Real-scale fire tests of one bedroom apartments with regard to tenability assessment

Abstract Statistics reveal that people mostly die in bedrooms or lounges, from smoking-related fires. However, at present, little is known of this phenomenon, especially in terms of identifying which fire effects first injure people. Through several real-scale fire tests, two different sets of fire scenarios are explored in a single bedroom apartment. As in everyday life, the test room is equipped with furniture, clothes and items supplied from major retailers. It is heavily instrumented with sensors to record tenability-related data (thermocouples, heat fluxmeters, gas analyzer including 3 FTIRs, opacimeters and several cameras for video recording). The first set of tests explores a bed fire scenario, in which a person has fallen asleep, accidentally lighting its quilt, and then its mattress, e.g. with a cigarette or a small flame. The door and window remain closed during the entire test, and the fire decreases rapidly to become insignificant because of a lack of oxygen. The second set of tests explores a wastepaper basket fire scenario, with a first person leaving the room quickly, while a second person – who is potentially disabled – cannot leave the room. As the door remains open, there is enough oxygen supply, and the fire grows to flashover. The test results are designated as reference for calculation models validation. In addition, their interpretation in terms of tenability is presented; fire effects are classified and discussed. All this work also highlights the importance of smoke alarms in such premises.