After the fire was discovered, there was an unexplained 20 minute delay in calling the fire department. Upon arrival, they successfully confined the fire to the cut-off storage room, and extinguished it. Doors and manual skylights were subsequently opened and the building ventilation turned on to vent the dense black smoke. Unfortunately, these measures resulted in the spread of smoke throughout the facility. Automatic sprinkler protection is needed to protect combustible occupancies since it is the most effective first line of defense against a fast spreading fire.
Smoke easily travels throughout a building and is only held back by physical barriers.
If your facility or contents are susceptible to smoke damage, your potential for loss in the event of fire will be increased accordingly. You can greatly reduce your potential for loss by ensuring that the fire department is called immediately when a fire is discovered. Pre-plan emergency action with your local fire department. During this process, consideration should be given to various means to minimize potential damage from smoke and water, including effective post loss clean-up and salvage procedures. A fire on the third floor of a five-story building used for food processing spread to a plastic interior wall.