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257
PRIMCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND
FIRE DEPARTMENT
BUREAU OF FIRE PREVENTION
Dale ot Repori
Becember 13, 1978
REPORT OF investigation/ / t /
"•'^'' 78-66698
CRB No.
Initial or Sopplemeniary
Supplementary
Lt. D. j/Malber^->
Status o( Investigation Closed
Subject ol investigation Overview of the Fire Incident in Building-A
There were four persons inside the office area who discovered the fire. They notified the Fire Department and evacuated the building.
These four persons saw smoke from the back vault area, and one person observed orange color coming from one of the vaults in the back area, possibly Vault #9 or near there.
The Fire Suppression Units arrived and initially made a search and rescue attempt. Then as they were backing out of the front of the building, an explosion occurred (apparently from the buildup of flammable vapors from the film burning) and blew four fire fighters out the front of the building. These four, and seven other fire fighters, were injured while fighting the fire.
The fire apparently started in a vault in the right-rear area of the building, possibly in Vault #8 or #9. Physical evidence points to this area, also statements from eye witnesses indicate that the fire started in this area.
The fire was apparently caused by spontaneous combustion of nitrocellulose film stored in these vaults. This was caused apparently by a heat rise in the vault area, that was apparently caused by an insufficient quantity of freon gas in the air conditioning system.
Information from employees of the film storage building and construction men doing work there indicate that there was a leak in the air conditioning system for about two months, and maintenance men from General Services Administration (G.S.A.) were constantly adding additional freon to the system.
On the morning of the fire, witnesses relate that the compressor was cycling on and off continuously, and the suction and discharge lines for the freon gas and liquid were both hot. This indicates that there was an insufficient amount of freon in the 'system which would cause a heating effect inside the building, instead of a cooling effect.
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