What is Fire Accidents?

Fire accidents can result in catastrophic personal injury and devastating damage. Every year, billions of rupees in property damage occur as a result of fire. Victims of fire accidents can suffer serious harm, including burn injury to their entire body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note deaths from fires and burns are the fourth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the and third leading cause of fatal home injury. Fire accidents can cause death not only from burns but also from smoke inhalation and toxic gases.

Cases of Fire Accidents

Bhopal tragedy- 1984 Bhopal, India Toxic material released. 2500 immediate fatalities 20000 died. Many other offsite injured. Most of the safety system was not functioning. Many valves and lines were in poor condition.

Hindustan petroleum corporation (HPCL) in Vishakhapatnam- on 14 September 1997 disaster in Vishakhapatnam refinery is one of the major failures in industries of India. LPG was leaking from the time the ship started pumping it on short late last night. It’s leaked from several hours as it was not deleted. The leak could not Deleted as imported LPG is Odourless. The gas is heavier then air so it spread at ground level. There was a flash fire when the LPG ignited.

Causes of Fire Accidents

In house - Grease mishandling from cooking, pots and pans overheating and combustible material being too close to burners (newspaper, paper towels, oven mitts, glass).

Ignored maintenance of heating equipment. Each year you should have your furnace and air conditioning unit looked after by a professional. When your furnace fails, you are at severe risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Careless smoking: this is a given. No one should be smoking in or around the home and cigarettes should be completely put out and properly disposed of.

Electrical appliances should be unplugged at the end of the day or when you are out of the home. Toasters, coffee machines, irons, etc. are known causes for accidental fires.

In factory - Paper, cardboard, and combustible materials tend to build up and present a fire hazard in many workplaces especially office environments. It is important to dispose of these items on a regular basis to help reduce the chance of a fire starting. Something as simple as a discarded cigarette can start a fire that can spread quickly.

Factories are constantly in motion, with assembly lines and machinery constantly in use, and as such, a huge amount of electricity is required to run them. With the strain that is put on the electrical systems, there is always a chance that they may overload, for example, which could start an electrical fire that quickly spreads across the factory.

Effects of Fire Accidents

• The soil in the area of the wildfire has been completely destroyed.
• Animals lose their lives.
• Millions of rupees are spent repairing these damages and re-building homes and areas of vegetation.
• Homes, wildlife, as well as vegetation are damaged by fire.
• Global warming.
• Ozone layer depletion.

Safety tips from Fire Accidents

• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children and teach them caution around fires and inflammable objects.
• Do not keep inflammable products (alcohol, petrol, gas containers, paper, cloth, dried vegetable matter, etc.) near any source of heat.
• Immediately warn persons in danger and those responsible for security in the building or the enterprise, especially in public places.
• If you are in a place that is getting filled with smoke, stay low on the ground where the air remains fresh.
• Safely out from house and call to fire brigade.

How to stop Fire Accidents

Most big cities now have high rise buildings. A great majority of them do not meet firefighting specifications. In case of an accidental fire, use of water has to be avoided in case the fire has been caused due to kerosene or petroleum product spill. Sand should be used to cover the flames. Persons trapped should be taken out with the rescu­ing person covered in wet blanket. The job is best left to professional fire fighters-men from the fire Brigade. It is important to have instructions regarding how to act in case of fire displayed all over the campus.