Combustible storage

NFPA Journal, Nov/Dec 2001 by Comeau, Ed, Duval, Robert

The store's sprinkler system and the fire department confined the fire to a small area. However, many products in the store were smoke-damaged and had to be replaced. The building's fire alarm system was also replaced because of the potentially corrosive action of the smoke.

The 1996 Albany incident had a dramatically different outcome than the Quincy incident. Fire personnel reported structural failure within minutes of arrival, even though the building was sprinklered, and the building was destroyed.

The fire began around 11:21 a.m. on April 16,1996 in a fully sprinklered Lowe's and destroyed the building and its contents, resulting in an estimated loss of $9 million. Arriving firefighters found the fire beginning to vent through the roof and through an area where the walls had begun to separate. Despite their efforts, the fire grew rapidly, spreading through the entire building.

The store sold home improvement products, including lumber, plumbing and electrical supplies, tools, garden supplies, and pool chemicals.

The three-year-old, single-story, noncombustible building, which covered 85,000 square feet (7,900 square meters), was protected by three wet-pipe sprinkler systems. A dry-pipe system protected the garden center. Portable dry chemical fire extinguishers, manual fire alarm boxes, and a fire alarm system were also installed, and staff members had been trained to respond to fire.

Although fire department investigators couldn't determine the cause, they established that the fire began near a rack containing pool chemicals and spread through the entire rack. The fire produced large amounts of irritating smoke, causing conditions to deteriorate rapidly.

About 100 employees and 85 customers in the store at the time of the fire were evacuated before firefighters arrived.

The fire quickly overwhelmed the building's sprinkler systems, and fire conditions prevented firefighters from performing interior attacks. As a result, the blaze spread from one end of the building to the other, causing the roof to collapse. The building's contents were consumed.

NFPA's investigation revealed deviations from NFPA code requirements that contributed to the severity of the fire and to the loss of property. The oxidizers had been stored on racks that were higher and deeper than the limits imposed on retail storage. There were no solid, noncombustible vertical barriers between the oxidizers and incompatible materials, and the oxidizer storage area had no in-rack sprinklers. In addition, the store's sprinkler systems discharge densities and areas of operation were below NFPA code requirements for oxidizer storage.

Given their recent track record, oxidizers in the form of pool chemicals are an obvious cause for concern. It's important that they be stored properly, segregated from incompatible substances, and properly protected. It's also important that fire service personnel responding to a fire in an occupancy containing these products be prepared to take aggressive action to contain or control the fire.