This was what the fireworks were supposed to look like (all images are originally from the sources noted, and stolen from other Freepers.)
Posted on 02/22/2003 9:43:41 PM PST by Richard Kimball
Surface to mass ratio: The more surface area a flammable material has, the more quickly it will release the total potential energy stored inside. It?s the reason we start a fire with kindling, and have a large log to burn for a long time. The kindling, by weight or mass, has much more surface area than the large log. Although the kindling has far less potential energy stored inside, it releases almost all of its energy at one time. The log will produce much more heat, but over a longer period of time.
Fire gases: Smoke and fire gases are the result of incomplete combustion. This means that they are still flammable. Carbon monoxide, the most prevalent fire gas, is extremely flammable, and will ignite in a mixture of 12.5% to 75% oxygen.
Flameover/rollover: In a compartment fire (any enclosed area, but usually a room) fire gases rise to the ceiling, as does the heat. Eventually, the smoke will get so thick you cannot see the ceiling at all, and will quickly fill the entire ceiling area to a depth to two to three feet. This thick layer of smoke will be approaching 900 to 1200 degrees (the auto-ignition temperature for carbon monoxide and most other fire gases is around 1100 degrees). As these gases approach their ignition temperature, small puffs of flame will appear all over the ceiling area. The auto ignition process increases in speed, quickly covering the entire ceiling with a solid sheet of flame.
Flashover: When the flameover process is fully developed, the expansion caused by the heated gases quickly expands the superheated area, filling the entire compartment. Because the heat of these gases is above the auto ignition temperature of almost all flammable materials, all flammable objects in the room burst into flame almost simultaneously. This is called flashover.
The temperature at flashover is impossible to survive. It is approximately five to six times the heat of boiling water. Current firefighting gear can withstand flashover temperatures for somewhere between 10 and 20 seconds before failing.
The wall and ceiling were apparently covered with some kind of flammable insulation, although I only have news reports to go by. This makes perfect sense, though, in explaining the rapid fire development. If we apply the principle of surface to mass ratio in speed of fire development, it becomes clear that wall coverings are almost completely surface area, and have much more potential energy to release than they would appear. Even four coats of paint can add the equivalent of fire load to a large room of twenty-five or thirty gallons of flammable liquid. Also, these coverings, being applied to the ceiling, will immediately be exposed to the highest temperatures in the fire, and will reach their auto ignition temperature within a few seconds. Because the rising fire gases cannot escape, they bank at the ceiling. These gases are already extremely hot, they are almost 100% surface area, and because they are the product of incomplete combustion, they are still extremely flammable.
This was what the fireworks were supposed to look like (all images are originally from the sources noted, and stolen from other Freepers.)
This is the first sign of trouble. The pyrotechnics are finished, and the back wall is still burning
In this frame, the entire back wall is almost fully involved. The smoke hasn't reached the front of the club, apparently because the ceiling at the entrance to the club is lower than the ceiling at the stage area, causing an initial banking of gases in a more localized area.
I couldn't find any photos of the flameover.
Hope this post helps explain the phenomena that cause the rapid fire. Please accept my apologies if I was too wordy, but I teach this stuff now, and sometimes get carried away.
As a last bit of errata, as I read my earlier posts, I noticed I defended fire inspectors quite a bit without acknowledging that there are some inspectors out there who will give any building a clear inspection that's not actually on fire when they inspect it.
Also, I did the original in Word, & when I cut and pasted, it converted my apostrophe's to question marks. Sorry about that.
I saw this table, posted below in our local paper and it looks like about 50/50 if they asked or didn't for permission for pyro. Wonder if they started getting told no to pyro from club owners too often that they decided it was better to ask forgiveness rather than permission. They may have felt that doing the concert w/o pyro ruined the "look" they were trying to create.
Sampling of shows from tour
JAN. 23, GLENDALE HEIGHTS, ILL.: Great White manager mentioned pyrotechnics. Shark City manager said club did not allow them, and effects were not used.
