NBSIR 73-234

Drapery and Curtain Fires - Data

Element Summary of Case Histories

Allan K. Vickers

Fire Technology Division

Institute for Applied Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D. C. 20234

July 1973

Preliminary Report

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

NBSIR 73-234

DRAPERY AND CURTAIN FIRES - DATA

ELEMENT SUMMARY OF CASE HISTORIES

Allan K. Vickers

Fire Technology Division

Institute for Applied Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D. C. 20234

July 1973

This report is a reprint of NBS Report 10864,

Drapery and Curtain Case Histories - Data

Element Summary, issued in July 1972.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts. Director

PREFACE

This report is a reissue of an earlier internal National Bureau of

Standards Report. None of the information in the original report has been

changed. However, during the year since July 1972, when the Internal

report was first issued, the responsibility for regulation of flammable

fabric products was moved from the Department of Commerce and the Food and

Drug Administration to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

.

References to the Department of Commerce and the Food and Drug Administration in the reissued report reflect the responsibilities of these

agencies in July 1972, when the analysis was originally carried out.

August 23, 1973

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

1. Introduction 1

2. Data Base - 3

2 . 1 FEACTS 3

2.2 Drapery and Curtain Data ^

3. Summaiy of Case History Data ^

3.1 Location of Incidents ^

3.2 Occurrence of Incidents by Month and Time of Day 5

3.3 Personal Characteristics of Victims 6

3.^ Circumstances Prior to Incident 6

3.5 Ignition Sources and Sequence 6

3.6 Curtain/Drapery Fabrics Involved T

3.7 Personal Injiiry and Property Loss 7

V
TABLES Page

1. Location of Drapery/Curtain Incidents 10

a. State 10

b. General Location 11

c. Specific Location of Ignition 11

2. Time of Occurrence of Drapery/Curtain Incidents 12

a. Month of Year , , 12

. b. Time of Day • 12

3. Personal Characteristics of Victims 13

a. Age and Sex , , :, ', 13

b. Home Value /Monthly Rent , ^ 1^+

c. Total Annual Income of Household lU

h . Physical and Mental Condition of Victim at Time of Ignition 15

a. Use of Intoxicants Prior to Ignition 15

b. Physical or Mental Disabilities of Victims at Time 15

of Ignition

5. Activity of Victim at Time of Ignition l6

6. Presence of Other People During Victims Involvement l6

7. Sources and Sequence of Ignition 17

a. Ignition Sources 17

b. Ignition Sequence 17

8. Identification of Fabrics Ignited l8

a. Fabric Types l8

b. Drapery /Curtain Fabric Weight 19

9. Injuries to Victims 20

a. Personal Injury 20

b. Percent of Body Burned 20

10. Status of Victims After Fire ' 21

a. Disposition of Victims After Incident 21

b. Cause of Death 21

c. Hospitalization 22

VI
DRAPERY AND CURTAIN FIRES - DATA ELEMENT

SUMMARY OF CASE HISTORIES

by

Allan K. Vickers

ABSTRACT

A preliminary examination of 1,567 computerized case histories

from the NBS Flammable Fabric Accident Case and Testing System has

found 77 incidents in which curtains and draperies were involved in

fires. This report is a summary of infor~iation relating to these 77

incidents, and includes the location of incidents, ignition sources,

personal injury, fabrics involved and personal characteristics of

victims. Fifteen people died from these fires and 32 others were

injured. Curtains or draperies were the first fabric item to ignite

in 28 of 55 curtain and drapery incidents in which the ignition source

is known.

Key Words: Burns; case histories; curtains; death; draperies; FFACTS;

fires; flammable fabrics; houses; standards; statistical data.

vii

1. INTEODUCTION

The Fire Technology Division of the National Bureau of Standards

(NBS) is involved in a continuing investigation into the deaths, injuries

and economic losses resulting from accidental burning of fabric products.

This work is being carried out as a result of the responsibilities given

to the Department of Commerce under the Flammable Fabrics Act (15 U.S.C.

