Dishwashers and light fixtures are pretty commonly heard causes, but how about cable theft, magnifying glasses, or spontaneously combusting planters? These are just some of the causes of fire that are being displayed in the Black Museum, a virtual collection of images and stories of fires across the country.
The Black Museum was created by East Sussex Fire & Rescue’s lead fire investigation officer, Mark Hobbs, who wanted to help the public become more aware of the diverse causes of fires. With pictures and videos of all sorts of different fires, Hobbs hopes that the site will make the topic of fire safety “more interesting and real” because safety messages in general “can be a bit of a dull subject. He continued:
As a fire officer, I am very aware of the many and unusual ways that a fire can start and also the very real dangers that arise. I feel strongly that our communities need to be able to share our knowledge and experiences so that they are better informed about potential fire hazards and how they can take action to minimise them.
Some of the more unusual fires make for interesting reading. In one incident, a homeowner explains how his house was gutted by fire after he left a magnifying glass in a south-facing window. He explained how the magnifying glass focused light onto his curtains, setting them alight.
Click the image below to view the full gallery:
For almost a year, his family were in rented accommodation while his house was rebuilt. He also said:
When I think how our fire started it sickens me to think that it could have been prevented so easily.
Magnifying glasses, crystals, paperweights, shaving mirrors and other glass objects can be extremely dangerous if they are penetrable by the sun.
None of these items will ever be left near a window in my house again!
In another incident, the attempted theft of copper power cables caused a short-circuit, making an earth wire that was also connected to gas barrels in a home rise to a dangerous voltage level of 400v. This voltage created a weak point at the gas barrel, which then began to leak. The house meanwhile was turned into what the fire service described as a giant Faraday Cage. This charge ignited the gas and caused fires in two separate properties, and an explosion in a third.
A later Parliamentary enquiry into the problem of cable theft went on to explain how the theft of around GB pound 40 worth of copper had caused around GB pound 500,000 worth of damage to the homes.
The Black Museum also shares images from slightly more typical incidents such as fires beginning in chip pans or electrical appliances. There are also some impressive examples of the effectiveness of passive fire prevention technologies, including in this video from a fire that started in a fluorescent light fitting in a Devon sheltered housing block:
The CCTV images show the damage and spread of the blaze, but if you watch through to around 2:40 you’ll also see how incredibly effective the intumescent seals and fire doors were at containing the fire within the one corridor.
This is a fantastic advert for the effectiveness of these products in controlling the spread of fire.
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This is good resources for educating the public about various ways of fire outbreaks and various measures of reducing fire outbreaks.I think it is very educative materials to be used
There’s certainly a surprising variety of ways that fires start. By highlighting some of the potential issues, there’s certainly more scope for tackling potential sources of ignition.
I agree Rob as I indicated that this extremely educative resources materials to be used by trainners, lectures and presentations across board.
agree, as with human nature to know the danger you must see it/learn it/know it/understanding it… visual presentation is a great tool to educate…
I agree with you all. I have shown the video to my Ghanaian fire experts and they were extremely happy to know that such resources existed . This is truly a valuable resources
thank you, as most people in the security/safety/fire/mil is visual learners… for me it make great sense to use this as visual learning tool… – how I see it…
Aside from providing added understanding and awareness, these galleries serve as a warning of sorts, showcasing the dangers of fires not just to infrastructure, but to human life as well.
Definitely. When accidents, fires, and unfortunate incidents like this, I tend to encourage people to look at them and consider them as learning experiences. After the initial tragedy, this will turn into a bigger tragedy if you fail to treat them as such and learn from them.
Really good video demonstrating the damage that may be caused by smoke. My only comment would be that the smoke was prevented from spreading through the door by the good door fitting/smoke seals and the intumescent would probably have had very little effect – I’d doubt in these circumstances that the temperatures in the corridor would reach the 180-200 centigrade that would normally be required to actuate the intumescent strip. I’ve seen good fitting doors with no strips or seals have the same effect on many occassions.
On reflection, you’re probably right. Although, the heat would have been reasonably intense, perhaps not up to 200C.
I like to think that this site acts as a warning on the causes of fire and penalties for those who are not in compliance, as well, generally.
Do you think there’s any other effective ways to share learnings from incidents such as these?
the best place to learn is would be cemetery… yes you could learn from dead fireman’s/police officers/security… to follow safety/fire safety… as they written in blood of the dead heroes… but better to great alive/life heroes…
I definitely tend to look at it that way, Rob. I mean, show people the worst that could happen: the risks, the destruction, the loss of life. If that doesn’t make them straighten up their act, I don’t what will.
Yes I agree that everyone must be educated to understand the fire kills so we need to be very careful with our actions
A spell in jail, maybe… not very practical though.
Certainly more effective than a dry 10-page article…