FossilMedic reports on:  

AN OVERWHELMING FORCE

On Sunday the Town of Ocean City provided lessons in fire dynamics. A little after noon the police reported smoke coming from a store on the boardwalk. This is a city-block long building that is of ordinary construction and without sprinklers or a fire alarm system. It is retail on the first floor and apartments on the second.

There was a 20 to 25 mile per hour breeze coming in from the ocean. Allen Sklar got great pictures of the flashover that occurred shortly after the first fire companies arrived. http://www.assateaguephotos.com/gallery/4618912_cYWoA#272897885

At 12:21:13 you can see fire in the back of the tee shirt shop. Notice all of the shirts that are hanging from the ceiling and the light smoke conditions. The crew from Ocean City Tower 5 is setting up for aerial operations.

Fifty-five seconds later there is a large cloud of black/gray smoke boiling out of the front of the store.

Thirty-six seconds later the boiling smoke starts to ignite, almost engulfing the aerial.

There is now more flame than smoke

Ignition of the smoke about 90 seconds from the first picture.

The fireball erupts from the tee-shirt store as well as the restaurant.

Digital media technology is providing vivid examples that reinforce the stories of legendary fires of the past. Looking at the hanging t-shirts in the first photo I thought of the plastic imitation palms that covered the ceiling of the Melody Lounge in the basement of Boston’s Cocoanut Grove. A busboy was using a match to replace a light bulb and ignited the ceiling decorations. 492 died and 166 were injured in the 1942 fire. The survivors described a very rapid growth of fire in the ceiling of the lounge.

The sudden development of the flashover reminds me of the observation at the 1980 MGM Grand fire, that the flame front from the flashover in the casino overtook the occupants who were running as fast as they could. 85 died and 650 were injured.

It also reminds me of the dozens of NIOSH LODD reports where the surviving firefighters mentioned a sudden change from light smoke to blinding, boiling and hot smoke … just before the flames started.

We get a lot of bad outcome events and near misses when the weather gets windy. This picture is from a Bethany Beach fire company responding south on Coastal Highway on the second alarm.

There were dozens of deck pipes and aerial master streams operating to confine this fire to the building of origin. One firefighter transported for debris in the eye. This was a good stop.

For a comprehensive report on the entire 9-alarm fire, go to STATter911 HERE.

Update: 
In his April 1 entry, Dave Statter has found an earlier video, before the fire apparatus arrived. It shows fire coming from the second floor, northwest side of the building (CLICK HERE).

The fire you barely see in the back of the t-shirt shop in the first photo has already spread to the second floor and is blowing out of a window or door. This fire is fed by the westerly 20-25 mph winds coming from the ocean.

Tower 5 was spotting at the northeast corner of the fire building, they could see the fire in the northwest corner. Since the 1960’s Ocean City has been aggressive in establishing heavy-duty appliances early in a working fire.

The flashover is pushing against that wind. Without the wind, the flashover may have singed the rig and the crew.

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