Forensic Analysis on the Cause and Origin of the 2009 Indoor Shooting Range Fire in Pusan, Korea

Cho, Youngjin; Kong, Youngsu; Sa, Seunghun; Choi, Changho; Kim, Dong Hwan; Goh, Jae Mo; Park, Nam-Kyu; Choi, Donmook

doi:10.1007/s10694-014-0440-3

Cited by 1 publication

(11 citation statements)

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“…The material properties of these fuels used in the fire reconstruction are given in Table 2. The burning behavior of the PUF with and without gun powder residue were experimentally studied as part of the investigation [2]. The flame spread rates were not measured but can be estimated from the experimental observations.…”

Section: Fire Simulation and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The indoor shooting range where the fire took place was located on the second floor of a five-story building [2]. From the entrance hall on the ground floor of the building, the indoor shooting range and its adjacent lounge could be accessed via a stair case.…”

Section: Shooting Range Firementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the 14th November 2009, a deadly fire occurred in an indoor shooting range in Pusan Korea, claiming the lives of 15 people [1,2]. The shooting range, located on the second floor of a five floor structure consisted of a large open space (shooting range) which had its walls and ceiling covered in polyurethane foam (PUF) which was used to dampen the ballistic noise.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fire spread rapidly from the shooting range to the adjacent lounge, resulting in the death of 15 people and severely injuring one person who sustained burns to 45% of his body. The cause of the tragedy and the origin of the fire was investigated via experimentally studying the burning characteristics of the sound absorbing materials on the walls and analysing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) video clips recorded during the incident [2]. It was concluded that the rapid burning of the PUF on the walls was aided by accumulated gunpowder residue resulting in insufficient time being available for the occupants to escape.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sole survivor was initially situated in the lounge, seated on a sofa. He started his evacuation when he felt a vibration under his feet and saw flames suddenly spewing out from the door to the shooting range into the lounge with a booming sound [2]. It is known that occupant response time is a critical factor in determining survivability in evacuations involving fire.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A forensic analysis of a fatal fire in an indoor shooting range using coupled fire and evacuation modelling tools

Wang

Jia

Galea

et al. 2017

Fire Safety Journal

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In this paper, coupled fire and evacuation computer simulations are used to numerically reconstruct a fatal fire that occurred in an indoor shooting range in Pusan, Korea in 2009. Of the 16 building occupants, 15 were killed and only one survived with serious injuries. The analysis demonstrates that these modelling techniques can accurately reproduce the outcome of this fire. The numerical approach is then used to forensically analyse the incident to determine what factors significantly contributed to the high loss of life. In particular, the occupant response times are analysed as is the impact of the flame spread rate on the polyurethane foam cladded walls of the shooting range. The results suggest that it is unlikely that anyone could have survived if response times were greater than 5 seconds. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that fatalities could not have been completely avoided even if the occupants had zero response time. In addition, it is demonstrated that gunpowder residue on the polyurethane foam walls is the critical factor in producing the high loss of life in this incident. The average number of fatalities could be reduced from an average of 14.9 in the reconstruction case with gunpowder residue on the polyurethane foam walls to an average of 0.1 if the walls are completely free of gunpowder residue. However, to completely eliminate fire related casualties, it is necessary to use a polyurethane foam wall cladding material with low flame spread rates together with an effective gunpowder cleaning system.

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Section: Fire Simulation and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Shooting Range Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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