Another disturbing cause of these non-process fires is smoking and inconsiderate discarding of cigarettes butts into waste bins or skips which already contain combustible materials. These lead to the contents igniting and subsequent damage to the asset, disturbance to people, use of the firefighting resources and possible injuries. Such unfortunate behavior led to a costly fire incident in 2009 where a mechanical workshop was severly damaged and the cause was concluded to be a discarded cigarette butt. Fortunately the response to many such incidents was fast otherwise some incidents could have escalated even more.
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At least 3 fires were due to acts of vandalism and sabotage. In 2011, two incidents occurred within one month where locals intentionally set waste skids on fire and in 2010, a bus driver of a contracting company working for PDO intentionally set his own bus on fire!! Another unsafe act often seen recurring is trying to force two pin sockets into three pin electricity outlet. This led to damage the socket and can lead to fires. Also, overloading many appliances onto one outlet could also lead to short circuits and subsequent fire.
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Fire is an exothermic reaction which radiates heat. Fires occur when the three elements of the fire triangle combine. 1. Fuel, 2. Oxygen 3. Ignition source. Ingredients in the fire triangle include:
FUELS:
Gases: Methane, Acetylene, Propane,
Liquids *: Petrol, Organic Solvents
Solids *: Plastics, Wood, Fibers, Metal Particles
OXIDIZERS
Gases: Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine
Liquids: Hydrogen Peroxide, Nitric Acid, Perchloric Acid
Solids: Metal Peroxides, Ammonium Nitrite
IGNITION SOURCE
Sparks, Flames, Static Electricity, Heat
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