Video: newsworking
This fire occurred on August 10, 2017, at 408 Kansas Ave., Whitehall, Pennyslvania. The structure appears to be a two-story, lightweight, wood-frame, middle-of-the-row townhouse/rowhouse with fire in the basement. Access to the basement is via an interior stair, probably off the kitchen at the rear, and via the cellar doors on the Charlie side. Weather conditions appear partly sunny and calm.
- Size-Up and Tactics for Structures of Lightweight Construction
- Lewis and Moran: Basement Fire Strategy and Tactics
- Dodson: The Art of Reading Smoke
- Fire Ventilation and Flow Path Control
Analysis
Arriving on the Alpha side, this incident gives the appearance that the fire is on the first floor. Smoke venting from the top third of the front door opening is light volume, laminar, thin, and gray to dark gray in color. The air flow at the front door is bidirectional, with smoke venting out the top of the opening, while air enters at the bottom of the opening. The smoke venting from the open front window on the second floor, Alpha quadrant appears to be a unidirectional flow path (exhaust) of light volume, laminar, thin, gray smoke. This also suggests, perhaps, that the door to this room is open.
With a basement fire, we would expect to observe some of the following conditions:
- Smoke exhausting from the full opening of the front door (unidirectional flow)
- Smoke showing from basement windows, where present.
- Smoke seeping out from cracks and seams near the ground.
- Smoke showing along the eaves and roof.
- Smoke showing from levels above the basement.
We can tell the fire within this structure is relatively small. It lacks smoke volume, velocity, and density. The smoke begins lighter in color, indicating fire in the growth stage, but becomes darker over time, indicating it’s becoming vent limited and needs more air. As we notice the smoke escaping from the front door, it vents high in the door opening, but as the crew prepares to enter, we see the smoke level is much lower on the interior side.
Strategic/Tactical Considerations
Strategy has to begin in an offensive mode whenever possible as we consider life safety of occupants. Gaining the 360 size-up offers a big picture view, while identifying or ruling out fire in the basement. The 360 also helps identify an exterior entrance to the basement. In townhouse/rowhouse and other similar settings, it can sometimes be challenging to gain a visual of the rear. Options to view the rear include:
- Cut through a neighboring unit to visualize the rear.
- Take a lap to the end of the row to visualize the rear.
- Have another unit or other staff provide a report from the rear.
- Truck company may be able to visualize the rear from the roof or aerial.
Once a basement fire is identified, the tactics must include the most direct access to the basement, preferably at the same grade level as the basement. In this case, our only options are the interior stairs or the exterior cellar door access. Circumstances can be further complicated as all vertical voids begin within the basement, which can easily spread fire to upper-level floors and to the attic/roof. An open basement stair will also serve as a means to spread products of combustion.
Getting a line in position to protect the interior stairs is important for egress, but firefighters must first consider getting water to the source of fire to gain control. Without fire control, crews operating above the fire are vulnerable to a potentially unstable and hostile environment that includes high heat, unburned fuel, limited visibility, limited structural stability, and the possibility of flashover. Crews working above a basement fire should be protected by a hoseline.
Without basement windows to introduce water, consider making a push from a location close to the basement stairs, like the kitchen entrance at the rear. This option reduces the depth firefighters must travel to get to the basement stairs from the front entrance and keeps them off a potentially unstable floor. When basement windows are present, a transitional or indirect attack through the windows could be an initial attack option. The use of a solid or straight stream is best to limit air entrainment. If the basement stair can be isolated with a door, and the basement compartment is unoccupied, the use of a fog stream can be effective.
The cellar door opening offers an opportunity to ventilate the basement space, which would allow for an interior push with less of a beating on firefighters. Traditional methods of pushing down the interior stair or cellar stair are an option, but why not work smarter, not harder? Of course, spike nozzles and distributors can be put in operation as the situation dictates.
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Basement fires can be misleading. Vertical voids begin in the basement, which can spread smoke and fire to upper levels and give the impression of a first floor or upper-level fire. It’s imperative that the first-in company officer complete a 360 size up, preferably with a thermal imaging camera, to accurately identify the location and extent of fire. The effective use of smoke reading skills can help confirm size-up observations, which should be ongoing for the duration of the incident. For instance, the smoke venting from the top third of the front door opening did not match up with smoke banking down near the floor, just inside the doorway. The latter condition is suggestive of a fire below.
Once the officer determines they’re facing a basement fire, they must quickly identify the most direct path and most efficient method to get sufficient water on the fire. As the line is being advanced and positioned for extinguishment, door control can be employed to limit flow paths and to isolate a basement fire from the upper levels of the structure. Isolation of fire with a door helps create a rich environment (ventilation limited) that cannot burn and can cause temperatures to drop. The quicker firefighters get water on the fire, the faster the situation will begin to stabilize.
NICK J. SALAMEH is a 36 year veteran of the fire service. He was a Fire/Emergency Medical Services Captain II and previous Training Program Manager for the Arlington County (VA) Fire Department, where he served 31 years. He is a former Chair of the Northern Virginia Fire Departments Training Committee. Nick is also a contributor to Fire Engineering and Stop Believing Start Knowing (SBSK).
