n s would be provided by a cameraman using

: trro oameras t o ensure continuous coverage a t c r i t i c a l s t a g e s ,

, which could n o t be accomplished w i t h one camera a s r e l o a d i n g ,

! E

r t i c u l a r l y i n . t h e c o l d weather, would consume v a l u a b l e time.

o t h e r cameraman would be r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e random s h o t s , moving t o v a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s a t d i f f e r e n t s t a g e s of a n i n d i v i d u a l

I

;

f i r e , t o i n c l u d e n o t only s h o t s of t h e b u m s themselves b u t of a11 phases of t h e o p e r a t i o n . I I

9.

Winter c l o t h i n 6 E a r l y i n t h e planning, it w a s r e a l i z e d t h a t a crew o f men i n t h e f i e l d d u r i n g t h e w i n t e r would r e q u i r e w i n t e r o l o t h i n g of a t y p e t o a f f o r d p r o t e c t i o n p r i m a r i l y from c o l d r a t h e r t h a n from h a z a r d s of f r e e z i n g w a t e r spray, e l e c t r i c i t y ,

e t c . Consequently, each man was provided w i t h ( a ) cap w i t h

ear lugs; (b). parka; ( c ) heavy c o v e r a l l s ; ( d ) f l e e c e - l i n e d

flying b o o t s ; and ( e ) l i n e d gloves. The s t a f f were a d v i s e d t o wear personal clothin.g, e s p e c i a l l y heavy socks, which would

g i v e f u r t h e r p r o t e c t i o n from t h e c o l d . During Experiment

1. Weather r e c o r d s

To ensure a comprehensive s t u d y , it w a s agreed t h a t o e r t a i n weather o b s e r v a t i o n s should be made. Records of wind speed and d i r e c t i o n were t o be secured. Accordingly, a

atandard $-cup anemometer was mounted on a s p e c i a l l - y c o n s t r u c t e d base and l o c a t e d some d i s t a n c e away from t h e t r a i l e r connected

b y l e a d wire t o a record5n.g instrument i n it. A t each burn, t h e

air temperature

and relative

humidity measurements were o b t a i n e d by a hygrothermograph adjaaent t o t h e t r a i l e r . While t h e s e r e c o r d s were n o t considered t o have any p a r t i c u l a r

s i f i n l f i c a n c e , t h e y were i n c l u d e d t o show t h e t e m p e r a t u r e s and h u m i d i t i e s when t h e t e s t s were c a r r i e d o u t . Equipment was uaually s e t u p e a r l y on t h e morning of each burn.

2 . Moisture c o n t e n t

Just p r i o r t o each burn, s survey w a s made of t h e

malature c o n t e n t of t h e wood i n t h e c r i b s and t h e i n t e r i o r

riniah and t r i m of t h e ground f l o o r . It was n o t a d e t a i l e d

aurvey, b u t r a t h e r a quick examination t o o b t a i n some i n d i - a a t l o n of t h e "wetness" of combustible m a t e r i a l s on t h e

ground f l o o r .

~ o n n e c t i o n of l i n e s

Connection of t h e power c a b l e t o t h e t r a i l e r a t a new l o o a t i o n was u s u a l l y made l a t e i n t h e day f o l l o w i n g a burn, t h e exception b e i n g when b u m s were n o t c a r r i e d o u t on con- r s o u t i v e days. During t h e morning of t h e day of a burn, a l l

l e a d w i r e s and gas sampling l i n e s had t o be r e e l e d o u t and

f a s t e n e d a t one end t o t h e v a r i o u s i n s t r u m e n t s and a t t h e o t h e r

end t o t h e t r a i l e r connections. When t h e connections had been

made, t h e l i n e s were checked t o ensure t h a t t h e y had been

a l i e n e d p r o p e r l y and t h a t c o r r e c t r e a d i n g s were b e i n g o b t a i n e d

on

t h e v a r i o u s i n d i c a t i n g and r e c o r d i n g i n s t r u m e n t s . A c a b l e

was a l s o provided f o r t h e e l e c t r i c c l o c k which w a s used i n t h e

film sequences. V e n t i l a t i o n .

