2002 Catastrophic Multiple-death fires

NFPA Journal, Sep/Oct 2003 by Badger, Stephen G, McCarthy, Roberts S

The last fire occurred in a single-story unlicensed rooming house. The fire began when a resident's bedding was kicked off and came into contact with the electric baseboard heaters. It wasn't reported if smoke alarms were present. A passing police car spotted the blaze.

Catastrophic nonresidential fires

Five catastrophic nonresidential fires killed 22 people. In comparison, 2001 had 5 such fires that killed 19 people (not including the September 11 attacks). The fires occurred in a correctional facility, a manufacturing property, a hunting lodge that was a members only club in remote area, a store, and a storage building. Table 2 breaks down this information.

The deadliest nonresidential structure fire of 2002 took place in a 2-story county jail in North Carolina. The cause of this fire hasn't been released, but 8 lives were lost. At about 10:05 p.m., the on-duty jailer called 911 to report a fire in the jail. At the time of the fire, there were approximately 15 inmates in the jail. It was not reported if the victims were in their cells at the time of the fire. The jailer and trustees attempted a rescue but were driven back by heavy smoke and heat. All 8 victims were inmates. Upon arrival, firefighters were faced with heavy fire conditions in the rear of the building and heavy smoke conditions in the rest of the building, including the jail cell and office areas. Seven of the 8 victims were located on the second story and the eighth was on the ground floor.

Five people died and several people were seriously injured in a rubber dust explosion and ensuing fire at a facility that manufactured rubber products. The fire originated in the rubber-dryer system. The dryer's fire suppression system activated but didn't fully extinguish the fire. The remaining heat ignited available fuel in the dryer and spread embers through a vent pipe, igniting the roof. The fire then spread to the bagging room where rubber dust ignited and exploded.

Three fires account for 3 deaths each. The first was in a hunting lodge. No cause or origin of this fire has been reported. The second fire occurred when heat from an incinerator used to clean parts ignited wood structural members. Three firefighters were trapped when the roof collapsed.

The third fire was in a storage building where an area was used as a sleeping area for 3 people. A long extension cord was run from a nearby house to provide power for a space heater and several appliances. The cord was inadequate for the load it carried, it overheated, and ignited nearby combustibles.

Catastrophic nonstructural fires

Seven of the catastrophic nonstructural fires involved vehicles and these can be the most difficult in determining the cause of death. Every effort is made to distinguish between impact and fire fatalities. The other 4 fires were wildland-related incidents. These 11 catastrophic fires outside of structures killed 43 people, up from the previous year when 8 such fires killed 32 people. Table 3 shows this information.

The deadliest nonstructural fire killed 6 passengers in a twin-engine aircraft that crashed in New Hampshire shortly after take off. The crash occurred in a wooded area, and the aircraft burst into flames shortly after impact. Two other people died of impact injuries in this crash. No information on the cause of this crash has been released.