Fire Behavior

[Spike&Jane]

As I read the post about the fire on the Star Princess, I failed to see some of the contributing factors to this exterior fire mentioned. The first factor is that the exterior spaces of the ship such as balconies do not have sprinklers as the interior spaces do. The second factor is the amount of fuel on the balconies such as the plastic dry-deck, plastic furniture and possibly clothing or towels. The third and most important factor is the forward movement of the ship that fans the fire into an inferno. A ship sailing at 20 knots would move a lot of air into a fire. Congratulations to the fire crews on the Star Princess. Great stop.

 

Modern cruise ships are engineered to be fire safe with installed systems, fire rated doors and compartments and trained fire firefighters. The safety procedures that are in place are there for a reason and not to be disregarded by the passengers. This is a freak accident that could have been much worst than it was.

[Perky1]

It was the Star Princess....