P r i o r t o a b u m e i t h e r a window o r a door w a s l e f t

1 open t o ensure s u f f i c i e n t a i r t o s u s t a i n a c o n t i n u i n g f i r e . I 'his procedure was followed a t a l l b u m s f o l l o w i n g t h e first,

!

when t h e door was n o t opened u n t i l some time a f t e r i g n i t i o n ,

exoept i n t h e c a s e of t h e t h i r d burn where because of a n o v e r s i g h t no v e n t i l a t i o n was provided.

i

5.

Removal of space h e a t e r s

Once again t h e c o - o p e r a t i o n of t h e Hydro a u t h o r i t i e s

was most h e l p i u l . Not only d i d t h e y remove t h e space h e a t e r s ,

1 moke p i p e s , and 40-gallon f u e l drums from t h e b u i l d i n g s j u s t

l o r t o a b u m , b u t t h e y moved them when n e c e s s a r y t o new

1

T

o c a t i o n s .

6. Final i n s p e c t i o n

F i n a l l y , j u s t b e f o r e i g n i t i o n , a thorough i n s p e c t i o n of t h e premises was c a r r i e d o u t t o be s u r e t n a t ( a ) no one was

l e f t i n t h e b u i l d i n g s , ( b ) t h e door t o one bedroom was c l o s e d and, ( c ) t h e door l e a d i n g t o t h e basement was c l o s e d . T h i s

i n s p e c t i o n was c a r r i e d o u t by M r . H i l l , t h e Hydro S a f e t y

I Bupervisor, t h e w r i t e r and t h e member of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n who

g u a r d s were p l a c e d a t a l l e n t r a n c e s t o ensure t h a t no one e n t e r e d from t h a t time on. The o n l y e x c e p t i o n t o t h i s w a s i n t h e c a s e of t h e two l a r g e b u i l d i n g s , where t h e camera crew were allowed t o s e t u p equipment i n t h e f r o n t hallway i n o r d e r

t o s h o o t t h e e a r l y s t a g e s of t h e development of t h e f i r e under c l o s e o b s e r v a t i o n .

7. I g n i t i o n of c r i b s

When the final i n s p e c t i o n had been concluded, one of t h e members of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n proceeded t o i g n i t e t h e paper

i n both t h e c r i b s . When i t was c e r t a i n t h a t i g n i t i o n w a s accomplished, t h e w r i t e r appeared o u t s i d e t h e b u i l d i n g , and t h i s was t h e s i g n a l t h a t t h e experiment had begun. I t w a s t a k e n a s "zero" time by personnel i n charge of t h e v a r i o u s i n d i c a t i n g and r e c o r d i n g i n s t r u m e n t s . The cameramen, who

always had t h e i r cameras running f o r one o r two minutes b e f o r e t h e s i g n a l was given, s t a r t . e d t h e c l o c k which appeared i n a l l

t h e s h o t s t a k e n w i t h t h e s t a t i c camera. It was always s t a r t e d

at 1 2 o'clock r a t h e r t h a n a t t h e a c t u a l t i m e o f day.

8. Movies

Once t h e s i g n a l w a s r e c e i v e d t h a t t h e c r i b s had been i g n i t e d , t h e s t a t i c camera was s t a r t e d and continued t o s h o o t u n l e s s t h e r e was a p e r i o d when t h e r e d i d n o t seem t o be any

s i g n i f i c a n t changes t a k i n g p l a c e . The f i l m d i r e c t o r i s s u e d

all i n s t r u c t i o n s t o t h e cameraman, u s u a l l y a f t e r c o n s u l t i n g w i t h members 0% t h e F i r e S e c t i o n on p a r t i c u l a r l y s i g n i f i c a n t

s t a g e s i n t h e development o f t h e f i r e . The r o v i n g cameraman w a s a l s o under t h e j u r i s d i c t i o n o f t h e d i r e c t o r who r e - l o c a t e d

t h i s camera a t s t r a t e g i c l o c a t i o n s from time t o time, f o r example, along t h e leeward w a l l d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of maximum r a d i a t i o n .

9. Visual o b s e r v a t i o n s

I n a d d i t i o n t o r e c o r d s from i n s t r u m e n t s and cameras, v i s u a l r e c o r d s were k e p t by a member of t h e F i r e S e c t i o n r e g a r d i n g appearance of flame, b r e a k i n g of windows, c o l l a p s e of w a l l s , f l o o r s , and r o o f s , e t c .

BURNS

-

This s e c t i o n c o n t a i n s g e n e r a l i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e

i n d i v i d u a l burns t o supplement t h a t t o be found i n t h e s e p a r a t e , r e p o r t s which d e s c r i b e s p e c i f i c experiments.

