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1、Fire Investigation Summary Fire Fighter Fatalities Albert City, Iowa April 9, 1998 A Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) resulted in the death of 2 fire fighters. Fire fighter training plays a key role in preventing such tragedies. Fire fighters should be made aware of the dangers posed
2、 by leaking LP- Gas or by flame impingement to tank containers. National Fire Protection Association Fire Investigations Department 1999 NFPA Fire Investigations Summary Albert City Fire Fighter Fatalities At approximately 11:10 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 1998, a fire was reported at a large turkey
3、farm near Albert City, Iowa. The fire began when an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) driven by teenagers struck two pipelines carrying liquid propane from an 18,000 gallon (68,220 L) capacity LP-Gas tank to two vaporizer units, creating a leak. The ensuing cloud of vapor was ignited by a nearby ignition so
4、urce. The teens were able to escape the area prior to ignition and went to a nearby farmhouse to phone 911. The tank was located between three buildings: an office and storage building 60 feet (18 m) to the west, a large turkey coop 100 feet (30.5 m) to the east, and another storage building 90 feet
5、 (27.4 m) to the north. The buildings were of wood-frame construction with a combination of metal and wood exterior siding. A gravel road was located approximately 65 feet (19.8 m) south of the tank. The propane fuel was utilized in heater units located in the farm buildings. The fire department arr
6、ived at approximately 11:21 p.m. The initial report given upon arrival stated that there was fire involving the propane tank and that the tank was venting from the relief vents at the top of the vessel. Fire was noted to be below the tank, as well. The fire department began to set up operations to p
7、rotect the exposed buildings with hose lines. Because there was no water supply in the area a tanker shuttle operation was implemented, with a portable tank left at the scene. The departments tanker unit returned to town to refill after transferring its load of water to the portable tank. The remain
8、ing two engines and a rescue unit were set up on the northern side of the tank and began operations. Two fire fighters advanced a hose line from the engine set up northwest of the LP tank. They positioned themselves at the west corner of the storage building immediately north of the tank. The fire c
9、hief joined them to monitor conditions from that vantage point. This group was approximately 100 feet (30.5 m) from the tank. Two additional fire fighters advanced a hose line from the engine staged northeast of the LP tank between the building north of the tank and the large coop east of the tank.
10、These men were approximately 90 feet (27.4 m) north of the tank. The gas venting from the pressure relief valves on the tank created a loud noise similar to a jet engine, making communications on the fireground difficult. The fire chief indicated that the plan was to allow the tank to burn itself ou
11、t and to protect exposures. As this plan was being implemented, at approximately 11:28 p.m. a tremendous explosion occurred, sending large sections of the tank flying in four different directions. The largest portion of the tank, a piece 24 feet (7.3 m) long, was hurled over 300 feet (91.4 m) into t
12、he large coop east of the tank. Another piece was propelled directly north, narrowly missing the two fire fighters positioned north of the tank. This piece went through the north building and was stopped by a silo more than 150 feet (45.7 m) from the tanks original location. The force of this piece
13、passing by the two fire fighters carried one of the men into the building and up against the far wall. He crawled out of the wreckage and rejoined the others. The third large piece was thrown northwest from the tanks location and ? 1999 NFPA Fire Investigations Summary Albert City Fire Fighter Fatal
14、ities struck the two fire fighters operating the hose line at the west corner of the north building. The impact killed the two men instantly. This piece narrowly missed the fire chief as he stood near the two men who were killed. However, he was badly burned by the blast. Other pieces of the tank we
15、re scattered in the open field across the road from the tank. Some traveled almost 250 feet (76.2 m) from the site of the blast. A piece of one of the vent pipes was found embedded over three feet deep into a gravel driveway over 200 feet (61 m) west of the tanks original location. The fire was exti
16、nguished by the blast, leaving only several small hot spots that were promptly extinguished by fire fighters. The fire chief, five fire fighters, and a sheriffs deputy were injured in the blast. Three of the injured, two fire fighters and the chief were badly burned. The remaining two fire fighters
