Home fires cost thousands of lives each year. One reason: People fail to realize how fast fires can spread.
In a survey of 500 people, 24 percent believed that after a fire starts, they will have 10 minutes or more before life-threatening conditions develop.
Time-lapse data from a National Fire Protection Association survey on fire escapes shows a different picture. In minutes and seconds, this is how fast a fire could progress if it starts on a first-floor couch:
:30 The fire ignites and grows.
1:04 It spreads and smoke begins to fill the room.
1:35 Smoke layer descends and temperatures exceed 190 degrees F.
1:50 Smoke detector at the foot of the stairs sounds.
2:30 Temperature above the couch is over 400 degrees.
2:48 Smoke pours into other rooms.
3:03 Temperature three feet above the floor in room of origin is over 500 degrees.
3:20 Upstairs hall is filled with smoke, making escape difficult.
3:41 Flashover could occur in the room of origin, igniting everything. Temperature rises to 1400 degrees.
3:50 Two minutes after the smoke detector sounds, a second exit is the only way out.
4:33 Flames are visible from the exterior of the house. At this point, rescue may not be possible.
Make sure your family has an escape route planned from each bedroom. They should know two possible ways to escape from a room.
Children should be taught never to delay their escape and never run back into a burning house.
