Beating Flashover: The Culprit to Cause Major Fire Incidents

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Major fire incidents are one of the most unpredictable causes of damage and casualties. A building or property can be engulfed by fire, even when fire-related safety planning has been implemented strictly. The fire soon turns into napalm and devours all that it could, causing irreparable damages to property and human lives. The main culprit for a small fire to turn into a big disaster is known to be “The Flashover” – a transformation incident that unleashes every potential damage that a small fire can boast.

Whenever there is a fire, it keeps on burning until it exhausts all the combustibles and oxygen around it. This small starting point of the fire would rapidly consume combustibles around it and within a fraction of a second would turn from a minor threat to a massive disaster. The moment of this transformation is called the Flashover.

The localised fire, within seconds, would climb up the building and eat away at every combustible material – and combustible materials are in abundance all around our habitats. A plethora of polyethene and other plastic derivatives, flammable paint on the walls, synthetic furnishings and even cookware would help the fire spread quickly.

Combustible materials which are situated in close vicinity to the fire will ultimately decide upon the rapidity of a localised fire turning into a significant Flashover. A typical living space of our habitat contains so much plastic derivatives that it could encourage the Flashover to grow at a 5X or 10X speed. From furnishings to electricals – there is a lot of plastic to be combusted once a fire incident occurs.

Read also: 5 Things To Consider Before Buying ACP Sheets for Your Home or Commercial Project

But is it only the materials inside the building that contributes to a colossal Flashover? The answer is NO – even the building materials contribute to fire incidents turning into major disasters. Opting for cladding materials that are made of plastic and other combustible composites actually feed the fire and makes it travel faster to engulf a bigger chunk of the building.

Not only that, plastic cores of cladding materials melt and fall as “molten droplets”, thus damaging human epidermis and causing damages up to a third-degree burn. It also produces toxic fumes that would hide escape routes and slowly choke humans to death.

When a fire starts, the heat is so intense that it could easily break windows and burn down doors to travel upwards and engulf a building. A combustible façade would help the fire to travel upwards and cause more and more damage easily. In these cases, plastic, silicone or any other flammable materials of the façade would act as fuel, and the fire would cover the entirety of the building – the three-sixty degrees way.

This is why at Aludecor, we suggest using our FireWall or FireWall A2 Metal Composite Panel for your facades, which is designed to #BeatTheFire. With our fire retardant Aluminium Composite Panels, the spread of fire could be stopped until two hours. Not only that, Aludecor FireWall A2 ACP sheets have fireproof properties that are similar to that of metals.

The secret lies in the core of our Fire-grade MCP sheets. The Metal Composite Panels are indigenously made in India with non-halogenated cores. Once our MCPs catch fire, the core burns into dust particles while releasing water molecules to bring down the heat and stopping the spread of fire.

Read also: Wabi Sabi ACPs Instil Unique Appeal to Saket Group’s Sales and Marketing Office

Aludecor FireWall ACPs also make sure not to release any toxic fumes – this way the occupants of the building would not have blurred vision and escape routes may not be hidden from the sight. We are also proud to say that we are the first Indian brand to receive the FPC (Factory Production Control) certificate from Exova Warringtonfire (UK) for reaction to fire classifications of EN 13501-1 Class B– s1, d0, BS476, Part 6 and 7 Class O and passes resistance to fire for 2 hours in accordance with ASTM E119-12.

Click HERE to check out our intensive Quality Check Measures that guarantee 100% fire protection for your dream spaces and your loved ones.

Opt for Aludecor FireWall or FireWall A2 ACPs by giving us a call at 1800 102 0407 (Toll-free) to fireproof your building today!

author avatar
Soumanti Datta
Experienced in the field of Content Development, Soumanti writes about the latest developments in Architecture, Technology, and Art. She dreams of a sustainable future and is an avid supporter of eco-friendly industries.