17、and the deputy were treated and released from area hospitals. On the basis of the fire investigation and analysis, the NFPA has determined that the following significant factors directly contributed to the explosion and the fire fighter deaths: Lack of protection around the LP tank installation and
18、associated equipment This lack of protection allowed the ATV to strike the vaporizer piping. The impingement of flame on the propane tank (in the vapor space), causing the tank shell to weaken and fail The close proximity of fire department operations to the LP tank while the tank was being exposed
19、to direct flame contact The lack of an adequate and reliable water supply in close proximity to the site to allow for hose streams to be rapidly placed in service to cool the LP-Gas tank that was being impinged upon by flames from the broken pipes The decision, given the lack of an adequate water su
20、pply, to protect the exposed buildings and not to relocate all personnel to a safe location Fig. 1 - Location of personnel and apparatus at the time of the BLEVE ? Fire Investigation Summary Fire Fighter Fatalities Albert City, Iowa April 9, 1998 The National Fire Protection Associations Fire Invest
21、igations Department documents some of the most significant fires and incidents throughout the world. The objective of these investigations is to determine what lessons can be learned from these incidents. The information is then made available to the fire safety community to be used in developing fu
22、ture codes and standards. A complete listing of reports is available, either upon request or can be viewed on our web page. NFPA Fire Investigations Department One Batterymarch Park Quincy, MA 02269 USA 1-617-984-7467 (tel) 1-617-984-7056 (fax) investigationsnfpa.org www.nfpa.org Related reports pub
23、lished by the NFPA Fire Investigations Department include: West Helena, AK Branford, CT Chesapeake, VA Seattle, WA Pittsburgh, PA Full copies of this report, or any other Fire Investigation Report can be ordered, for a fee, by contacting the NFPAs Charles S. Morgan Library 1-617-984-7445(tel) 1-617-
24、984-7060(fax) librarynfpa.org This summary may be reproduced in whole or in part for fire safety educational purposes so long as the meaning of the summary is not altered, credit is given to the National Fire Protection Association, and the copyright of the NFPA is protected. This may not be used fo
25、r advertising or commercial purposes without the express consent of the NFPA. Each use shall include the following statement: 1999 National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA ? FIRE FIGHTER FATALITIES ALBERT CITY, IOWA APRIL 9, 1998 ? ? LP-GAS BLEVE ALBERT CITY, IOWA APRIL 9, 1998 TWO FIRE FIGH
26、TER FATALITIES Prepared by Robert Duval Fire Investigator National Fire Protection Association ? ? 1999 National Fire Protection Association Fire Fighter Fatalities, Albert City, Iowa Page 1 ABSTRACT At approximately 11:10 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 1998, a fire was reported at a large turkey farm n
27、ear Albert City, Iowa. The fire began when an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) driven by teenagers struck two pipelines carrying liquid propane from an 18,000 gallon (68m3) capacity LP-Gas tank to two vaporizer units, creating a leak. The ensuing cloud of vapor was ignited by a nearby ignition source. The
28、teens were able to escape the area prior to ignition and went to a nearby farmhouse to phone 911. The tank was located between three buildings: an office and storage building 60 feet (18 m) to the west, a large turkey coop 100 feet (30.5 m) to the east, and another storage building 90 feet (27.4 m)
29、to the north. The buildings were of wood-frame construction with a combination of metal and wood exterior siding. A gravel road was located approximately 65 feet (19.8 m) south of the tank. The propane fuel was utilized in heater units located in the farm buildings. The fire department arrived at ap
30、proximately 11:21 p.m. The initial report given upon arrival stated that there was fire involving the LP-Gas tank and that the tank was venting from the relief vents at the top of the vessel. Fire was noted to be below the tank, as well. The fire department began to set up operations to protect the
31、exposed buildings with hose lines. Because there was no water supply in the area a tanker shuttle operation was implemented, with a portable tank left at the scene. The departments tanker unit returned to town to refill after transferring its load of water to the portable tank. The remaining two eng
32、ines and a rescue unit were set up on the northern side of the tank and began operations. Two fire fighters advanced a hose line from the engine set up northwest of the LP- Gas tank. They positioned themselves at the west corner of the storage building immediately north of the tank. The fire chief j
33、oined them to monitor conditions from that vantage point. This group was approximately 100 feet (30.5 m) from the tank. Two additional fire fighters advanced a hose line from the engine staged northeast of the LP-Gas tank between the building north of the tank and the large coop east of the tank. Th
