How much has fire changed over the centuries? Fuel, air and heat are still required for fires to ignite and burn. What has changed in recent years, though, is how fires behave in modern structures.Forty years ago, the occupants of a house had about 17 minutes to escape a fire, according to UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute estimates. Today, that escape time has dropped to three minutes or less. The materials used in furnishings, more open layouts and lightweight construction materials all contribute to more rapid fire spread. Fire is getting faster, but the simple act of closing doors can save lives by slowing the spread of flames, heat and smoke.Why modern fires burn fasterNewer homes are constructed and filled with more components containing synthetic materials than were used decades ago. Furniture used to be padded and stuffed with natural materials like cotton, wool and feathers. Those materials can still burn, but not as fast or as hot as the synthetics (plastic, nylon, polyester, polyurethane) prevalent in todayís homes.High-performance synthetic materials are used to make home furnishings more durable and easier to clean. But UL researchers have discovered that these synthetics also ignite faster and burn more intensely when exposed to an ignition source. A test fire in a room furnished with traditional materials took almost 30 minutes to reach flashover. (Flashover is the stage of a fire at which the contents of a room ignite more or less simultaneously, creating untenable conditions.) A similar room with modern furnishings reached flashover in less than four minutes.The difference a door makesThe U.S. Fire Administration estimates that between 2013 and 2015, about half of home fire deaths in the United States resulted from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep. Additionally, bedrooms were the leading specific location for residential fire fatalities.Research conducted by FSRI found that rooms with closed doors experienced more survivable conditions during a fire than those with open doors.
- Rooms with closed doors had average temperatures of less than 100 degrees, compared to 1,000 degrees or more in rooms with open doors.
- Closed rooms measured around 100 parts per million of toxic carbon monoxide, which is produced by combustion (fire). That compares to over 10,000 ppm of carbon monoxide in the open-door room.
- Oxygen levels in rooms with closed doors were measured at a breathable 18 percent, compared to only 8 percent in open-door rooms.
- ìClose before you doze.î At night, get in the habit of closing doors to all rooms in the house, especially bedrooms, to slow the spread of fire and smoke should a fire occur.
- Make sure all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in the home are in working condition. Early warning is the key to safely escaping a house fire. Test alarms monthly.
- Baby monitors are an option for parents worried about not hearing their children in the middle of the night with a door closed.
- Have an escape plan that identifies multiple escape routes from every room. Practice the plan as a family at various hours.
- When exiting a burning structure, close all doors as you go.
- Get out and stay out. Donít ever go back inside a burning home.
