Steve,
A fact often missed is that sprinklers can't be expected to control a
fire above them. This is especially true of sidewall sprinklers. It's
no mystery, because in situations like yours, the fire is well
established before it burns through the the deck above, and no water
from sprinklers (even if they operate) hits the fire.
I've investigated two large fires in buildings with plank-on-steel roofs
with typical built-up roof covering, and in both cases the roofs burnt
until the fire department arrived and hit them from above with hoses.
The good news is that sprinklers controlled the fires that were started
below, in one case even though the area below was a furniture finishing
room!
And before anyone raises "old-style" sprinklers or upright sprinklers
installed in the pendant positionas a solution, while they will spray
water upward, it only hits a small area. I have a picture somewhere in
my files of a wood roof after a roof fire in a building protected by
old-style sprinklers. It looks like reverse swiss cheese. Gaping holes
in the roof between sprinklers, and a small circle of partially burned
wood over each sprinkler.
Sprinklers are amazing things, they cannot defy the laws of physics!
Joe
Smith, Steven D. (CSFD) wrote:
Thought I'd share this.
Earlier this week, we had a fire that started in the corner of a third
floor combustible exterior balcony of a 3-story apartment building. The
fire started due to the improper disposal of a cigarette in a flower
pot. The fire smoldered in the pot and the pot eventually tipped over
causing the smoldering material to spread to the composite deck. The
smoldering material eventually burned/melted through the composite
decking material. On the second floor balcony immediately (literally
directly) below where the fire burned through the decking is a sidewall
sprinkler protecting the second floor balcony. It appears that the
composite decking material burned hot enough or had dropped "slag" onto
the sprinkler which caused the sprinkler activation. This sidewall
sprinkler, due to geometry of fuels and generated air flow due to
flowing water, actually fanned the flames. However the fire did not
extend significantly. All balconies are protected with sprinklers. The
pendent sprinkler on the third floor balcony didn't activate due to
small fire size and openness of balcony.
This could have been a lot worse that it was. However it's not certain
this was a true sprinkler "save".
Steven Smith, CFPS | Fire Protection Engineer II
Colorado Springs Fire Department | Office of the Fire Marshal
Technical Services | 719-385-7362
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