The most famous of these losses is the 1982 Kmart warehouse fire in Falls Township, Pennsylvania. In their ensuing investigation and report, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) concluded the following:
• a 1,200,000 square foot non-combustible distribution centre subdivided into four roughly equal sections by firewalls, was completely destroyed;
• the firewalls were of masonry construction but were not free-standing;
• the majority of wall openings were equipped with fire doors activated by fusible links and the remaining openings had deluge water curtains;
• the fire doors were kept open to allow free movement of product;
• the building was protected by ceiling sprinkler systems designed to provide a density of 0.40 gallons per minute over a 3,000 square foot design area;
• there was a public water supply feeding pumps and tank;
• storage was 15 feet high in double row racks.
The fast developing fire started in a picking area containing 40 to 50 pallets of 14 ounce aerosol containers of carburetor cleaner and sent the cans – which were dripping burning flammable liquids - rocketing through openings in the firewalls. Because sufficient heat had not yet reached the fusible links when the aerosols flew through, the fire doors were not activated, the sprinklers were overwhelmed and roof collapse ensued. Although the fire was declared controlled after nine hours, hot spots continued to flare up and final fire extinguishment did not occur until eight days later. The NFPA’s full report is available in the Research & Reports section at http://www.nfpa.org.
Source: y Charlie Bauroth, account engineering manager at Liberty Mutual Property
FM Data Sheet on aerosol storage attached