Burn No. 1

Burn No. 1 was c a r r i e d o u t on 9 January, 1958, and while forming p a r t of t h e t e s t s e r i e s , was used a l s o t o check

t h e f u n c t i o n i n g of t h e v a r i o u s i n s t r u m e n t s and p i e c e s o f equip- ment, s i n c e t h e y had n o t p r e v i o u s l y been t r i e d i n t h e f i e l d . The power a t t h i s s i t e was provided by a 20 KVA p o r t a b l e g e n e r a t o r mounted on a t r u c k .

( a ) D e s c r i p t i o n of b u i l d i q

B u i l d i n g no. 1, f o r m e r l y a r e s i d e n c e , w a s approximately 70 y e a r s o l d ( s e e Pig. 1 0 ) . It w a s two s t o r i e s i n h e i g h t ,

w i t h c a v i t y t y p e e x t e r i o r w a l l s composed of two wythes of

b r i c k w i t h a 2-in. a i r s p a c e between and t h e i n t e r i o r s u r f a c e s of both wythes parged w i t h

$

i n .

of

p l a s t e r . The bvo wythes were bonded t o g e t h e r by h e a d e r b r i c k s i n e v e r y s e v e n t h c o u r s e , while t h e i n t e r i o r f i n i s h was p l a s t e r a p p l i e d on wood l a t h s

f a s t e n e d t o 1 by 2-in. f u r r i n g s t r i p s . !he r o o f c o n s i s t e d of r o l l e d r o o f i n g a p p l i e d on 1 - i n . s h e a t h i n g boards, and t h e r e was a c e l l a r and a l a r g e wooden shed a t t a c h e d t o -the r e a r of

t h e house. F l o o r p l a n s a r e shown i n Fig. 1.

( b ) P r e l i m i n a r y h e a t i n 5

An o i l - b u r n i n g space h e a t e r w a s i n s t a l l e d i n t h e

northwest c o r n e r of t h e dining-room and was i n o p e r a t i o n from 2 January until noon

3

January.

( c ) V e n t i l a t i o n

No p r o v i s i o n w a s made f o r a supply of a i r d u r i n g t h e i n i t i a l s t a g e s of t h e f i r e when t h e wfndoms were s t i l l i n t a c t . Due t o t h o f a c t that g r e a t q u a n t i t i e s of smoke were b e i n g g e n e r a t e d s h o r t l y a f t e r i g n i t i o n , however, it w a s decided t o

a d m i t a i r by opening a r e a r door 11 min a f t e r i g n i t i o n . ( d ) F i r e s p r e a d p r e c a u t i o n s

To p r o t e c t a frame s t r u c t u r e nearby, t h e Ontario Fire

Marshal's crew were asked t o s t a n d by w i t h t h e i r pumper,

equipped with a 300-gal b o o s t e r tank. Pydro workers w i t h pump

tanlcs were a s s i g n e d t h e t a s k of e x t i n g u i s h i n g grass f i r e s .

.

I n

s p i t e of p r e c a u t i o n s , however, some l e n g t h s of p l a s t i c

t u b i n g used f o r gas sampling were burned.

( 0 ) Weather r e c o r d s

It w a s a b r i g h t c l e a r day w i t h t h e temperature

; antimated t o be between

35

and 40°P. The wind a t t h e time of

;

me

f i r e was blowing from t h e southwest a t a speed of

5

t o 6

Moisture measurements

P r i o r t o t h e b u r n , m o i s t ~ a r e measurements were t a k e n . The moisture c o n t e n t of t h e wood used i n t h e cribs was 1 4 t o 16 p e r c e n t and t h a t of t h e wood t r i m around t h e doors and windows was 7 per c e n t .

(g) Observations d u r i n g b u m s

The c r i b s were i g n i t e d a t 12:OO noon. Time From I g n i t i o n

Min

-

-

Set

02

:oo

Observations

Glass i n window between wood c r i b s cracked. Up t o t h i s t i m e , t h e b u i l d i n g w a s charged w i t h smoke and t h e r e w a s v e r y l i t t l e

flaming. Rear door was opened and flames became immediately v i s i b l e i n l i v i n g

room. Temperature a t c e i l i n g above f o o t of s t a i r s reached 900°P.

