- Author
- Klitgaard, P. S. | Williamson, R. B.
- Title
- Impact of Contents on Building Fires.
- Coporate
- California Univ., Berkeley
- Journal
- Journal of Fire and Flammability/Consumer Products Flammability Supplement, Vol. 2, 84-113, March 1975
- Sponsor
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Keywords
- building fires | furniture | interior furnishings | plastics | fire tests | fire statistics | occupants
- Abstract
- The regulation of the design and construction of buildings is the aim of much research and most fire standards. However, most ignitions, many of which go unreported, directly involve the contents of buildings rather than the structures themselves. In initial surveys of critical incidence fires, Crossman and Cliff (1972) found that four out of five fires either burned out or were extinguished by the occupants without calling the fire department, the implication being that many more ignitions take place than is generally recognized. In a study of multiple fatality residential fires, it was shown that 56% of these fires started when smoking materials ignited bedding, upholstery, clothing or other materials