32 The building use was intensive care; the construction type was of wood load bearing wall, floor, wooden columns, and wooden felt roof. The room where the fire initiated was 6m by 15m used as technician’s lab store connected to the main hospital by a corridor. A night porter is reported to have seen a small orange glow in a window of the intensive care unit. Upon investigation the fire was present inside a plastic box, containing plastic tubes. Smoke thick and black began ensuing out the now open door into the corridor of the intensive care unit. The fire brigade was called and arrived just 5 minutes later. The fire fighters equipped with BA made their way to the storeroom and were informed by the porter that the storeroom contained metal cylinders. Smoke now too dense to see resulted in one of the fire fighters unaccounted for and although the fire now 30 minutes into development and thick black smoke filling the spaces but very little heat. One fire fighter companied of burns on his hands and was distressed from the situation and later conveyed to the hospital A&E department. The missing fireman was found at the storeroom floor unconscious. The small fire later extinguished As a precaution 21 patients were evacuated along with staff. Fire investigators and forensic specialists concluded the most like cause of the fire was malicious without realizing the chemicals stored in the room would react under little heat causing a toxic chemical cloud making it difficult to breath and causing chemical burns on the skin form minutes of exposure. In addition, had the fire been allowed to develop the 12 stored cylinders would have been a risk, upon inspection 4 of the cylinders valves failed resulting in a release of oxygen at 60PSI Failings of the fire service o Not carry out a risk assessment as to the cause of the smoke before entering the building o Assuming the fire was exothermic reaction caused by hydrocarbon combustibles o Failing to undertake a secure search of the area having one FF unaccounted for. St George, Tooting April 27, 1987 Event Statistics Several Hours Lessons Learned Duration of fire Number of casualties Cost to industry References 2 firefighters injured Disruption to hospital services, emergency response by fire fighters in attendance The fire service collage. 1987. St George incident. Investigation to chemical fire, March 28, 2014, Weetwood Hall Leeds. Type of fire Chemical Vapor Cloud Arson Ignition Source

St George, Tooting - Fire Consultancyfireconsultancy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/fcs-h-st-george... · BA made their way to the storeroom and were informed by the porter that

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Page 1: St George, Tooting - Fire Consultancyfireconsultancy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/fcs-h-st-george... · BA made their way to the storeroom and were informed by the porter that

Thebuildingusewasintensivecare;theconstructiontypewasofwoodloadbearingwall,floor,woodencolumns,andwoodenfeltroof.Theroomwherethefireinitiatedwas6mby15musedastechnician’slabstoreconnectedtothemainhospitalbyacorridor.Anightporterisreportedtohaveseenasmallorangeglowinawindowoftheintensivecareunit.Uponinvestigationthefirewaspresentinsideaplasticbox,containingplastictubes.Smokethickandblackbeganensuingoutthenowopendoorintothecorridoroftheintensivecareunit.Thefirebrigadewascalledandarrivedjust5minuteslater.ThefirefightersequippedwithBAmadetheirwaytothestoreroomandwereinformedbytheporterthatthestoreroomcontainedmetalcylinders.Smokenowtoodensetoseeresultedinoneofthefirefightersunaccountedforandalthoughthefirenow30minutesintodevelopmentandthickblacksmokefillingthespacesbutverylittleheat.OnefirefightercompaniedofburnsonhishandsandwasdistressedfromthesituationandlaterconveyedtothehospitalA&Edepartment.Themissingfiremanwasfoundatthestoreroomfloorunconscious.Thesmallfirelaterextinguished

Asaprecaution21patientswereevacuatedalongwithstaff.Fireinvestigatorsandforensicspecialistsconcludedthemostlikecauseofthefirewasmaliciouswithoutrealizingthechemicalsstoredintheroomwouldreactunderlittleheatcausingatoxicchemicalcloudmakingitdifficulttobreathandcausingchemicalburnsontheskinformminutesofexposure.Inaddition,hadthefirebeenallowedtodevelopthe12storedcylinderswouldhavebeenarisk,uponinspection4ofthecylindersvalvesfailedresultinginareleaseofoxygenat60PSIFailingsofthefireservice

o Notcarryoutariskassessmentastothecauseofthesmokebeforeenteringthebuilding

o Assumingthefirewasexothermicreactioncausedbyhydrocarboncombustibles

o FailingtoundertakeasecuresearchoftheareahavingoneFFunaccountedfor.

StGeorge,TootingApril27,1987

EventStatistics

SeveralHours

LessonsLearned

Durationoffire

Numberofcasualties

Costtoindustry

References

2firefightersinjured