- Author
-
Bryan, J. L.
|
DiNenno, P. J.
- Title
- Examination and Analysis of the Dynamics of the Human Behavior in the Fire Incident at the Georgian Towers on January 9, 1979. Final Report.
- Coporate
- Maryland Univ., College Park
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NBS GCR 79-187,
April 30, 1979,
44 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- GRANT7-9014
- Keywords
-
apartments
|
building fires
|
egress
|
doors
|
evacuation
|
fire departments
|
fire fighters
|
fire investigations
|
mattresses
|
smoke
|
occupants
- Abstract
- This fire incident at the Georgian Towers Apartment Complex in Silver Spring, Maryland on January 9, 1979 was initially detected by the occupant of apartment 214 when he was awakened with his mattress on fire. The occupant attempted to remove the mattress from the apartment and, being unsuccessful, ran down four levels to the desk receptionist to call the fire department. The fire department received the alarm at 0246. The corridor door to the apartment of fire origin had been left open and, with the arrival of the Silver Spring Fire Department at 0248, flashover had occurred in the apartment, and smoke had completely saturated the second floor corridor of both the "A" and "B" wings. The fire was extinguished with two 2-inch hose lines, one from the corridor and one from the balcony. Smoke permeated most of the building, being especially heavy on the second, seventh, ninth and eleventh floors. A total fire department response of four alarms was required to assure the evacuation of over 250 occupants. Approximately 21 occupants required emergency medical treatment, 17 for smoke inhalation. The fire was confined to the apartment of origin and the immediately exposed second floor corridor area.