- Author
-
Routley, J. G.
|
Jennings, C.
|
Chubb, M.
- Title
- High-Rise Office Building Fire, One Meridian Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (February 23, 1991). USFA Fire Investigation Technical Report Series.
- Coporate
- TriData Corp., Arlington, VA
- Sponsor
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC
- Report
-
Report 049
1991
114 p.
- Distribution
- FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: can be downloaded from Website: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/tr049.cfm
- Contract
- EMW-90-C-3338
- Keywords
-
fire investigations
|
office buildings
|
high rise buildings
|
fire fatalities
|
fire fighters
|
fire spread
|
fire fighting
|
smoke
|
sprinkler systems
|
fire suppression
|
sprinklers
|
fire alarm systems
|
fire barriers
|
standpipes
|
valves
|
stairways
|
prefire planning
|
structural failure
|
banks (buildings)
- Identifiers
- One Mederian Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1991; building staff response; alarm monitoring service; electrical systems; Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs)
- Abstract
- A fire on the 22nd floor of the 38-story Meridian Bank Building, also known as One Meridian Plaza, was reported to the Philadelphia Fire Department on February 23, 1991 at approximately 2040 hours and burned for more than 19 hours. The fire caused three firefighter fatalities and injuries to 24 firefighters. The 12-alarms brought 51 engine companies, 15 ladder companies, 11 specialized units, and over 300 firefighters to the scene. It was the largest high-rise office building fire in modern American history - completely consuming eight floors of the building - and was controlled only when it reached a floor that was protected by automatic sprinklers.