EVALUATION OF FIRE SPREAD IN THE LARGE L?RDAL FIRE, JANUARY 2014

摘要

In the evening of the 18th of January 2014 a fire started in a private home in the small municipality L?rdal in the western part of Norway. There were strong winds and the fire spread quickly. The fire lead to heavy showers of glowing sparks and flying brands, spread from house to house and to the vegetation in the hillsides around the community. There was a considerable risk that the fire would spread to a large area comprising listed cultural heritage wooden buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Several fire brigades, the Civil Defence, Red Cross and many private volunteers put in a tremendous effort to control the fire and succeeded in protecting many residential homes and most of the listed buildings. Despite their efforts 40 buildings burnt down, including 17 residential homes and 3 listed buildings. 681 people were evacuated during the fire. No persons were seriously injured during the blaze. SP Fire Research has evaluated how and why the fire spread during a large fire in the community of L?rdal in Norway. The project has increased the understanding and knowledge of large fires where residential wooden houses are involved, and the results will be valuable for prevention of future large fires. Possible mechanisms of fire spread were assessed, e.g. fire brands that spread the fire hundreds of metres. The influence of the details of building constructions and their surroundings upon the fire development as well as effects of different efforts during the firefighting was also evaluated.