- Author
- Isner, M. S.
- Title
- Printing Office Fire, Denver, Colorado, September 28, 1992. Summary. Fire Investigation Report.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Report
- Summary, 1992, 13 p.
- Keywords
- office buildings | fire suppression | fire fatalities | fire fighters | fire investigations | resuce operations | fire spread
- Abstract
- At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Monday, September 28, 1992, Denver fire fighters responded to a fire in a two-story printing office. During the fire suppression operations one Denver fire fighter died. Upon arrival, fire fighters found that the building was full of smoke. When they entered the building, they found separate fires in several areas. The fire fighters attempted to suppress the fires as they found them, and reportedly, the suppression crews felt they were beginning to control the fire. One fire fighter was temporarily working by himself inside the fire building when a section of floor collapsed and the fire intensity suddenly increased. It was about this time that he encountered some type of difficulty. The fire fighter was eventually able to reach a second-story window and shine his handlight through the window alerting other fire fighters who were outside. The partially collapsed floor and intense fire prevented potential rescuers from reaching the trapped fire fighter through the interior of the building. Other fire fighters laddered the building and entered the room containing the trapped fire fighter. Over a period of approximately 55 minutes, an estimated 15 rescuers attempted to remove the victim through a window; however, they were unsuccessful due to the confinement of the space in which they were working. The fatally injured fire fighter was removed through a hole that fire fighters cut in a wall. This fire highlights the importance of fire fighters working in pairs during fire supression and related operations. This fire also reveals difficulties associated with rescue in small spaces.