Preliminary Data Collected from the Camp Fire Reconnaissance

Maranghides, Alexander; Mell, William; Hawks, Steven R.; Wilson, Michael J.; Brewer, William D.; Link, Eric; Brown, Christopher; Murrill, Cartier; Ashley, Erin

doi:10.6028/nist.tn.2128

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Maranghides et al [6] identified three locations of deck ignitions: (1) near the footers, (2) on the top surface, and (3) on the ground where combustible material had accumulated and ignited. Similar observations were made during the 2018 Camp Fire [9]. IBHS's post Glass Fire investigations 2022, Figure 2, also confirmed similar deck vulnerabilities for decks.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Evaluating Deck Fire Performance—Limitations of the Test Methods Currently Used in California’s Building Codes

Hedayati

Quarles

Standohar-Alfano³

2022

Fire

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Combustible decks are identified as vulnerable components of buildings in wildfire-prone areas. In California, combustible deck boards can comply with the requirements of Chapter 7A of the California Building Code if they pass an under-deck flame-impingement exposure test. It is desirable if standard test methods can simplify procedures while not adversely affecting the reliability of the test. The test methods should also be able to discriminate the fire performance between products on the market. In this research, the specified conditions in the under-deck flame-impingement test, SFM 12-7A-4A and ASTM E2632, were evaluated. Different deck assemblies were exposed to above-deck ember and under-deck flame-impingement exposures. During the above-deck ember exposure tests, it was observed that embers accumulated in the gaps between deck boards, on top of the support joists, and, when ignition occurred, ignited in this area. Flames spread by burning into unburned areas of the deck boards and joists, thereby providing a pathway to the building. During the under-deck flame-impingement tests, the three assumptions in the standard test method were evaluated, namely, (1) a small deck size can adequately represent the performance of larger decks, (2) the absence of wind will not noticeably influence performance, and (3) differences in joist material would not noticeably change the performance of the deck boards. Results of experiments suggested that the current Chapter 7A compliant deck boards burned intensely and exposed the cladding of the test building, resulting in an elevated temperature at the wall. It is argued that the current assumptions are an oversimplification of real-world fire performance and a change in the current California’s building code is necessary. This research demonstrated the necessity of evaluating an entire deck assembly rather than only the walking surfaces.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Evaluating Deck Fire Performance—Limitations of the Test Methods Currently Used in California’s Building Codes

Hedayati

Quarles

Standohar-Alfano³

2022

Fire

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“…NIST deployed a team to conduct a preliminary reconnaissance of the Camp Fire [31,32]. The primary objective of the reconnaissance was to determine if the Camp Fire offered unique data that, if collected and analyzed, could provide new technical insight into the US WUI fire problem.…”

Section: Temporary Refuge Areas (Tra)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A detailed case study of the Camp Fire is being presented through a series of five reports. Report #1 [31] describes preliminary reconnaissance deployments to the Camp Fire while Report #2 [32] contains preliminary data collected during those deployments. The additional three comprehensive reports detail various aspects of the fire event:…”

Section: Technical Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A case study of the Camp Fire :

Maranghides¹

2023

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The 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, California quickly impacted the communities of Concow, Paradise, and Magalia, triggering widespread evacuation of 40 000 people. The fire became the most deadly and destructive fire in California history, resulting in 85 fatalities and more than 18 000 destroyed structures. After a preliminary reconnaissance, it was determined that abundant data was available to support an in-depth case study of this devastating wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire, with the goal to learn and increase preparedness for future incidents. This portion of the greater case study focuses on the life safety aspects of the Camp Fire incident: notification, evacuation, traffic, temporary refuge areas, rescues, and fatalities (collectively, NETTRA). Over 2600 NETTRA observations and data points were integrated into a spatiotemporal database. Analysis of this data used the foundation of the previously reconstructed fire progression timeline to provide important context to the NETTRA components. Details and the timeline of requested evacuation notifications are presented with respect to fire progression. The evacuation timeline was assessed via traffic observations throughout the region. The rapid and widespread impact of fire on the communities complicated evacuation efforts due to high traffic volume, road closures due to fire and debris, and direct fire exposures to evacuating civilians in numerous burnover events. A total of 31 temporary refuge areas were implemented during the incident, involving more than 1200 civilians. Further, 198 specific evacuation assistance / rescue events were identified, involving at least 1000 civilians. The unique analysis and reconstruction of the NETTRA components of this WUI fire will help at-risk communities prepare for and respond to future incidents.

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“…After a preliminary reconnaissance (Maranghides et al 2020a;Maranghides et al 2020b), it was determined that an in-depth case study of the incident was feasible due to the data available and would provide scientific merit. Subsequent data collection and data integration were conducted to reconstruct a detailed timeline of the fire to provide a foundation for additional data analysis (Maranghides et al 2021).…”

Section: The 2018 Camp Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Burnover events identified during the 2018 Camp Fire

Link¹,

Maranghides²

2022

Advances in Forest Fire Research 2022

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The most destructive and deadly wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire in California history burned through communities in Butte County, California on November 8, 2018. Characterized by strong winds, dry fuel conditions, and steep terrain, the fire spread more than 12 km in the first 2 hours after ignition, triggering mass evacuations. The fire destroyed over 18000 structures and caused 85 fatalities, mostly within the first 12 hours of the incident. Extensive data collection was conducted after the fire, gathering detailed first-hand account information from technical discussions with 157 first responders, photos and videos, emergency call recordings, and first responder radio logs, among other data to support an in-depth case study of the incident. Subsequent analysis and data integration yielded a complete timeline reconstruction of the first 24 hours of the event, as well as additional observations of the fire behavior. This report presents novel findings related to 23 identified life-threatening entrapment/burnover events, in which fire trapped or overtook people and compromised escape routes. These events affected the safety of hundreds of civilians and dozens of first responders and occurred throughout the fire area. Many entrapments/burnovers impacted civilians evacuating in heavy traffic on major artery roadways or otherwise blocked evacuation routes and first responder access. Some resulted in injuries and fatalities. As the frequency of fast-moving fires requiring last-minute large-scale evacuations increases, the risk of similar events is high, particularly in intermix communities where the presence of primarily wildland vegetation along evacuation routes and some secondary roadways, likely amplified by local topography and wind, can result in significant entrapments/burnovers.

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Preliminary Data Collected from the Camp Fire Reconnaissance

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

Evaluating Deck Fire Performance—Limitations of the Test Methods Currently Used in California’s Building Codes

Evaluating Deck Fire Performance—Limitations of the Test Methods Currently Used in California’s Building Codes

A case study of the Camp Fire :

Burnover events identified during the 2018 Camp Fire

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