Fire protection systems must be maintained in operational order. When they are not functioning properly, they should be quickly repaired and returned to service. Some of the largest industrial fires in history have occurred when systems were out of service or impaired. One example is the fire at MacFrugal's Bargains-O-Closeouts Inc. in New Orleans, LA, a rack storage warehouse with storage to a height of approximately 65 ft. After an initial fire was controlled and extinguished, the sprinkler systems were shut down. Improper handling of these impaired fire protection systems is reportedly a main contributing factor that led to a second fire, which totally destroyed a 1.2-million-sq-ft warehouse.
展开▼
