The Fire
    One evening, a mother relaxes in her second story bedroom. Her two children are sleeping quietly down the hall. Suddenly, she notices her mattress is on fire. She immediately tries to extinguish the fire as anyone would normally do. Unsuccessful in extinguishing the blaze, she decides to remove the mattress from the home by dragging it downstairs to the front door. Upon reaching the front door she discovers that the key-operated dead bolt is locked. Unable to locate the key to unlock the dead bolt on the door she runs to the windows. The windows however, have been fitted with security bars and she is unable to exit through them. Likewise, neighbors are not able to enter the home to rescue the family. As a result, a severely burned five-year old child loses his mother and siblings.

Origin & Spread
    A cigarette was the suspected cause of the fire on the mattress. Water found running in the sink of a bathroom adjacent to the bedroom indicated that the woman had attempted to extinguish the fire. Unable to put the fire out, the mother then did what a lot of people do in a fire, she tried to get the fire out of the building. The spread of the fire can be partially contributed to the mother dragging the burning mattress through the home and down the stairs. The dead bolt lock on the front door and the barred windows violated specific building and fire code standards. Had the deadbolts and windows complied with the local building codes, death and injuries may have been avoided as well as extensive fire damage to the building.

Cause
    The cause of a fire is often not the direct cause of casualties or damages. National Fire protection Association (NFPA) 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, 1998 Edition, Section 12-1 states "The ideal goal of any particular fire investigator is to come to a correct conclusion about the significant features of a particular fire or explosion incident." In other words, the investigator should be concerned with more than just the cause and origin of the fire. The investigator should also be concerned with the other "features" related to the incident that may have contributed to loss of life or property. These "features" are described by NFPA 921 Section 12-1, in subparagraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d), which distinguishes between the causes of a fire or explosion and the causes of damage to property and/or loss of life resulting from the incident. The spread of the fire described in this case can in part be contributed to the actions of the mother. More importantly, the cause of the deaths and a portion of the extensive damage to the home were a direct result of building and fire code violations, not just the fire itself.

Egress
    The Southern Standard Building Code, 1997 Edition, Section 1012.1.7 states that "Required exit doors be openable from the inside without the use of a key, tool, special knowledge or effort. …. Double cylinder dead bolts, requiring a key for operation on both sides, are prohibited on required means of egress doors unless the locking device is provided with a key which cannot be removed when the door is locked from the inside." In addition, Section 1005 of the same code edition allows security bars on windows only under specific conditions. One of the conditions stated in paragraph 1005.4.2 is that the bars and windows be openable "from the inside… with out the use of separate tools or keys." Associated sections place constraints on the sill heights and size of the openings.

Building & Fire Codes
    Building and fire code standards are developed first to ensure a reasonable degree of safety for occupants and secondly to limit property damage. A number of different building and fire codes exist and are in use throughout the United States. Specific codes are usually adopted into law on a state level or into an ordinance on a local level. Adopted codes can vary from state to state, county to county or even city to city. In addition to the adopted codes, some state and local jurisdictions have adopted, by law or ordinance, special building and fire regulations. Furthermore, the editions of codes adopted may vary throughout state and local jurisdictions. Therefore, the investigator must be familiar with the various codes and regulations adopted in the jurisdiction where a loss has occurred.

   Cases involving various building and fire codes can be complex. The engineers at The Warren Group are experienced in these areas and would be happy to assist with the investigation.