Glass ir, s i d e l i v i n g room window f e l l

o u t . Flames followed. Heavy smoke coming. o u t of a l l f r o n t windows.

Flames coming o u t of f r o n t l i v i n g room windotv.

Flames coming o u t of d i n i n g room window.

No more flaming v i s i b l e a t f r o n t l i v i n g room window.

Plames r e a p p e a r a t l i v i n g room window.

Grass f i r e s a t f r o n t of house.

U p s t a i r s window sills a t f r o n t o f house i g n i t e d by flames i s s u i n g from ground f l o o r windows. Veranda burning. Eaves o v e r veranda now burning.

Veranda engulfed i n flames.

Flames a p p e a r i n g a t f r o n t window of bedroom

above dining room.

Roof i n flame on veranda s i d e o f house.

Eaves

on fire at

front

of

house,

T i m 0 From I g n i t i o n

-

Mi

n

-

-

Set 21:30 24 :50 h Comments Observations Flames a t roof r i d g e .

Flames v i s i b l e a t f r o n t window of bedroom above l i v i n g room.

Shed a t r e a r w e l l involved, Porch c o l l a p s e d .

P a t c h e s of flame and smolce through roof on l i v i n g room s i d e of house, Roof on veranda s i d e and f l o o r s a r e down a t t h i s

p o i n t .

Following t h i s i n i t i a l burn s e v e r a l d e c i s i o n s were reached r e g a r d i n g f u t u r e burns:

1. It w a s a g r e e d t h a t a t t a c h e d combustible elements such as wooden veranda r o o f s and sheds e x e r t e d c o n s i d e r a b l e i n f l u e n c e

on

t h e i n t e n s i t i e s of r a d i a t i o n b e i n g measured. I n o r d e r t o o b t a i n more c o n s i s t e n t r e s u l t s f o r t h e s t r u c t u r e i t s e l f , it

was decided t o remove porch r o o f s , and t o provide p r o t e c t i o n a t a l l openings t o a t t a c h e d ' s h e d s by c o v e r i n g them w i t h incom-

I b u s t i b l e b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s and a r r a n g i n g ' f o r a hose stream

!'

.

t a

be a p p l i e d when n e c e s s a r y .

1;

t 2. I n o r d e r t o provide a s u f f i c i e n t supply of a i r it was deoided t o open e i t h e r a window o r a door p r i o r t o i g n i t i o n

!

I n

o r d e r t o ensure s t e a d y p r o g r e s s

i n

t h e development of t h e f i r e .

3 To p r e v e n t burning by grass f i r e s , of t h e p l a s t i c t u b i n g

1

used f o r g a s sampling, i t was decided t o extend t h e copper

1

tubing, t o which t h e p l a s t i c t u b i n g w a s f i x e d , f u r t h e r from the house.

I.

4 . m e n w i t h a r e l a t i v e l y small wind, it w a s observed t h a t

I t h e r e w a s a s i g n i f i c a n t s u p p r e s s i o n of f l a m e s a t window

; _{openings on t h e windward s i d e and e x t e n s i o n of thorn f r o m}

o enings i n t h e leeward m a l l . It w a s t h e r e f o r e decided t o

1 _{p ace two}

_of

_{t h e small r a d i o m e t e r s on t h e leeward s i d e and one}

i

P

on the windward s i d e .

, 5 . Since t h e wood f o r t h e c r i b s had a r e l a t i v e l y high m o i s t u r e '

F! o o n t e n t , it mas decided t o assemble t h e wood c r i b s i n the o t h e r

L houses immediately, s o t h a t t h e wood _oonten-t

m i g h t

have i t s m o i s t u r e reduced by t h e preliminary h e a t i n g of t h e houses. Previously

it

had been deemed unwise t o assemble t h e c r i b s i n

the empty b u i l d i n g s , b u t arrangements were made wit11 t h e Ontario P r o v i n c i a l P o l i c e t o p a t r o l a l l i n s t a l l a t i o n s .

The second b u m i n the s e r i e s was c a r r i e d o u t 1 3

Jaauary, 1958, a f t e r minor m o d i f i c a t i o n s had been made t o V ~ ~ I O U S p i e c e s o f equipment.

A t t h i s t i m e , a number of r e p o r t e r s and photographers

wmrr

p r e s e n t and time w a s allowed f o r q u e s t i o n s and p i c t u r e

t a k i n g .

