Fire Investigation

The Station Nightclub Investigation

A fire occurred on the night of Feb. 20, 2003, in The Station nightclub at 211 Cowesett Avenue, West Warwick, Rhode Island. A band that was on the platform that night, during its performance, used pyrotechnics that ignited polyurethane foam insulation lining the walls and ceiling of the platform. The fire spread quickly along the ceiling area over the dance floor. Smoke was visible in the exit doorways in a little more than one minute, and flames were observed breaking through a portion of the roof in less than five minutes. Egress from the nightclub, which was not equipped with sprinklers, was hampered by crowding at the main entrance to the building. One hundred people lost their lives in the fire. Of the fatalities, 95 were due to the inability of the occupants to evacuate before being overcome by the untenable conditions along the egress path. On Feb. 27, 2003, under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established a National Construction Safety Team to determine the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure that led to the high number of casualties in that fire.

For a printed copy contact the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at www.ntis.gov or 800-553-6847. NTIS order number: PB2005-110246 (Vol. 1) or PB2005-110247 (Vol. 2)

The Cook County Administration Building Fire Investigation

On October 17, 2003, in the Cook County Administration Building, 69 West Washington, Chicago, Illinois, a fire resulted in six fatalities and several injuries. In response to a request from the Governor of Illinois, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) agreed to provide technical assistance to the Governor’s review team headed by James Lee Witt. NIST’s focus was the simulation of the fire using the Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) and visualizations using Smokeview to provide insight into the fire growth and smoke movement.

A team from NIST visited the fire scene to collect data for the model including; building dimensions, floor plan, door and window locations, materials of construction and furnishing, and fuels. In addition, information collected by the Governor’s team on fire service operations and building systems was used to develop the fire timeline. The NIST team also documented the fire damage in order to compare fire model predictions with the observed physical damage. Exemplar interior finish materials and furnishings from the fire floor, but undamaged by flames, were obtained for use in laboratory scale heat release rate experiments. Laboratory scale data for rate of heat release was necessary for the fire model input and comparison to fire model results. This report documents the furnishings, the experiments conducted, and the results of those experiments.

The FDS simulations provide insight into the fire development in Suite 1240. The simulations examine the impact of the spread of smoke into the southeast stairway with and without a functioning smoke exhaust shaft. Another simulation examined the impact of automatic fire suppression sprinklers. The FDS simulation suggested that had automatic sprinklers been present in the storage room where the fire is believed to have originated, they would have controlled the fire and limited the fire spread to the room of fire origin.

Video: The video clips show the heat release rate experiments of single burning chairs to multiple office workstations that were used for the investigation. The last clip is of the computer simulations that provide insight into the fire conditions in the building during the incident.

Astoria Hardware Store Fire Investigation

This report describes the results of computer model calculations to provide insight on the thermal conditions that may have occurred during a fire in a basement of a hardware store on June 17, 2001, in Queens, New York. These calculations were performed using the NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). A FDS model scenario was developed to represent the building geometry, material thermal properties, and fire behavior based on information and photographs either gathered at the fire scene or provided by the Fire Department of New York and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). The results from this model scenario are provided in this report, NIOSH also prepared a report on the incident, the link is below.

Additional Reports

Future of Fire Investigation
Fire Chief, Vol. 44, No. 10, 44-45,48-50, October 2000. Madrzykowski, D.

State-of-the-Art Research Is the Future of Fire Investigation
SIU Awareness, Vol. 15, No. 1, 18-23, March 2001. Madrzykowski, D.

Flammable and Combustible Liquid Spill/Burn Patterns
Report 604-00; NCJ 186634; 71 p. March 2001. Putorti, A. D., Jr.; McElroy, J. A.; Madrzykowski, D. NIJ

Full-Scale House Fire Experiment for InterFIRE VR, May 6, 1998. Report of Test
Report of Test FR 4009; FR 4009; 19 p. April 10, 2000. Putorti, A. D., Jr.; McElroy, J. A.

Full Scale Room Burn Pattern Study
NIJ Report 601-97; Project No. 96-002IA; 59 p. December 1997. Putorti, A. D., Jr.

Simulation of the Dynamics of a Fire in the Basement of a Hardware Store - New York, June 17, 2001.
NISTIR 7137; 57 p. May 2004. Bryner, N. P.; Kerber, S.

CFITrainer.net

NIST has worked with the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) to create 2 training modules for www.cfitrainer.net. Follow the link to watch these programs as well as the many other training programs available.

Introduction To Fire Dynamics and Fire Modeling: See abstract principles like heat release rate and fluid dynamics at work. Experience the factors that affect fire growth in compartment fires, and hear from NIST experts how fire modeling works and what it can do for you.

An Analysis of the Station Nightclub Fire: A band that was performing that night, during its performance, used pyrotechnics that ignited foam insulation lining the walls and ceiling of the platform being used as a stage. The fire spread quickly along the walls and ceiling area over the dance floor. Smoke was visible in the exit doorways in a little more than one minute, and flames were observed breaking through a portion of the roof in less than five minutes. Egress from the nightclub was hampered by crowding at the main entrance to the building. One hundred people lost their lives in the fire.