34、ese men were approximately 90 feet (27.4 m) north of the tank. The gas venting from the pressure relief valves on the tank created a loud noise similar to a jet engine, making communications on the fireground difficult. The fire chief indicated that the plan was to allow the tank to burn itself out
35、and to protect exposures. As this plan was being implemented, at approximately 11:28 p.m. a large explosion occurred, sending large sections of the tank flying in four different directions. NFPA Fire Investigations Department One Batterymarch Park Quincy, MA 02269 USA Phone: 1-617-984-7467 Fax: 1-61
36、7-984-7056 Email: investigationsnfpa.org Web site: www.nfpa.org ? 1999 National Fire Protection Association Fire Fighter Fatalities, Albert City, Iowa Page 2 The largest portion of the tank, a piece 24 feet (7.3 m) long, was hurled over 300 feet (91.4 m) into the large coop east of the tank. Another
37、 piece was propelled directly north, narrowly missing the two fire fighters positioned north of the tank. This piece went through the north building and was stopped by a silo more than 150 feet (45.7 m) from the tanks original location. The force of this piece passing by the two fire fighters carrie
38、d one of the men into the building and up against the far wall. He crawled out of the wreckage and rejoined the others. The third large piece was thrown northwest from the tanks location and struck the two fire fighters operating the hose line at the west corner of the north building. The impact kil
39、led the two men instantly. This piece narrowly missed the fire chief as he stood near the two men who were killed. However he was badly burned by the blast. Other pieces of the tank were scattered in the open field across the road from the tank. Some traveled almost 250 feet (76.2 m) from the site o
40、f the blast. A piece of one of the vent pipes was found embedded over three feet deep into a gravel driveway over 200 feet (61 m) west of the tanks original location. The fire was extinguished by the blast, leaving only several small hot spots that were promptly extinguished by fire fighters. The fi
41、re chief, five fire fighters, and a sheriffs deputy were injured in the blast. Three of the injured, fire fighters and the chief were badly burned. The remaining two fire fighters and the deputy were treated and released from area hospitals. On the basis of the fire investigation and analysis, the N
42、FPA has determined that the following significant factors directly contributed to the explosion and the fire fighter deaths: Lack of protection around the LP-Gas tank installation and associated equipment This lack of protection allowed the ATV to strike the vaporizer piping The impingement of flame
43、 on the propane tank (in the vapor space), causing the tank shell to weaken and fail The close proximity of fire department operations to the LP-Gas tank while the tank was being exposed to direct flame contact The lack of an adequate and reliable water supply in close proximity to the site to allow
44、 for hose streams to be rapidly placed in service to cool the LP-Gas tank that was being impinged upon by flames from the broken pipes The decision, given the lack of an adequate water supply, to protect the exposed buildings and not to relocate all personnel to a safe location ? 1999 National Fire
45、Protection Association Fire Fighter Fatalities, Albert City, Iowa Page 3 CONTENTS Page I.Introduction 5 II.Background Installation 7 Fire Protection 8 Fire Department 8 Weather 8 III.The Fire Discovery and Notification 9 Fire Department Operations 9 Casualties12 Damage 15 IV.Timeline 17 V.Analysis O
46、rigin and Cause 19 BLEVE 19 Magnitude of a BLEVE 21 Time Interval for Fire-Caused BLEVE 21 Protection of Tank Installation 22 Fire Department Operations 22 VI.Conclusion 25 VII.Appendix Synopsis of Burnside, IL LP-Gas Explosion 27 Synopsis of Warwick, Quebec LP-Gas Explosion 27 NFPA Documents 29 ? 1
47、999 National Fire Protection Association Fire Fighter Fatalities, Albert City, Iowa Page 4 ? 1999 National Fire Protection Association Fire Fighter Fatalities, Albert City, Iowa Page 5 Introduction The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) investigated the Albert City LP- Gas explosion in orde
48、r to document and analyze significant factors that resulted in two fatalities. The study was conducted by the NFPA as part of an ongoing program to investigate technically significant incidents. The NFPAs Fire Investigations Department documents and analyzes incident details so that it can report le
49、ssons learned for life safety and property loss purposes. The NFPA became aware of the Albert City incident the day after it occurred. NFPA Fire Investigator Robert Duval traveled to Iowa to meet with investigators from the State Fire Marshals Office and the local Sheriffs Department and to view the scene and perform an on-site study of the incident. The information gathered during the on- site activiti