Terrible fire in England

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spro
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Terrible fire in England

Post by spro »

My heart goes out by the shear torment. Many other things consume our time but this was horrible. It may be days or weeks until they have an accounting of the missing. I hope evidence shows how and why it spread so quickly or why it comes to one decision when it was something else. Fortunately I can edit to say that they will find the answer and that is important. Approximately 20 hours ago it was being covered by European news and TRT. A smoking ruin of a 27 story building with around 130+ condo's or apartments. The early certified dead were those who couldn't stand it any longer and broke out the windows to leap into a different death. Sorry but it reminds me of something else.
Just terrible
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Terrible fire in England

Post by SteveHGraham »

It's kind of hard to believe we build structures from which we can't rescue people, without perfecting fire-extinguishing systems. The Trade Center had a capacity of over 50,000. What if the planes had struck them near the ground floors?
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Steggy
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Re: Terrible fire in England

Post by Steggy »

SteveHGraham wrote:It's kind of hard to believe we build structures from which we can't rescue people, without perfecting fire-extinguishing systems. The Trade Center had a capacity of over 50,000. What if the planes had struck them near the ground floors?
A bit of tongue-in-cheek advice I once got from a real estate agent on high rise living was to never rent or purchase anything at or above the 11th story, as the fire department's ladder trucks couldn't reach that high to rescue anyone trapped above the floor on which the fire was raging. While a bit humorous, I have to say there is an element of truth in that advice. Although incidents such as the destruction of the World Trade Center are very rare (and almost entirely avoidable, as forensic investigation on the collapsed buildings highlighted), the reality is living high off the ground carries with it an implicit risk if the building catches fire and/or experiences a structural calamity, such as being abnormally stressed by a seismic event.

What is particularly puzzling in the case of the Grenfell Tower in London is the rapidity at which the fire spread. I've have seen my share of videos of burning buildings and have never seen a fire spread up a tall building at such a rapid rate as did this one. There is some suspicion that a recent makeover of the building may have compromised its fire resistance. Also, it appears the sprinkler system was completely inoperative.

A friend who lives in London and knows of the Grenfell Tower said the building was sort of like some of the "affordable housing" units that have been built in the USA for section eight people. Oftentimes, such structures reflect various construction economies that make them more susceptible to a rampaging fire. In such cases, cost considerations have trumped safety despite building codes (which are minimums, not assurances of safety), especially when low income people are involved.
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spro
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Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Terrible fire in England

Post by spro »

The info read earlier focused on the revamp of the outer "skin". It seemed perfectly practical to skin the masonry for greater insulation and a newer "look". If the fire started lower and burned upper skins, we have extreme heat which could also melt and creep into plastic sills and sashes. As people escaped the curtains caught fire and windows melt, fueling oxygen into furniture etc. Sadder for those above. The official toll climbs.
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