1193 as amended, Sec, 3, Public Law 9O-I89, 8I Stat. 568). The Act

authorizes the Secretaiy of Commerce to promulgate new and amended flammability standards or other regulations, including labeling, for a fabric,

related material, or product, when such a standard is needed to protect

the public against unreasonable risk of the occurrence of fire leading

to death, personal injury, or significant property damage. Under the

Act, each standard, regulation, or amendment promulgated must be based

on findings that there is a need for protecting the public against unreasonable fire risks. The Act also requires that any standard, regulation

or amendment promulgated be reasonable, technologically practicable, and

appropriate, and that it be limited to such fabrics, related materials,

or products which have been determined to present such unreasonable risks.

Flammable fabrics items being examined at NBS include children's sleepwear, mattresses, upholstered furniture and other furnishings.

The present report is a preliminary summary of case history data

related specifically to drapery and curtain fires. These data have been

compiled from the Flammable Fabric Accident Case and Testing System

(FFACTS) data bank at NBS. The data collected in this system are being

used to evaluate the need for establishing standards and to aid in the

- 1 -
selection of test methods and the identification of hazardous fabric

items. In this report, an initial attempt is made to identify the

significant variables in fires involving curtains and draperies. The

summary that follows indicates that draperies (curtains) "were involved

in 77 fire incidents. Curtains or draperies ignited in 7^ of these

incidents . : - ^

•

In the 77 drapery (curtain) incidents, ^7 people vere injured - 15

fatally. For 29 cases in which the information was available, property

losses totaled $138,835. Ninety percent of these incidents occurred in

private residences where ignition began predominantly in the kitchen,

bedroom and living room.

- 2 -
2. DATA BASE

2 . 1 FFACTS

Accident reports used in these studies have been gathered from public

safety organizations , especially the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

,

and state and local fire departments. FDA investigators from 39 district

offices in the United States compile reports on accidental fires involving fabric products, and where possible, they also obtain samples

of any remains of these products. The reports and samples are forwarded

to NBS where the information is evaluated for incorporation into a

data bank. A system known as the Flammable Fabric Accident Case and

Testing System (FFACTS) has been devised at NBS to systematically

process and analyze the reports. If the FDA reports meet the FFACT

System requirements of relevancy and adequacy, they are analyzed; and

the composition, weight and construction of the fabric products involved are determined in the laboratory. If official flammability

tests applicable to the products involved are in existence, fabric

remnants are also tested for flammability. The reported information

is then reviewed in light of the laboratory test results, coded and

entered into the FFACTS computerized data base. More than 200

different data elements can be coded for each incident.

While the incidents reported here are not statistically representative of all such incidents in the United States, they are random

events investigated without preference and, consequently, are believed

to be representative of fabric related fires. These incidents exhibit

many common characteristics which provide a valuable insight into the

nature of the hazard and establish the relative importance of the

various factors and circumstances that are involved.

- 3 -
2.2 Drapery and Curtain Data

At the time of this report, the FFACTS data base contained I567

fabric fire cases involving 3,^88 fabric items. From these, 77 fires

involving curtains and draperies were found involving a total of

82 curtains and draperies. None of the fabrics was identified as having

been contaminated by flammable liquids. The 77 incidents directly

involved 69 persons, U7 of whom were inj"ared.

The following case history siiminary does not distinguish between

draperies and curtains. While the case history reports mention hh fabric

items listed as draperies and 39 listed as curtains, there does not

seem to be any firm distinction in the use of the two terns. The words

are usually used interchangeably and v;-hen distinctions are made, they

do not seem to be universal. Consideration was given to the possibility

of artificially defining the distinction in terms of fabric weight, but

this would limit the sample data to only 36 incidents from which samples

were recovered and weighed; and therefore was rejected.

3. SUMMARY OF CASE HISTORY DATA

3.1 Location of Incidents

The 77 drapery (cirrtain) incidents used in this report occiirred in

20 states and the District of Columbia. Table la shows that a large

number of cases in the FFACTS system have come from California^ Colorado,

Massachusetts, Michigan and Iowa. Prior to late 1970, FDA*s investigative

efforts were limited to burn study teams in the latter four states where

the emphasis was almost exclusively on garm.ent fires; hence the comparatively

small number of drapery (curtain) fires from these states. In late 1970,

- 1+ -

I
due to faulty heaters, electrical short circuits, etc.

