[GSBN] Fire case studies

Thu Jun 28 01:57:24 UTC 2018

We've been involved in two projects with fire damage.  Both were caused by
welders.

The first incident had little to do with straw.  A welder was behind
schedule on a commercial project, and showed up by himself on a Sunday to
weld some brackets at the top of wood posts. He didn't shield the posts, a
flame started, he was on a ladder by himself with nobody around, and the
fire spread. His insurance company was not pleased. We had some slightly
damaged bales for which we were well paid to replace.

The second incident also had little to do with straw, but the straw was
more involved. A welder was working on the end of a channel that went into
a stud wall 6' away.  He had an assistant ready with water and
extinguishers, and a spotter watching his structural weld. None of them
realized that sparks and heat were shooting down the channel into the wall,
and by the time they realized the stud wall was on fire, and the fire
department came, about a 10' square section was burnt.  That section
happened to be at a crucial juncture of a round tower that was finished and
plastered, next to a curved stairway. The whole tower had water and smoke
damage, tile roof was crushed by firemen, etc. $250,000 later, all was good
again.

Besides welders we've seen plumbers prop a shower tree against bale wall
and begin soldering with their torch. We constantly remind workers on the
job that they are in a *different* environment, one that's more flammable
than they are used to, and make the point by sweeping loose straw
frequently. We have a handout for plumbers and welders. We've tried to
enforce no smoking inside the building, but it doesn't always go down well.

We've fared better with acts of god than welders. Last season we had four
houses where wind driven wildfires approached to within a block, but never
involved the houses. Our best luck was the season before. We'd completed a
bale raising, and the whole house was standing in the woods, naked, with
burning embers flying overhead, the owners kept away from site by walls of
flame. A neighbor cut a break with his tractor, and when the owner was
allowed back days later there were numerous piles of burnt leaves where
embers had landed, but none of them had burst into flames.

I think the lessons learned are (1) prayers are good and (2) it's important
to constantly remind people that these bale things are different from what
they're used to. We also recommend to owners that they have a chat with
their local firemen about how bales simmer until exposed to oxygen, and
that it might not be necessary to destroy the entire building because some
bales are smoking.

John "Smoking Pun" Swearingen

On Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 5:08 PM Lance Kairl <sabale at bigpond.com> wrote:

> Thank you Bob and Jim,
>
> Yes while  1 ½  inches (35mm) is common in many of the fire tests that
> achieve a 2 hour fire rating . Expressed in Australia as a fire rating
> level ( FRL ) of Frl 120/120/120
>
> People often forget in some climates the fire source, the wood fire ,may
> burn 24 /7 for a number of days or weeks a year, not just for 2 hours.
>
>
>
> Wood combustion heaters , manufacturers specifications are the best guide,
> along with considering straw as Flammable. Heat transfer through the render
> causing smouldering is not uncommon.
>
>
>
> As always it is interesting repairing , seeing and learning from such
> events, sad as they are for the owners, trust yours is recovering quickly .
>
> Regards lance.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Gsbn <gsbn-bounces at sustainablesources.com> *On Behalf Of *
> bob at bobtheis.net
> *Sent:* Thursday, 14 June 2018 1:09 AM
> *To:* Global Straw Building Network <gsbn at sustainablesources.com>
>
>
> *Subject:* Re: [GSBN] Fire case studies
>
>
>
> Here's a fire incident that Jim Reiland asked me to post on his behalf.
>
>
>
> There was a similar event at Black Range Lodge years ago where heat from a
> cob fireplace flanked by bale walls set the walls  to smoldering.
> Catherine Wanek should be able to fill in the details.
>
>
>
> Makes me wonder if these massive-looking  bale walls register subliminally
> as masonry, so people drop their inherent caution about keeping
> combustibles away from fire.
>
>
>
> Now I imagine the warning label that goes on each bale….
>
>
>
> Bob
>
>
>
>
>
> Last year I repaired a straw bale wall in a small cottage here in S.
> Oregon.  The wall had burned.  Whoever installed the wood burning stove
> failed to read the instructions about keeping it a minimum of 30” from
> flammable material, or thought that a straw bale wall protected by an inch
> of plaster was inflammable (probably the latter).
>
>
>
> The stove was operated seasonally (November – April) for ten years before
> heat finally ignited the straw bales inside the wall.  According to the
> responding fire fighters, the fire appeared to have been burning for
> several hours and was “creeping around,” especially at horizontal and
> vertical joints between bales.  It likely started during the night and more
> smoldered through than burned approximately 120 sq. ft. of a clay plastered
> straw bale wall for several hours before a neighbor noticed the fire, found
> the building occupant unconscious (the building had no smoke or CO alarms),
> and called the fire department.  When fire fighters removed exterior
> plaster to get at the fire the wall burst into flame, which they
> extinguished with a Class A foam fire retardant.  They stopped the fire
> before it reached the attic, which was very lucky since the building didn’t
> have any kind of barrier between the top of the wall and attic framing and
> insulation.  They returned several times during the day to make sure the
> fire was out.  Some 4 x 4 posts were charred, and the 2 x 4 sill plates
> immediately adjacent to the wood burning stove needed to be replaced.
>
>
>
> This story has less to do with fire testing than what happens when fire
> gets into a straw bale wall, and how to extinguish it.
>
>
>
> Jim
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim Reiland
>
> Many Hands Builders
>
> 541-899-1166 <(541)%20899-1166>
>
> 541-200-9546 <(541)%20200-9546> cell
>
> jim at manyhandsbuilders.com
>
> www.manyhandsbuilders.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On May 28, 2018, at 8:57 AM, Chris Magwood <chris at endeavourcentre.org>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I have a researcher who has asked me for information about case studies
> involving fires in straw bale houses. Has any kind of summary report ever
> been done? Anybody have any specific cases they could point toward?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris
>
> --
> Chris Magwood
> Director, Endeavour Centre
> www.endeavourcentre.org
>
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