Can we learn from the her it age lost in a fire? - Museovirasto

from fire hydrants and the nearby lake. The action
that gave “fog spikes” in the attics was the
most effective, at least as long as the roofs were
intact.
Though there were fourteen flats and six commercial
apartments that were totally destroyed, the
fire brigade was rather satisfied; they succeeded in
saving three-quarters of the block, both in area and
in approximate value.
In at least one case, the rescue of valuables
succeeded well; the extinguishing water from
above threatened a glue-paint covered ceiling in a
café on the entrance floor. The firemen covered
the floor immediately with tight sheets and
pumped the water outside. As soon as they could,
the conservators got access to the ceiling to protect
it from further damage.
Advice: A good knowledge of a building by both
the rescue service and the heritage authority will
increase the possibilities of a good result; an operational
rescue and salvage plan are good instruments.
Problems in fire fighting
1. There were narrow, 0.2–0.5 m “passages” between
some of the buildings that were originally
built as fire limitation space probably to be sprayed
with water. They were up to 40 m long and went
from the ground to the eaves and they were often
used as storerooms for combustible materials. They
were sometimes blocked with boards or growing
plants at one or both ends. The walls in these passages
were often covered with board or other
wood-based materials.
Consequence: These passages gave no protection
against fire spreading from one house to another.
In some cases, they even acted as a chimney. They
were often too long to be effectively sprayed with
water. Their length and narrowness also made it
difficult to enter them. The flames from the fire
went up to the eaves and into the attic.
Advice: Sprinklers under the eaves would probably
have limited or even stopped the fire. Alarm
threads on the walls may have given early warning
of fire in the spaces. A better possibility to
access the spaces would have achieved their original
purpose of fire limitation. Spreading fire
could have been limited if the passage walls had
been covered with non-combustible materials and
the spaces were tidy.
2. There were just a few fire-limiting walls in the
attics and between buildings.
Consequence: It was impossible for the firemen to
The block in Jönköping after the fire.
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