3.3 Personal Characteristics of Victims

The most highly represented age groups on these fires were the

27-^5 and 66+ ranges (Table 3a). Of the 77 drapery (curtain) incidents,

6h directly involved a person or persons. Three cases involved tvo

persons each and one case involved three persons, yielding a total of

69 involved persons in all. Three-fourths of the 35 incidents occurring

in homes were in dwellings valued at less than $20,000 while over half

of those involved who lived in rented units paid under $101 per month

rent (Table 3b). Total annual household income was $^,000 or less in

25 percent of the incidents for which income figiires are available

and under $8,000 in nearly 60 percent of the incidents. For 33 incidents, no income was reported (Table 3c). Since income and living

costs vary markedly in different regions of the United States, no

real conclusions can be drawn from these figures.

3.^ Circumstances Prior to Incident

As can be seen from Tables ha and hh, most persons involved were

not under the influence of intoxicants nor were they physically handicapped or disabled at the time of ignition. Table 5 shows the specific

activities of individuals involved in the drapery (curtain) fires at the

time of ignition. Note that two-thirds of those involved were alone

when ignition occurred (Table 6).

3.5 Ignition Sources and Sequence

In 28 incidents, the drapery or curtain was the first fabric ignited

Ignition was due primarily to kitchen ranges, matches and cigarettes.

Tables 7a and 7b list ignition sources and the order of drapery (curtain)

- 6 -
FDA accelerated and expanded its investigations resulting in a large

number of cases from California. Ninety percent of the incidents took

place in a private residence (Table lb). Specifically, one in three

was initiated in a living room, one in three in a bedroom and one in six

in a kitchen. However, in only about a third of the living room and

bedroom incidents were the draperies (curtains) the first fabric item

ignited compared to two-thirds of the incidents initiated in kitchens

(Table Ic). While the involvement of curtains and draperies is heavily

weighted towards the bedroom and living room, with fewer incidents in

the kitchen, the number of draperies (curtains) which were the first

fabric ignited was fairly evenly distributed between bedroom, kitchen

and living room - 9 in the kitchen, 8 in the bedroom and 7 in the living

room

/ 3.2 Occurrence of Incidents by Month and Time of Day

^ Table 2a gives a list of the 77 curtain and drapery incidents by

the m.onth of the year in which they occurred. The higher number of

incidents during the latter part of the year is believed to reflect

FDA's accelerated program to collect fabric fire cases near the end of

1970,'

The time of day (Table 2b) of the 77 incidents is well spread out

but appears to follow the density patterns of normal daily activity.

Kitchen incidents are limited to the 6 am to 6 pm time periods when

kitchens are more likely to be used. On the other hand, bedroom and

living room incidents are liable to happen throughout the day - in daylight

hours due, for example, to children playing with matches, at night due

to smoldering cigarettes in upholstery and bedding, and at random times

.

• "

' '

' - 5 -
involvement in these fires.

3.6 Ciurtain/Drapery Fabrics Involved

Forty-three fabric samples of draperies and curtains from 38 incidents vere received and analyzed at NBS. They were tested for fiber

content, construction and weight. For 12 other ciirtains and draperies

for which no samples were available, the involved person's and/or

investigator's opinion of the fiber content or the content as reported

on a label was sent with the report . Cotton was the most common fiber

with acetate/rayon, glass fiber and cotton/rayon also well represented.

Table 8a itemizes the fiber contents while table 8b gives the weight

distribution of the drapery (curtain) samples tested.

3.T Personal Injury and Property Loss

Curtain and drapery fires resulted in personal injuries to ^7 of

the 69 persons directly involved in the incidents. Over 75 percent of

injured received burns and almost hO percent suffered from inhalation of

smoke or gas (Tables 9a, 9b). Fifteen fatalities occiirred, ten due to

inhalation. An additional 15 people had to be hospitalized. While nearly

one in three of the injured victims died, in only two fatal incidents did

the curtains or draperies ignite first and play an unquestionable role in

the deaths. In these two cases, kitchen curtains burned rapidly and

generated a heavy smoke which overcame a total of four victims before

the fires could be controlled. In the other eleven fatalities, the

draperies or curtains contributed to the flame spread but were not the

first fabric ignited. Bedding or upholstered furniture ignited first.