( a ) D e s c r i p t i o n of

--

b u i l d i n g

B u i l d i n g KO. 2 a 75-year o l d r e s i d e n c e , was two s t o r i e s

la

h o i g h t ( s e e Fig. 11). I h e e x t e r i o r w a l l s were c o n s t r u c t e d

r r follows: e x t e r i o r b r i c k facing, tar paper, 1 - i n . rough b o a r d s , b r i c k l a i d on edge, w i t h a n i n t e r i o r f i n i s h of l a t h m d p l a s t e r on 1 - i n . f u r r i n g s t r i p s . The l i v i n g room c e i l i n g urns f i n i s h e d with wood f i b r e b o a r d and t h e 4 - f t mainscoting of

a

s

k i t c h e n walls was s u r f a c e d w i t h plywood. Combustible

l i n i n g s had been added by t h e F i r o S e c t i o n t o a l l ground f l o o r walls and t o t h o s e i n t h e upper h a l l and t h e s t a i r w a y . Wood

r h i n g l e s on I - i n . rough boards formed t h e r o o f . The b u i l d i n g

had a basement and an enclosed porch a t t h e r e a r . F l o o r p l a n s

are shown i n Fig. 2.

(b ) P r e l i m i n a r y h e a t i n g

On 2 January a n o i l burning space h e a t e r w a s i n s t a l l e d

i n

t h e c e n t r e of t h e l i v i r ? room and was o p e r a t e d u n t i l noon

on

t h e 1 3 t h of January. ( o ) V e n t i l a t i o n The s a s h of t h e r e a r window

i n

t h e e a s t w a l l of t h e l i v i n g room w a s removed p r i o r t o i g n i t i o n ( P i g . 2 ) . ( 8 ) F i r e s p r e a d p r e c a u t i o n s In o r d e r t o p r e v e n t t h e s p r e a d o f t h e f i r e t o t h e

enclosed porch a t t h e r e a r of t h e dwelling, $-in. s o f t a s b e s t o s board was placed over t h e window and door which opened on t o

t h e k i t c h e n ( P i g . 2 ) . The Ontario F i r e Marshal's crew were aaked t o provide a hose stream a t t h e r e a r of t h e house t o wet down any i n c i p i e n t f i r e s which might s t a r t i n t h e porch

area. A s i n t h e i n i t i a l

burn,

t h e Hydro s t a f f e x t i n g u i s h e d

grass f i r e s .

( a ) Weather r e c o r d s

A t 1:00 p.m. t h e temperature was 34OF and t h e r e l a t i v e humidity was 39 p e r c e n t . Wind o o n d i t i o n s were v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h o s e encountered d u r i n g t h e f i r s t b u r n , wi-t;h t h e wind

( f ) Moisture measurements

Moisture measurements were t a k e n j u s t p r i o r t o i g n i t i o n .

Moisture c o n t e n t of t h e wood usod i n t h e c r i b s w a s 15 t o 17 par o o n t , and t h a t of t h e wood t r i m and combustible s u r f a c e

materials on the ground f l o o r was 8 t o 1 0 p e r c e n t .

( 8 ) Observations during_ b u m s

The c r i b s were i g n i t e d a t 1:11 p.m.

Dme

From Ignition

Min

-

-

Set Observations

Smoke corning o u t of s i d e window of d i n i n g room. Smoke a l s o s e e n on l i v i n g room

s i d e of house.

Flames o u t of f r o n t and s i d e windows of d i n -

ing room. P l a s h of flame through f r o n t door window. Temperature a t c e i l i n g above

f o o t of s t a i r s reached 90O0F.

Heavy black srnolre coming o u t of f r o n t window of open bedroom.

Flames 'out of f r o n t d i n i n g room win.dow i g n i t e clapboard on s i d e of porch.

Flames corning through f r o n t door and o u t

of window of l i v i n g room l e f t open on side of house.

Flames o u t of bathroom window on f i r s t

f l o o r .

Eaves i g n i t e d above f r o n t window o f dining room.

Flames break through f r o n t and s i d e l i v i n g room windov~s,

Front porch on f i r e .

Flames o u t of both windows o f open bedroom. Whole f r o n t of house involved.

Flame coming o u t of chimney above l i v i n g room f o r a b o u t one minute, smoke f o l l o w i n g . Gable a t f r o n t of house w e l l a l i g h t .