The past weekend saw two house fires within hours of each other. The first fire was reported at approximately 0500hrs. Police and the first arriving fire command found a house with heavy smoke showing from all levels and fire visible from the basement windows. All occupants had safely exited the house, they were alerted by their smoke detectors. This was a stubborn fire and resulted in approximately $375,000 in property and content loss.
The second fire was reported at approximately 1200hrs. I arrived on scene first to find light smoke showing and the homeowner reporting a fire in the basement. All occupants had exited the house safely. Crews from the first arriving pumper arrived and made their way to the basement of the house, the seat of the fire. When the crews got close the fire was already almost completely extinguished.
What was one of the major differences between these two seemingly similar fires? The second fire started in the laundry room where the ceiling was unfinished and the domestic water pipes were exposed from below. As the fire grew in intensity and temperature, the welds on the copper piping let loose, probably around 300 degrees. The water then sprayed out of the pipe and doused the fire before it could grow beyond the room of origin. Total damage is estimated at approximately $50,000.
In effect the second house had a crude fire sprinkler system that controled and extinguished the fire before it got out of control. If the fire in the first case had begun in an unfinished room with pipes in the ceiling the result would most likely have been the similar. Almost all big fires start small and grow if un-checked.
Residential sprinkler systems save lives (Occupants as well as Firefighters) and dramatically reduce property loss. These systems can be installed in existing homes as well as new construction. The next time you are thinking about investing in home improvements think about the safety of your family and install a residential sprinkler system. The proof is in this tale of two houses.