- 7

-
producing suffocating smoke often before the curtains or draperies were

involved. The treatment, causes of death and length of hospitalization

of the HT injured victims are detailed in Table 10a, 10b and 10c.

Reported property loss in 29 cases ranged from $10 to $31,000 and

totaled $138,835. This averaged out to $^,787 per incident.

- 8 -

I

I
TABLES

Note in the following tables , percentage totals may not

equal 100 percent due to round-off error.

- 9 -
TABLE 1. PLACE OF OCCURRENCE OF DRAPERY /CURTAIN INCIDENTS

a. State

State Drapery/Curtain

Cases

Total Cases

in FFACTS

Caliiornia lb 175

Ohio QO 55

Illinois 7 . 79

Colorado T . ^OO

Ari zona 0"1 ^1

Missouri 5 45

Wisconsin 4 17

Michigan 4 113

Washington ^ 3 43

Nev York 3 67

Texas 3 3^

Washington, D. C. 2 16

Oregon 2 9

Pennsylvania 1 h\

Florida 1 17

Oklahoma ' 1- : 19

Indiana 1 26

Utah 1 2

Maryland 1 17

Massachusetts 1 205

Iowa 1 \\\

Others

TOTAL 77 1567

- 10 -
TABLE 1 (cont.

)

b. General Location

Location incidents Percent

Home 70 90.9

Dormitory 3 3.9

Hospital/Convalescent Home 2 2.6

Office 1 1.3

Camper 1 1.3

TOTAL 77 100.0

c. Specific Location of Ignition

Location Inciaen^s Percent

Bedroom

Living Room 26

Kitchen lU

Den/Playroom 3

Loimge 1

Study 1

Dining Room 1

Porch 1

Camper 1

Subtotal 75

Unknovn 2

TOTAL T7

36.0

3k.

1

l8.7

h.O

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

99.9

- 11 -
TABLE 2. TIME OF OCCUERENCE OF DRAPERY/CURTAIN INCIDENTS

a. Month of Year

r . Month Inc idents Percent

January 7 9.6

February k 5.5

March 3 h.l

April 1^ 5.5

May 2 ^ 2.7

June 1 l.h

July 0

August 3 k.l

Septemher 18 2J+.7

October 12 16.1+

November 10 13.7

December 9 12.3

Subtotal 73 100. 0

Unknovn k

TOTAL 77

b. Time of Day

Time Incidents Percent

12:01 am to 6:00 am 11 15.5

6:01 am to 12:00 noon 19 26.8

12:01 pm to 6:00 pm 2k 33.8

6:01 pm to 12:00 midni^5ht 17 23.9

Subtotal 71 100.0

Unknown 6

TOTAL 77

- 12 -
TABLE 3. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VICTIMS

a. Age and Sex

2_ Age Male Female Unknovn Total Percent

0-5 h 3 0 7 10.6

6-11 2 0 0 2 3.0

11-15 0 1 0 1 1.5

1 ^ Of) 0c. U 2 3.0

0 nu 6 9.1

27-35 3 7 0 10 15.2

36-I15 6 9 0 15 22.7

i^6-55 1+ \ 0 8 12.1

56-65 0 2 0 2 3.0

66+ 2 11 0 13 19.7

Subtotal 25 111 0 6^ 99.9

Unknown 1 1 1 3

TOTAL 26 1 ^9

"^Each of the above age groups represents approximately

10 percent of the 1970 U.S. population.

- 13 -
TABLE 3 (cont .

