Smoldering Sofa Fires

[Mark Howell]

Given good ventilation, how long would you say it would take a smoldering sofa to reach the flame stage. I realize times will vary, but in my experiences, two to four hours seems to be the normal outer limit. Anyone know of any research that has been done.

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Mark Howell, Director
Advanced Investigative Concepts, Inc.
Dallas, Texas, USA

[George Wendt, CFI]

Go to this site for starters http://fire.nist.gov/

This is the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Go to the Bureau of Fire Research Laboratory. Gobbs of reference materials. Also, while at the site, go to FIREDOCS and run a literature search. This site is the most under utilized site in fire investigation.

[CJBFireConsultant]

George is correct! I would also submit that you review NFPA 921 as well as the Fire Protection Handbook by the NFPA for more information. Time frames are so case dependant, based upon numerous variable factors. These include but are not limited to;

heating source temperature
ambient air temperature
couch temperature
Construction materials
Wind direction (ventilation) and speed
etc

[Vyto Babrauskas]

I have published a paper giving available statistics on this topic. See:
Babrauskas, V., and Krasny, J. F., Upholstered Furniture Transition from Smoldering to Flaming, J. Forensic Sciences 42, 1029-1031 (1997).