Shark fires rated
A fireman stands to watch a shack burning down at 1 000°C. He has absolutely no reaction.
“This is wrong!” one would think.
But it is actually a demonstration of how quick a shack burns down and at what temperature this happens.
The Breede Valley Fire Department, in conjunction with Stellenbosch University, conducted a study to see how quickly three wooden shacks actually burn to the ground.
In the Breede Valley, an informal house burns down almost weekly and shack fires in informal settlements are a big concern for various fire departments around South Africa.
That is why the Breede Valley Municipality (BVM) teamed up with Stellenbosch University to look for solutions to the problem.
Antonio Cicione, a student doing his masters in Structural Engineering was part of the team from Stellenbosch.
“Approximately one billion people reside in informal settlements. These areas are characterised by inadequate structures and dwellings that do not comply with any building regulations, and are highly vulnerable to fires. The purpose of my research is to develop a standard shack burn test. This will allow companies and individuals to test products and innovations that have been designed to prevent fire spread. Currently, there are a number of companies that received a lot of funding for solutions that might not work. The products usually lack a practical or social aspect,” says Cicione.
The tests took place from 28 to 30 November
“During the week we complete large-scale scale burn tests. The first test was a single shack consisting of corrugated iron sheeting and a timber frame. The second test was a single shack consisting of timber cladding and a timber frame. In the third and last test in Worcester the shacks consisted of timber frames and cladding. For both the single shacks the fire was started at the door and reached temperatures above a 1 000°C. For the multi-shack test we reached temperatures of 1 200 °C. It took a matter of minutes for the fire to spread from the first to the third shack,” adds Cicione.
“The project is aimed at lowering the death rate, injuries and loss of property in fires in informal settlements which are at risk because of the materials that are used to build these houses, the layout of these areas and factors like open fires that are used to cook food. These fires tend to spread faster because these informal shacks are built so close to one another. The Breede Valley Fire Department is privileged to have a partnership with the Western Cape Government and Stellenbosch University. The main purpose is to collect valuable research data about fires in informal settlements that will make it safer for people to live in these settlements,” says Johan Botha, spokesperson of the BVM.
Source: Worcester Standard News