For many, death by fire is the worst possible scenario that could ever enter their minds. Of course, fires can destroy homes, places of business, entire cities, forests, and, worst of all, take human lives.
What’s even more devastating is the reality of losing many lives in a single outbreak. Although most buildings are constructed with security measures to combat fire disasters, such protective measures are sometimes not strong enough to withstand the destructive power of a fire outbreak.
Walk with me as I take you through the horrendous events that unfold during a fire outbreak. Let’s start by recounting one of the deadliest fire outbreaks that have plagued man in history.
Tragic Fire Disaster Story:
Imagine attending a school ceremony with your loved ones and never returning home with your kids or parents at the end of the day. This was the tragedy that befell the people of the small village of Dabwali on the 23rd of December, 1995.
A day scheduled for the DAV public school prize distribution ceremony eventually became a mourning and death memorial for many families.
Before the incident, many people from the community had gathered at the venue of the event. To make the occasion a colorful one, the event planners had set up a synthetic tent made of plywood and polyester in the hall.
This was the first mistake that fueled the disaster afterward. During the program, a fire broke out in the tent due to a malfunctioning electric generator. In an instant, the fire had spread quickly and blocked the main entrance. This got all the 1500 attendees in the hall panicking.
Parents were looking for their children while many kids were making efforts to find their guardians too. You could literally hear the screams of people, who were already ravaged by the inferno. Of course, almost everyone ran towards the exit door to save their lives. However, their honest longing for survival made it even more difficult to evacuate the building faster.
What’s More?…
Sadly, the fire didn’t respect the age of the old or empathize with the little children whose lights were about to be quenched prematurely. Yes, it spared nobody and consumed everything that stood in its path.
Perhaps, many victims who wanted to break some doors open didn’t know that the heat from the fire would expand any metallic door and make it impossible to demolish. Even worse, the smoke from the flame posed a more dangerous threat to their lives than the flames themselves.
Since everyone panicked and the evacuation was unorganized, many people who couldn’t exit the building succumbed to the smoke and suffocated to their deaths. Some died of severe fire burns while some persons fell on the ground and were stampeded to death as they attempted to save their lives.
Over 540 people were reported to have lost their lives in the unfortunate events and amongst them were predominantly mothers and children. The devastating fire left a permanent scar on the hearts of those who lived through that fateful day, turning a moment of celebration into one of the darkest days in Dabwali’s history.
What to Do When You Find Yourself In a Fire Disaster:
First and foremost, always try to locate all the emergency exit doors and staircase locations in any new building you enter. This will make it easier to escape a fire accident any day.
So when faced with a fire outbreak incident;
Step 1: You must stay calm and assess the situation. I know, it is easier said than done, but staying calm will help you think more clearly and make better decisions. Afterward, look around and identify the source of the fire. Is it small enough to be put out with a fire extinguisher, or is it spreading quickly?
Step 2: If you’re in a building with a fire alarm system, activate it immediately. This will alert everyone else in the building to the danger. If there’s no fire alarm, shout “Fire!” as loudly as you can to alert others.
Step 3: Dial your local emergency number—911 in the US, 112 in the EU—and just find your way if you are in Nigeria. Give them all the necessary details: your location, the type of building, and the nature of the fire. Remember to stay on the line until the operator tells you it’s okay to hang up. Meanwhile still make your way towards the exit of the building.
Step 4: While following the designated escape routes and exit signs, do not use elevators during a fire outbreak. Always take the stairs. And if the hallway is filled with smoke, stay low to the ground to avoid inhaling it. Smoke rises, so the air will be cleaner near the floor.
Step 5: If you can help someone without putting yourself in danger, do so. Help children, the elderly, or anyone with mobility issues to evacuate.
The Classes Of Fire (And How To Put Them Out)
1. Class A (Combustible Solids)
Class A fires are fires involving solids. This type of fuel could be paper and cardboard, furniture, and other fittings, which are common in residential and commercial buildings.
Class A fire is one of the most common types of fire because solids are the most common type of fuel and one that is hard to eliminate.
So Here is How to put out a Class A fire
- 🧯 Water
- 🧯 Foam
The best types of fire extinguishers for class A fires are water and foam extinguishers. Water is the most popular type of extinguisher because it can handle most fires involving solids. But, as a conductor, it should never be used near electrical equipment.
Foam on the other hand work in 2 ways.
Firstly, they are mainly water-based and so have the same cooling effect as water extinguishers, putting the fire out by lowering the temperature.
Secondly, they contain ‘Aqueous Film Forming Foam’ (which is why it is also called AFFF foam extinguishers).
AFFF works by smothering the fire and sealing in the flammable vapors. In other words, the foam removes the oxygen from the fire which is one key element needed to keep the fire ablaze.
