The Importance of a Live Burn

10/18/2019 (Permalink)

This is a broken CSST flexible gas line that ignited gas and released a jet of fire.

Last week, the Ankeny Fire Department along with EFI Global and our SERVPRO of Des Moines East & SW franchise helped set up a live burn for insurance adjusters and risk managers to help them gain knowledge to make informed decisions when processing claims. Several large boxes were built by our SERVPRO team with drywall to simulate an actual room. Furniture was donated to help show how different fire scenarios can alter a home. Before the live burns, adjustors were able to learn about the science behind how certain fires are started, analyzing the speed and power behind the separate fires. One of the burns was created by a broken CSST flexible gas line which is utilized to run gas to appliances. The situation brought about a non-grounded line that developed a pin hole from an electricity arc. The gas then leaks out and catches fire from the arc of electricity, igniting the gas and creating a jet of fire. Another scenario was meant to show how quickly fires in a corner with several pieces of furniture next to each other erupt. Live burn events are beneficial to understand the effects of the fire, analyzing the speed of fire as well as the way it spreads and how different contents and structural materials are affected. It’s also important for them to know the effects of soot and smoke throughout the environment and how different fires start from separate structural materials.