Effects of mass fires on personnel in shelters

A. Broido; A.W. McMasters

Treesearch

Effects of mass fires on personnel in shelters

Informally Refereed

Authors:

A. Broido, A.W. McMasters

Year:

1960

Type:

Technical Paper

Station:

Pacific Southwest Research Station

Source:

Technical Paper No. 50. Berkeley, CA: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 84 p.

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Download (PDF 12.50 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/50130.pdf

Abstract

In the mass fires resulting from air attack during World War II, many people lost their lives in shelters in fire areas. The greatest number of deaths occurred in basements or makeshift shelters. In many cases, positions of the corpses indicated that death came peacefully and unexpectedly. A frequent assumption is that death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning. However, cause of death has also been attributed to such effects as asphyxiation, the effects of inhaling hot blasts of air, and overheating of the shelter occupants as a result of heat transfer into the shelter. This study presents results of work focused on describing conditions that might be experienced by people in shelters during a mass fire.

Citation

Broido, A.; McMasters, A.W. 1960. Effects of mass fires on personnel in shelters. Technical Paper No. 50. Berkeley, CA: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 84 p.