sprinklers?

[espmass]

Sorry but I'm too lazy to weed through all of today's posts to see if this was addressed regarding the Star fire- Why didn't the sprinkler system in the cabins control the fire? Or was the fire mostly on the balconies? Or did the sprinklers in fact put it out?

[Host Kewlguy]

I've heard they think the fire started on the balcony. From the pictures I've seen I would say that was the case. Sprinklers would have no effect in that case.

[espmass]

So were all those cabins burned on the balconies with mostly just smoke damage inside? It's hard to tell from the pictures if there was any fire inside. That must have been terrifying. I was on the Star last year and will be on the Golden next week.

[TinAngel]

I have no knowledge of what a passenger liner uses. I do know that a US Navy ship or even most cargo or oil transports use a very different system. In my other post I noted such. I am sure that the system on a passenger ship is not very "invasive" as it would harm or kill passengers. Not enough fire or watertight measures on a liner. But in truth the Navy will lose a few to save a ship. I am very proud of the passengers and crew here.

 

I just feel certain that we have to wait for the USCG or/and NTSB reports. I suspect that the fire was also going up the electrical and other systems such as vents for heating and cooling. If it was "balcony to balcony" that has to be addressed for future cruises. We will find out soon. Could be as simple as that area was recently painted. Perhaps paint cans were in a cabin being worked on?

Or some fool used the wrong paint on the ship.

 

My memory tells me NTSB will be in on this investigation.

 

Amazing

[vmom]

news report I read indicated that the fire started on a balcony and spread to other balconies, which is why a sprinkler systerm would have difficulty containing the fire.

[sherman931]

I, too, am curious as to what role the sprinkler system had in controlling the fire (or not) as the case may be. However, I will wait for the facts to come out as a result of the investigation....and not speculate as so many already have as to the impact of the sprinklers.

[Firefighterhoop]

Hi, I am a firefighter as well as a fire inspecter, so I have working knowledge of sprinker systems and how they will and won't be effective.

 

A) Were there sprinker systems on this ship - YES

B) Were they effective - YES

 

 

This fire started obviously in one of 2 places either in the cabin or on the balcony. for those who dont know here is how a sprinker system works. The story of one sprinkler goes off, they all go off is a myth, not a fact. Each sprinker head is independant, so when that head goes off, it is the only one to go off until others get hot enough.

 

Anyway - so countless to where the fire started, it also involved the balcony. once the fire gets into the balconies, it is a free for all. There is nothing to stop it, there is a 20MPH breeze at minimum to help to fan the flames, or to blow hot burning embers to other balconies.

 

So I think that in the cabins, the sprinklers were putting out the fires, but this fire was moving on the outside of the ships, and since a lot of people sleep with their doors open to the balcony, it was no problem for burning material to get to the inside of the staterooms. In my hypothesis the fire spread from balcony to balcony and then from balcony to stateroom - where the fire was put out.

 

The reason I have come to the conclusion that the fire was put out by the cabin sprinkler system, is that no one has reported fire damage to the hallway - it is all heavy smoke damage. If the fire was left free burning in the staterooms, eventually hallway envolvement would have been enevitable.

 

just my thoughts on the matter.

[NJGRANNY]

I don't understand what material is on the balcony that would burn? I haven't actally ever been on a balcony on a ship, so I don't know how they're constructed.

[flamomo]

There does not seem to be much burnable material in the balcony construction. The supporting material is metal, the clear panel below the railing is plexiglass/lexan type material, the furniture is resin and the floor mat is a plastic/resin tye os substance. The only wood is the railing.

I realize if a fire starts, the resin and plexiglass would combust, but I can't imagine that the fire originated in those materials. Perhaps pool towels were left on the balcony, and IF it was actually a cigarette that started the fire, the fuel was a pool towel.

I did read a first person account by a passenger that happened to be associated with a news organization, and she stated that the ship was brought to a stop to reduce the wind effect of fanning the flames.