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Fire at Orly Airport

The National Centre of Fire Prevention and Protection of France has sent a report of a fire happened on the third of December, 1973, at Orly- South Airport (Paris). The report shows how cavities, shafts and openings in a concrete building allowed fire, heat and smoke to spread from the basement to the top storey of multi- storey building.

The fire started just before 3.00 p.m. in the second basement. Unsealed shafts allowed the fire to spread horizontally to a bar- room and vertically to control rooms on the ground storey.

On reaching the ground storey the fire destroyed all the equipment in the control rooms and caused serious damage to the metal framework of the floor above these areas. This resulted in distortion of the walls and floors, which allowed the gases and probably flames to pass directly up to the first storey.

The contents of the book shop, customs and post office on the first storey helped to intensify the fire which then spread horizontally. Furthermore, a non-enclosed staircase ascending from the first to the fourth storey allowed the fire to spread rapidly to the higher storeys- due chiefly to a cavity about ten centimeters wide between a timber lining and the wall which acted as a flue for the hot gases.

The central group of escalators allowed large quantities of hot gases to reach the fourth storey by another route. Above the escalators heat set fire to the plastic tiles of the false ceiling. The burning tiles falling from the ceiling increased the firefighters' difficulties. Finally the fire reached the cinema hall on the top (fifth) storey via an unclosed staircase. The fire brigade arrived very quickly following the alarm which was given by the fire detection system (fitted in places not permanently occupied). It was only at about 8.00 p.m. and after five hours of firefighting under extremely difficult conditions that the firemen managed to control the fire.

Very difficult conditions were caused by poor visibility because of vast amount of smoke and the need to work with breathing apparatus.

The arrangement of vertical shafts made it possible for them to control the vertical spread of the fire. Stopping its horizontal spread in each of the storeys was also very difficult because of concealed spaces created by the false ceilings. Use of plastics in the cable coverings, the decorative elements, the furniture, etc. increased the difficulty of fire combat.

Damage caused directly by the fire covered a surface area of about 6000 m². In addition, 300 m² were damaged chiefly by smoke. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

A fire at Orly Airport Terminal Building shows how smoke and flames find openings in the weak structure of the building to spread upwards. Once the smoke has entered the common circulation spaces of building, especially such areas as escalator walls, open stairways, etc. which occupants frequently use for entry and exit, it will rapidly expand to the topmost level and totally obscure all these familiar routes.

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