Conflagration

Conflagration

Forest fire
Conflagration is an uncontrolled burning that threatens human life, health, property or ecology. A conflagration can be accidentally or intentionally created (arson). Arson can be accomplished for the purpose of sabotage, diversion, and also can be the consequence of pyromania. During conflagration the property is destroyed by fire. Sometimes the conflagration produces a firestorm, in which the central column of rising heated air induces strong inward winds, which supply oxygen to the fire.
Contents
• 1 Definitions
• 2 The causes and types of conflagration
• 3 The most famous conflagrations

Definitions
• a destructive fire, usually an extensive one
• a very intense and uncontrolled fire
• a large disastrous fire
• a large destructive fire
The causes and types of conflagration
The most common causes of conflagration are: careless handling of fire, the nonobservance of the operating instructions of production equipment, spontaneous combustion of substances and materials, the discharges of static electricity, lightning, arson. Depending on an occurrence place we can distinguish: vehicles conflagration; steppe and field conflagrations; underground conflagrations in mines; peat and forest conflagrations; conflagrations in buildings and constructions.
The space covered by conflagration is usually divided into 3 zones - the active fire zone, the heat zone and the smoke zone. External signs of a zone of the active fire are the presence of flame and the smouldering or hot materials. The main characteristic of the ravages of fire temperature is developed during combustion. For residential houses and public buildings indoor temperature reaches 800–900 °C. Typically, the highest temperatures occur during outdoor fires and the average for combustible gases 1200–1350 °C, for liquids 1100–1300 °C, for solids 1000–1250 °C. When burning thermite, elektron, magnesium the maximal temperature reaches 2000–3000 °C.
The space around the burning zone, where temperatures reached as a result of heat transfer values, causing destructive impact on the surrounding objects and dangerous for humans, called the zone of heat. Adopted take that into a zone of heat, burning the surrounding area, includes land, the temperature at which the mixture of air and gaseous products of combustion of not less than 60-80 °C. During a conflagration a significant movement of air and combustion products occurs. Hot gaseous products of combustion move upward, causing the influx of more dense cold air to the combustion zone. Inside the building the intensity of gas exchange depends on the size and location of openings in walls and floors, the height of the premises, and the number and burning properties of materials. The direction of traffic hot product and usually determines the probable spread of the fire path, as well as powerful back heat flows can move sparks, burning coals and lead to considerable distance, creating new hotbeds of burning. Products of a fire combustion (smoke) form a smoke zone. The composition of smoke usually consists of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapor as well as ash and other substances. Many products of incomplete and complete combustion, which are parts of the smoke, have high toxicity, the products generated during combustion of polymers are especially toxic. In some cases, products of incomplete combustion, such as carbon monoxide, may form with oxygen combustible and explosive mixtures.
The most famous conflagrations

Ostankino conflagration (August 2000)

New Orleans Fire 2005
Place Date Conflagration Size
Great Fire of Rome
64
Alexandria
AD 46–120 Burning of the library of Alexandria

Moscow
1547
Moscow
1571
Edo
1657 Great Fire of Meireki
30,000 to 100,000 victim,60-70% of city was burned.
London
1666 Great Fire of London
13000 houses and 87 churches are destroyed.
Moscow
1812 Fire of Moscow (1812) occurred after Napoleon captured the city.
Hamburg
1842 Great Fire of Hamburg
The quarter of city territory is devastated.
Santiago, Chile 1863 Fire of the Jesuit Church At least 2,000 victims
Atlanta
1864 Atlanta Campaign during American Civil War. Occurred after General Sherman captured the city.
More than 4,000 houses, including dwellings, shops, stores, mills and depots are burned, about eleven-twelfths of the city. Only about 450 buildings escaped this ruthless burning.
Chicago
1871 Great Chicago Fire
From 200 to 300 victims, 17000 buildings are destroyed
Jacksonville
1901 Great Fire of 1901
Destoyed 146 city blocks, over 2,368 buildings and left almost 10,000 people homeless all in the course of eight hours
San Francisco
1906 Result of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
More than 105,000 victims,96% of city burned
Barnaul
1917 Uncontrollable fire 34 victims, 60 quarters destoyed.
Stalingrad
1942 The result of an air bombardment More than 40000 victims and 60000 wounded men, a half of city was destroyed, the fire produced a firestorm

Hamburg
1943 The result of an air bombardment 35000—45000 victims, the centre of the city was destroyed.
Dresden
1945 The result of bombing of Dresden in World War II
25000—40000 victims, the centre of the city was destroyed. The fire produced a firestorm

Brussels
1967 A conflagration in the Innovation Department store
323 victims, 150 wounded
Moscow
1977 A conflagration in the Russia Hotel 42 victims
Bradford
1985 Bradford City stadium fire
52 victims
Asunción
2004 Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire
374 victims, 500 wounded
Greece
2007 2007 Greek forest fires
84 victims
Australia
2009 Black Saturday bushfires
209 victims, 500 wounded