)

"b. Home Value /Monthly Rent

Home Value Incidents Percent

$ 10,000 or less 17.1

10,001 - 20,000 20 57.1

20,001 - 30,000 3 8.6

Over 30,000 6 17.1

TOTAL 35 99.9

Monthly Rent Incidents Percent

Under $101 15 53.6

101-200 10 35.7

Over 200 3 10.7

TOTAL 28 100.0

In ih incidents, these data are not known.

c. Total Annual Income of Household

Income Incidents Percent

$ ^,000 or less

1+,001 - 8,000

8,001 - 12,000

12,001 - 16,000

16,001 - 20,000

Over 20,000

11

15

7

6

h

1

25.0

3^.1

15.9

13.6

9.1

2.3

Subtotal

Unknown

TOTAL

33

77

100.0

- 1^ -
TABLE h. PHYSICAL MD MENTAL CONDITION OF VICTIM

AT TIME OF IGNITION

a. Use of Intoxicants Prior to Ignition

Intoxicant

Persons Directly

Involved Percent

Alcohol h T.a

Drugs 0 0.0

None hi 92.2

Su"btot al 51 100.0

Unknown 18

TOTAL 69

b. Physical or Mental Disabilities of Victims

at Time of Ignition

Disability

Pers >ns Directly

Involved Percent

Partial lack of mobility 3 5.9

Bed confined 2 3.9

Alcoholic 1 2.0

Epilepsy 1 2.0

None kk 86.3

Subtotal 51 100.1

Unknown 18

TOTAL 69

- 15 -
TABLE 5. ACTIVITY OF VICTIM AT TIME OF IGNITION

Persons Directly

Activity Invoj_ved. Percent

Sleeping 11 18.6

Careless smoking 11 18.6

Cooking 8 13.6

Playing with matches or lighter 7 11.9

Rescuing other victims or extinguishing fire 6 10.2

Careless use of matches 3 5.1

Other 13 22.0

Subtotal ' V 59 IDO „ 0

Unknown 10

TOTAL 69

TABLE 6. PRESENCE OF OTHER PEOPLE DURING VICTIM'S INVOLVEMENT

Solitude of victim

Persons Directly

Involved Percent

Alone at ignition only IT 28.8

Alone during entire incident 22 37.3

Not alone 20 33.9

Subtotal 59 100.0

Unknown 10

TOTAL 69

- 16 -
TABLE 7. SOURCES MD SEQUENCE OF IGNITION

a. Ignition Sources

Ignition Source"^ Incidents Percent

2

Range T 30.

i'lai-cn - 2

c; 91 7

Cigarette/Cigar h 17.^

Electrical Wiring 3 13.0

Candle 2 8.7

Electrical Appliance 2 8.7

Subtotal 23 99.9

Unknown 5 TOTAL 28

'"For incidents in which

the first fabric item

curtains or involved.

draperies '

In two cases grease was an intermediary material.

In one case paper was an intermediary material.

"b . Ignition Sequence

Order of Involvement Incidents Percent

First 28 50.9

Second 8 li|.5

Third or higher 16 29.1

Did not ignite 3 5.5

Subtotal 55 100.0

Order of Ignition Unknown 22

TOTAL 77

- 17 -
TABLE 8. IDENTIFICATION OF FABRICS IGNITED

a. Fabric Types

(Note: Parentheses in fabric names indicate separate fabric layers.)

Fiber Content Draperies/Curtains Percent

Cotton"^ 25. 5 Acetate /Rayon 8 1^.5

Glass Fiber''" 7 12.7

Cotton /Ravon

- 6 10. _l_ m 9^ R a von Ravon /Po1 vp'^ter

... 2

( Polvethvlene ) ( Pol vethvl ene

- 2 3.6

( Cotton/Rayon ) (Polyester) 1 1.8

Nvl on 1 1.8

2

-i-,y ^ >—' 1

"1 1 8

U U. l_» C L U Ll_L J_d U J J- 1 ft Polyethylene 1 1.8

(Rayon) (Polyethylene) 1 1.8

(Rayon/Cotton) (Acrylic) 1 1.8

(Acetate/Rayon) (Cotton) 1 1.8

Cotton/Polyester 1.8

Rayon /Metallic 1 ... 1.8

Polypropylene /Rayon/Modacryli c 1 1.8

2

(Unknown Plastic) (Polyurethane

)

1 1.8

2 Unknown Synthetic 1 1.8

Subtotal 55 99.

Unknown 27

TOTAL 82

"^Five cotton, 2 glass fiber and 1 rayon fabric were not tested by NBS,

2Fiber content not determined by NBS.

