Experimental Investigations of Fire Spread from Movable to Fixed Fire Loads in Office Fires

Abstract

Experiments were conducted in a full-scale model office equipped with movable and fixed fire loads to explore the influence of ignition source location (movable fire load(s)) on fire spread. The office space was a brick structure that measured 6 m in interior length, 5 m in width, and 3.3 m in ceiling height, and was equipped with a sprinkler system that was used as a sensor, but not for suppression. The southeast corner of the room featured a 2.1 m × 0.9 m open doorway. Four fire scenarios (four different ignited movable fire configurations) were investigated experimentally. The results show that when the movable fire load is close to the fixed fire load, the fire becomes more intense. The concentrated movable fire load configuration also increases the initial fire intensity.