Warehouse Sprinkler Protection
I read with great interest the article “Can We Improve Sprinkler Protection for Warehouses?” by Vyto Babrauskas (fireengineering.com, posted 5/6/22). After the Walmart Distribution Center fire in Plainfield, Indiana, on March 17, 2022, and the Home Depot loss in California, I’m surprised I haven’t seen more questions.
After the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) rewrote NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, to include aerosol products following the Kmart Distribution Center incident in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, back in 1986, I thought total losses like these recent ones wouldn’t happen anymore. At least in the Home Depot incident, the authorities now know why the fire occurred and they’ve charged a person with arson, but it doesn’t explain why the total loss occurred.
I await every new issue of my digital Fire Engineering to see if there’s any developments in the investigation on the Walmart Distribution Center fire in Plainfield. The reports indicate about 1,000 employees were inside at the time of the incident, so surely someone knows enough about where and maybe how. I read where the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also involved in the investigation. I’m really curious to find out why—sprinkler vs. hazard mismatch, system impairment, or what.
Thomas Riley
Safety Engineer
Indianapolis, Indiana