- 18 -
TABLE 8, (cont.

)

b. Drapery/Curtain Fabric Weight

Weight (oz/yd) Samples Percent

Under 2.0 5 11.9

2.1 - h.O 8 19.0

h.l - 6.0 12 28.6

6.1 - 8.0 12 28.6

8.1 - 10.0 3 7.1

Over 10.0 2 h.B

TOTAL h2 100.0

- 19 -
TABLE 9. INJURIES TO VICTIMS

a. Personal Injury

Personal Injury Burn Inhalation

Persons Directly

Involved Percent Victims Percent Victims Percent

YES

NO

^7 68.1

22 31.9

36

11

76.6

23.1+

18

29

38.3

61.7

TOTAL 69 100.0 ^7 100.0 47 100. 0

To. Percent of Body Burned

1 2

Percent of Total Area Full Thickness Area

Body

Burned Burned Victims Percent Burned Victims 3

Percent

18 58.1

1-5% 12 35.3 6 19.^

6 - 10^ 8 23.5 2 6.5

11 - 20^ k 11.8 0

21 - 30^ 3 8.8 1 3.2

31 - ho% 0 1 3.2

hi - 50% 0 1 3.2

51 - 60% 1 2.9 0

61 - 70^ 2 5.9 0

71 - 80^ 1 2.9 0

81 - 90^ 1 2.9 0

91 - 100^ 2 5.9 2

Subtotal 3h 99.9 31 100.1

Unknown 2 5 TOTAL 36 36

1

Total area burned includes both partial thickness ana full thickness, i.e.

first, second and third degree burns.

2

A full thickness burn is equivalent to a third degree burn.

3

The percentage of burned victims who fall into a given percentile category,

e.g. 58.1 percent of burned victims had no (0%) full thickness burns.
TABLE 10. STATUS OF VICTIMS AFTER FIRE

a. Disposition of Victims After Incident

Patient Disposition Victims Percent

First Aid Only 3 6.h

Treated and Released 13 27.

Hospitalized 15 31.9

Dead on Arrival Ik 29.8

Died in Hospital ±

O 1

c. , J- No Treatment Necessary 1 2.1

TOTAL 100.0

"b. Cause of Death

Cause Fat alities Percent

Inhalation 10 11.

Burns 2 lh,3

Inhalation and Burns 2 lh.3

Subtotal 14 100.0

Unknown 1

TOTAL 15

- 21 -
TABLE 10 ( cont .

c. Hospitalization

Days Hospitalized"'' Victims Percent

1-5 3 25.0

6-10 1 8.3

" 11 - 20 3 25.0

21 - UO 3 25.0

Over ho 2 16.7

Subtotal 12 100,0

Unknown 1+ TOTAL l6

^ifote: Four of the victims were still hospitalized when the reports were compiled. For

these only a minimum numher of hospital days

is known: one at least two days, one at least

11 days, one at least 15 days and one at least

56 days. In addition, one victim was hospitalized but died after 10 days.

- 22 -
FORM NBS-114A (1-71) U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. NBSIR 73-2342. Gov't Accession No.

3. Recipient's Accession No.

j

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Drapery aiKd Curtain Fires - Data Element Summary of

Case Histories

5, Publication Date

6. Performing Organization Code

/ • A U 1 nUKV 8. Performing Organization

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

10. Project/Task/ Work Unit No. 490

11. Contract/Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address

Same as No. 9

13. Type of Report & Period Covered

In ten" m

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.) A preliminary examination of 1,567 computerized case histories

from the NBS Flammable Fabric Accident Case and Testing System has

found 7 7 incidents in which curtains and draperies were involved in

fires. This report is a summary of information relating to these 77

incidents, and includes the location of incidents, ignition sources,

personal injury, fabrics involved and personal characteristics of

victims. Fifteen people died from these fires and 32 others were

injured. Curtains or draperies were the first fabric item to ignite

in 28 of 55 curtain and drapery incidents in which the ignition source

is known.

KEY WORDS (Alphabetical order, separated by semicolons) Burns; case histories; curtains; death; draperies; FFACTS ; fires; flammable fabrics; houses; standards; statistical data.

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