How Long Does It Take for Your Beloved Building to Possibly Burn Down?

27 April 2022

Buildings are expected to wear down and deteriorate naturally whenever they are utilised for varying purposes. And to ensure that their building life will be extended, property owners would often contact and hire professionals so they can conduct maintenance and other related services.

These same properties, however, can be instantly destroyed once they catch fire.

A fire can start in a building whenever fuel, oxygen, and ignition are all present. Without any mitigating devices and tools, a fire can quickly burn everything down. The occurrence of fire can normally cause costly property damages and mild to lethal injuries.

The Beginning of the End

But how long does it take for a building to burn down entirely? If you currently own or manage a building, knowing how a fire can spread on your property can grant you all the things needed for you to invest in the right fire protection systems.

Without any mitigating forces, a fire that has started in one of your rooms may spread and cover the entire area in just under 30 seconds. The duration of the fire spread may become quicker if the room is filled with combustibles such as papers, cardboard packaging, and others. As more things are getting burned inside the room, smoke is expected to rise alongside the heated air. Inhaling smoke for a long time can be dangerous as it is filled with carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapour, hydrogen sulphide, and unburned hydrocarbons.

Minutes of Ignoring Fire

Extinguishing the fire that has only started is crucial to ensure that it does not spread to other rooms and areas. In just a minute, failure to extinguish it will only lead to the spread of flames to flammable objects and furnishings. Some key areas in your property that can catch fire include wooden cabinets and countertops, curtains, clothing, and other similar things. The spread of flames to these things will only make the fire worse, introducing a denser plume of hot air and smoke across the ceiling.

The first two minutes of a fire can already make the situation dangerous as more toxic elements are already spreading through smoke and the heated air. The levels of cyanide and carbon monoxide increase as time passes, cutting the survival time of anyone trapped inside the burning room to less than a minute. Without any help, people inside may not be able to get out alive.

The Inevitable Fire Spread

For the next 2 to 5 minutes, the fire and its accompanying elements are expected to destroy everything on their path. The poisonous smoke may stream out of the room and affect other areas of your building. The heated air subsequently travels to various building floors. Fire, ultimately, continues to consume everything as its temperature has already increased. It can even penetrate walls and ceilings, spreading across rooms and spaces of your building. These occurrences happen since oxygen inside the building has already been used up during the rapid combustion process.

In under 5 minutes, a fire can already obliterate your beloved building. To ensure that it does not happen, you must invest in the right active and passive fire protection systems. You may want to contact us at Split Ezy Pro so we can help you get the right things.

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