JAN. 25, HEWITT, MINN.: Band used "flashpots" at the Checkers Bar. Club booker Brian Hendershot said club was informed in advance.
JAN. 27, SIOUX CITY, IOWA: Band used pyrotechnics. Dan Lewis, owner of Lewis Bowl & Sports Bar, could not recall whether band sought permission.
JAN. 30, MILWAUKEE: Band apparently used pyrotechnics, though the Rave club did not have a permit for the effects, said Todd Weiler, spokesman for the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services.
FEB. 3, EVANSVILLE, IND.: Band complied with request not to use pyrotechnics at Oxygen, owner said.
FEB. 7, PINELLAS PARK, FLA.: Band used pyrotechnics without notification at the Pinellas Park Expo Center, said Tim Bryant, president of Past to Present Productions.
FEB. 8, BOYNTON BEACH, FLA.: Band complied with request not to use pyrotechnics at Ovation, owner said.
FEB. 10, ATLANTA: Band did not use pyrotechnics at The Riviera Club, club production manager said.
FEB. 11, WINSTON-SALEM, NC: Officials at Ziggy's Tavern told fire marshal band did not use pyrotechnics.
FEB. 13, ALLENTOWN, PA.: Band used pyrotechnics at the Crocodile Rock Cafe without notice, owner Joe Clark said.
FEB. 14, ASBURY PARK, N.J.: Band used pyrotechnics at the Stone Pony without telling club officials, owner Domenic Santana said.
FEB. 18, BANGOR, MAINE: Authorities investigating reports pyrotechnics used without a permit.
MKM
This was what the fireworks were supposed to look like
The courts will find that:
1) The band did not have permission to use pyrotechnics and that was the source of ignition.
2) The ceiling foam material was not rated for interior installation and should never have been installed in the building.
The bottom line will be that the band and the nightclub owners were all at fault.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. "Dr. Richard Kimball" was the name of the character that Harrison Ford played in "The Fugitive".
Now the creepy question: how many buildings have we walked into not knowing that they were fire traps? I've started to become really observant of the structure when I eat at restaurants, etc.
You already listed most of the reasons. Most of us don't face these types of situations on a daily basis, and it's a lot more overwhelming than you expect. At my first big fire (big being a relative term), I looked at the flames going forty feet in the air, and the first thought that went through my head was, "My God! They ought to call someone!" I'd been through six months training, and this was the first time I really realized what I was getting into.
People get dazed in emergency situations. Most of the people in the parking lot had already seen individuals burst into flames, and it's a very surreal thing to look at. In one way, I feel sorry for them (the ones who stood and watched). It kind of reminds me of the end of the Caine Mutiny, when Keefer, as Captain, abandons ship, and his Exec saves it. There are only maybe two or three moments in most people's lives where they're faced with the ultimate challenge, which is to panic and save your skin or face the challenge. These people will live the rest of their lives knowing they panicked at the one time they could have made a difference. Want to bet some of them left their girlfriends inside? The ones at the door will be haunted, but at least they'll know they tried.
But, if you don't.. you're screwed regardless.
What are you supposed to do exactly?
Yeah, it's fairly common, but not universal by any means. Sometimes people trying to help are worse than the ones milling around. A few years ago, my department made an apartment fire where an angry boyfriend had doused all the hallways with gasoline and set them on fire. The first in engine was literally attacked by people trying to help. They pulled the rack lines off, and much of the large diameter hose, grabbed axes, and generally disabled the vehicle, as it was unable to lay a line to a hydrant. I didn't make that fire, but the officer who did took several weeks to get back to normal. A four month old baby died in the fire, and several people were running out in flames when he arrived. He lost his entire attack capability and that seriously shakes you up.
Read the section called Force on page 5 of this PDF file titled Cause and Prevention of Crowd Disasters
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