Apparently, fire requires 3 basic elements to stay ablaze. 1 fuel, 2 Heat, and 3 Oxygen. So, water extinguishers kills the fire by reducing the heat while foam-extinguishers either reduce the heat or remove the oxygen needed to keep the fire burning.
2. Class B (Flammable Liquids)
Class B fires are fires involving liquids. Many of the fluids, liquids, and chemicals used in workplaces can be flammable or explosive. Like cleaning fluids, solvents, fuels, inks, adhesives, and paints.
This is why you would always see the caveat of Highly Inflammable Liquid imprinted on big tankers and trucks carrying crude oil. Class B fires are rare but are usually more deadly than other types of fire. We’ve seen many heartbreaking scenarios of fire accidents unfold when many people rush to fetch free fuel from a fallen tanker or when a spark results in a fire disaster in a gas station.
This type of fire is more common in industrial settings, where large quantities of flammable liquids are present.
Here is How to put out a Class B fire
- 🧯 Foam
- 🧯 Powder
Should a class B fire ignite, foam or powder extinguishers are the best types of extinguishers to attack this type of fire. This type of extinguisher smothers the fire by creating a barrier between the fuel and oxygen, thereby putting out the fire. However, CO2 extinguishers can also have limited suitability.
Never use water on a class B fire, as the water can spread the flammable liquids even further. Remember, most fuel can float and stay ablaze on water. Hence pouring water will never put it out but even spread it to other unaffected areas.
3. Class C (Gases)
Class C fires are fires involving gases. This could be natural gas, LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas), or other types of gases forming a flammable or explosive atmosphere.
Working with gas is dangerous, and increases fire risk. Keep stored gases in sealed containers in a safe storage area, and ensure that gas work is carried out by competent persons. This is why there is usually a cooling pipe constructed above a gas tank in a gas station. The pipe sprinkles water on the gas tank at regular intervals to keep it cool and prevent any for of fire outbreak and explosion. A fire accident in a gas station can be as scary as the bomb scene you watch in movies.
How to put out a Class C fire
- Shut off the gas supply
- 🧯 Powder
While extinguishers can be used on Class C gas fires, the only safe method to put out this type of fire is to shut off the gas supply. The best type of extinguisher to put out the fire once the supply of gas is cut off, is a dry powder extinguisher. Sadly, if the fire occurred in a gas station, it would have caused a considerable level of damage before it would have been extinguished. I once heard of a gas station fire accident that caused a deadly explosion, It killed many people and some body parts were later found miles away from the accident site.
4. Class D (Flammable Metals)
Metals are not often thought of as combustible materials, but some types of metal can be, like sodium. Metals are also good conductors, helping a fire spread. All metals will soften and melt at high temperatures, which can cause building collapse when metal joists and columns are present in a fire as structural elements.
And don’t reach for the common water extinguisher on a Class D fire, water can actually act as an accelerant on metal fires.
How to put out a Class D fire
- 🧯 Powder
There are dry powder extinguishers developed to tackle metal fires. The powder inside the extinguisher may vary depending on the type of metal risk it is designed for. Small metal fires can sometimes be smothered with dry earth or sand.
5. Electrical Fires
This is not strictly a class (Class E) of fire, because electricity is more of a source of ignition than a fuel. However, fires in live electrical equipment are an additional hazard.
Electrical fires are not given their own full class, as they can fall into any of the classifications. After all it is not the electricity burning but the surrounding material that has been set alight by the electric current.The Fire Safety Advice Centre Fire Extinguishers
Making sure electrical equipment and installations are installed, inspected, and maintained correctly, will help to reduce the risk of this type of fire.
You don’t want to be using water to put this fire out, or any other conductor as that could give you a fatal shock.
How to put out an electrical fire
- 🧯 CO2
While you shouldn’t use water to attack an electrical fire, you can use other types of fire extinguishers. The best fire extinguisher to use on electrical fires is the carbon dioxide (CO2) extinguisher. Some dry powder extinguishers are suitable for low-voltage situations.
Remember to always turn off the power supply if you can.
6. Class F (Cooking Fats & Oils)
Deep fat frying and spillages of flammable oils near heat sources in kitchens can result in a Class F fire. Well, I’m not talking about this kind of fire created magically by a chef (laughing and showing fire burning out of food like in KING THE LAND)
The Class F fire is most common in commercial kitchens with deep-fat fryers but can also happen in homes. Never leave food or frying equipment unattended during use.
These fires are hard to extinguish due to the heat from the oil, and using the wrong type of extinguisher can spread the burning oils and fats (and spread the fire).
How to put out a Class F fire
- 🧯 Wet Chemical
- Fire Blanket
The only type of fire extinguisher approved for use on cooking oils and fats is the wet chemical extinguisher. For small class F fires, you could also use a fire blanket.
Let me know what Class of Fire scares you the most in the comment section. Also, consider subscribing to enjoy more of our videos.
