[GSBN] SB Fire Fighting Article

[John Glassford]

G ' day Martin

Thanks for that article most interesting and informative.

The article does not say how the fire started in the first place any clues?

Reading this article it appears that the fire may have started in the roof
or at the kitchen sink and travelled into the roof?  Also I do not
understand why any builder would create a straw bale wall that has cavities,
makes no sense.  See an extract below from the article:

"The results of the recon with the thermal imaging camera {TIC} indicated
that fire was in approximately 75 percent of the attic and that fire was
traveling downward through the straw-filled walls in about 50 percent of the
house. It was later determined that the top of the walls had no drywall on
the top plate and that there was a space between the straw and the inside
and outside wall. This flaw in construction contributed to the total loss of
the building.

Because of the high winds and the exposed OSB roof decking, the
5,000-square-foot building’s attic was almost totally involved. This caused
the top of the unprotected straw bales to ignite from embers and burning
materials that fell into the void between the bales and the interior and
exterior walls. You could see fire with the TIC on the outside walls on the
top of the bales and on the bottom of the bales; there was no fire in the
middle of the wall."

Not sure about the following observations:

"The problem is that straw, like the blown treated paper insulation, is
combustible. Both will burn when temperatures reach 1,200°F. To combat this,
the straw stacks were designed to be treated with fire retardant and covered
airtight with an exterior covering. In this case, a modification was made
for aesthetic reasons."

Thanks again Martin.

Kind regards
The Straw Wolf
Huff 'n' Puff Constructions
http://www.glassford.com.au
61 2 6927 6027
In Australia (02) 6927 6027

The Orphan Rescue Kit Africa
http://theork.com

Mountains of the Moon 2010
http://www.mountainsofthemoon.org
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