man made hazard - fire

Disaster mitigation and management

Presentation on : Man-made Hazards - Fire

Man-made Hazards - Intro

A man-made disaster is a disaster resulting from human intellect, negligence, or error.

Man-made disasters can be both intentional and unintentional. It results in huge loss of life and property.

It further affects a person’s mental, physical and social well-being.

Man-made Hazards - Reasons

There are multiple factor that may relate to man-made disasters

Ignorance Unawareness Illiteracy Carelessly handling danger Chemicals Weapons

Man-made Hazards - Types

Nuclear disaster Chemical/industrial disasters Fire disasters Deforestation Pollution

Man-made Hazards - Fire

“Fire is a very good servant, but, a very bad master”.

As long as fire is under our control, it serves a lot of useful purposes for us, but, once it goes out of our control, it can create a lot of destruction.

However, despite the presence of fire safety measures, the occurrence of accidents is oftentimes inevitable.

Because of the useful purposes that it serves, people keep sources of fire in/around their houses/workplace.

These sources could sometimes result in "undesired" fire.

Fire - Causes

The most man-made common causes of fire are

Electrical Pantry area Smoking

Fire – Cause : Electrical

Incidents of fire caused due to overloading, short circuiting, etc.

As people start staying in new apartment, or new offices, they start making modifications to the wall socket outlets – in order to be able to plug in additional apparatus etc.

Then it reaches a time when the total amount of current drawn from all sockets together could exceed the rated capacity of the internal wiring.

A simple solution to this is – not to make too many changes to the electrical circuitry inside your apartment/work-place. And any alterations if done should b kept in mind the capacity of wires used

Fire – Cause : Electrical

As time progresses, due to various minor repairs etc. wires might be changed, jumbled up etc. or the insulation among wires might break down.

This might cause some wires to come in contact with each other and thus create a short circuit. This short circuit can cause a very high current flow through wires and cause fire.

A simple solution to this is – periodic inspection of the conditions of the wiring and taking preventive action, whenever needed.

Install miniature circuit breakers so that any short circuit would result in immediate disconnection of current flow.

Fire – Cause : Pantry

Incidents involving cooking gas, cooking oil etc. Leakage of cooking gas, accompanied by a spark around

the leakage could cause fire. These are typically very dangerous. Sources of sparks could be anything: - a burning item, turning on/off of electrical gadgets/switches etc.

The leak itself can be in the gas cylinder itself, the pipeline carrying the gas, the regulator, joints etc. Some simple precautions to be taken for this include: Regular inspection of gas pipes, and, timely replacement. No sparks etc. in case there is any trace of LPG smell. LPG itself

does not have any odor. A trace odor is put in the LPG – only so that any leakage might be detected.

Fire – Cause : Pantry

While cooking, sometimes, the cooking medium could get overheated, resulting in fire. These are more frequent, but, fortunately - relatively easy to manage (if attended to immediately).

A simple precaution to be taken for this is - never let cooking oil etc. unattended, when its being heated, nor, do keep bottles of oil etc. in contact with very hot object, like, hot utensils etc.

Fire – Cause : Smoking

Smoking in/around combustible materials could cause fire, due to hot ashes falling from the cigarette.

Some simple precautions to be taken include:

Don’t smoke in/around bed, sofa etc. When you throw away the cigarette etc. always stub it out Always try to dispose off the cigarette-ash at proper places

Fire – Uneven distribution of incidents

Incidents of fires are usually not evenly distributed. There are higher number of fires during:

Summer season: Due to higher ambient temperature; as well as leaves etc. being dry - catch fire easily. This is the time, when many forest-fires start.

Some specific festive events – due to use/availability of fire-crackers, and/or lights etc. Fire based lights could pose a direct fire-risk, while, electricity based lighting could cause the risk due to overloading.

Hence, its more important to be specially careful during these periods. Not only are the chances of incidents higher, but, the chances of your local fire department being overloaded is also very high.

Fire – Uneven distribution of incidents

Forest fire Festival fire

Fire – Conditions

A fire must have three things to ignite and maintain combustion: Fuel Heat Oxygen

The basic strategy of fire prevention is to control or isolate sources of fuel and heat in order to prevent combustion. If all three are not present in sufficient quantities a fire will not ignite or a fire will not be able to sustain combustion

Fire – Classes

Class AThese are fires that involve some solid material like, clothes, paper, junk-heap, wood etc.

Class BThese are fires that involve liquid materials like: petrol, gasoline, diesel, oil etc.

Class CThese are fires that involve electrical elements

Class DThese are fires are those involve metals

Its important to know about the classes of fires because fire-extinguishers are classified and marked based on the type of fire on which they would be effective.

Fire – Fire extinguishers

Types of fire extinguishers

Water Based Foam Based CO2 Based CFC Based Dry Chemical Based

Fire – Fighting strategies

Smothering a fireIf a person’s clothing catches a fire. You could simply wrap the person in blankets (or, any other thick piece of clothing layer), and, roll the person on the ground. The fire gets extinguished – due to lack of oxygen supply.

Letting it dieSometimes, you might just isolate the burning material from other combustible material. The fire would simply die down, once it has burnt the burning material – as it finds nothing else to burn.


Fire in pantry area – say oil/ghee on fireSimply cover the utensil which contains the burning oil etc. Lack of oxygen supply will simply extinguish the fire. Meanwhile, don’t forget to turn off the stove. This will help bring down the temperature – thus, cutting off another arm.


Class C Fire

Use of incorrect extinguishing agent (water or foam based) on a class C fire would simply be fatal. Hence, first thing to do would be to convert it into a Class A fire. This can be done by turning off the electric supply. However, if you are suspecting gas-leak also, don’t flip the switch.

Even after you have turned off the switch, one needs to exercise caution. If the main and neutral connections are reversed, while the switch might be turned off – the wires would still be energized. This would provide a false sense of security, while, the fire is still Class C. Hence, its very important that at the time of construction/renovation, electrical wirings are done/supervised by appropriately qualified electricians.

Thus, do not ever pour/direct water jet/stream on a Class C fire (or, even where electrical involvement is suspected). It will be fatal.

If you have to use water (only as a last resort), throw mugful of water from a safe distance, such that the last drop of water has left the mug, before the first drop of water touches the electrical line. This way, the continuity of the water stream is broken, and, electricity can not reach your body. This method is to be used only in case no other alternative is visible, and, also, extreme caution is to be used. This method should never be used with more than one person simultaneously trying this method. Because, water leaving from different mugs could together form a continuity, thereby turning FATAL for somebody.

Fire – Some major fire disasters in history

Since the 1980s the diversity of reasons for burn accidents has been linked to various human activities - one which has increased considerably is the number of fire disasters caused by terrorist criminal activitiesSome examples are the terrorist attacks in Dublin (1981), Bologna (1985), Barcelona (1987), and London (1988), which were the most devastating to occur in Europe.

The worst fire disasters in the period 1980-2000 were in 1984 (LPG explosion in Mexico, with 550 deaths and 7000 people injured, of whom 625 were burned) and in 1989 (gas container explosion on a bridge following a railway accident in the Urals region, with 2200 deaths and 3000 injured, including 800 burned).

Fire – Some major fire disasters in history

Hospitals were often involved in fires, including a case in 1929 in Cleveland, USA, due to the accidental burning of X-ray film, causing 123 deaths.

Accidents in nightclubs without safety regulations caused serious disasters, including one at the Coconut Grove nightclub in Boston in 1942, when 500 people died.

There were significant and singular accidents in circuses, including one in 1944 in Connecticut, with 144 deaths and more than 450 injured, and one in 1965 in Niteroi (Brazil), with over 400 deaths and 600 injured.

These accidents demonstrate how the lack of prevention and safety regulations caused serious disasters. Fire was a constant and singular presence in hospitals, where the lack of prevention programs and organized evacuation plans led to many burn accidents.

Fire Hazards – Case study

The following four case studies were done in various parts of India. Amon major lives losses which are considered as pathetic and cruel accidents in India. Analyzing factors are: Building plan, set back, Floors accommodation, ventilation, circulation, construction materials, Ignition, Fire feeding materials, Reasons for fire spread, Reasons for lives losses,

Failure aspects in terms of fire safety requirements and other factors along the four, two accidents caused


AMRI Hospital building fire accident.

Date: 9 December 2011.Place:Kolkata.State: West Bengal.

Lives losses = 94


Ignition of fire: The basement floor used as storage area of diesel, motor oil and wooden furniture store room. Fire started here.

Fire feeding materials: All the floors accommodated with hospital needed common hazard materials

This photo shows the doors, windows and the exterior

finishing are constructed by glass material. (spot photo)


Fire spread: The building having basement, ground + six floors. All doors, windows, exterior finishes are constructed by glass materials. The exterior glasses are not opening or breakable. The fire sprinkler, fire smokers, vent opening on the top are not provided. As soon as the fire started due to combustible materials in all floors thick density of dark coloured smoke, fumes and toxic substances produced, it starts to move basement to upward direction along with the fire flame. Chucking out of smoke from building to outside took four hours after breaking the glasses by the fire professionals. The fire spread was very high in the building.

This photo shows the fire flames and the smoke reaches

from basement to all the upper floors (spot photo)


Solution: If the building might have been provided with proper vent opening and the required fire fighting appurtenances, can reduce the volume of fire and smoke. Or extinguish and chuck out the smoke quickly, can save the lives of patients especially in the upper floors.

Group members:

Sushil AltaïrSam EbenazerRohith Nambi

Hashwin Imran

Thank you …

man made hazard - fire

Environment