Cotton Stack Fire Beside a Live Distribution Board
It is 14:20 in the cutting section of a garment unit. A bundle of cotton fabric has been stacked against a wall since morning within 0.5 m of a distribution board. A guard smells burning rubber, then sees grey smoke curling from the bottom of the stack and a small orange flame near a socket. About 40 workers are on the floor; the main exit is clear but the secondary exit has three trolleys of cut pieces in front of it. Two extinguishers are mounted 8 m away: one 6 kg CO₂ and one 9-litre water-type. A supervisor shouts "throw water, it's only cloth" while another worker runs for the CO₂. The unit has no sprinklers, the alarm is a manual bell, and the power to the cutting floor is not yet isolated.
1. Classify the fire and decide which extinguisher should be used, if any. Explain the reasoning about water and the electrical distribution board.
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Class: Class A - cotton fabric is an ordinary combustible solid. The ignition source appears electrical (socket/distribution board), so the fire has an electrical component even though the fuel is Class A.
Which extinguisher:
- Water-type (9 L) is the wrong choice while the panel is live. Water conducts electricity; a jet near a live socket or board can electrocute the user, and it can also spread burning material.
- CO₂ (6 kg) is the safer immediate choice if the power cannot be isolated: it is non-conductive, leaves no residue and is effective on the electrical component and small surface flames.
- But CO₂ has limited cooling and poor penetration into a deep-seated Class A stack - the fabric can re-ignite. It is a first-aid measure, not a cure.
- Once an electrician confirms isolation, water or foam can be used on the Class A material from a safe distance.
Critical point: the supervisor's "throw water, it's only cloth" ignores the live panel. The correct answer is: isolate power first; use CO₂ only on a small fire with an escape route behind; otherwise evacuate.
2. Should the guard attempt to fight the fire or concentrate on evacuation? Give the factors that decide the answer and the sequence of actions.
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Evacuate - do not fight this fire. Weigh the factors:
- Life safety: 40 workers on the floor, smoke already visible, and a manual bell that may not be heard over machine noise.
- Escape: one exit clear, the secondary exit blocked by three trolleys - a single-exit evacuation with 40 people is a bottleneck.
- Fire load and location: cotton stacked against a distribution board gives a fast-spreading fire and a live electrical hazard; no sprinklers.
- Training and equipment: staff are untrained; two extinguishers only.
Sequence: activate the manual bell immediately; call the fire brigade (give address, floor, "cotton and electrical panel"); stop the cutting machines; direct workers to the main exit, moving the trolleys only if it can be done in seconds without entering smoke; assembly-point roll call for all 40; report any missing person to the fire officer - do not re-enter.
A guard may use an extinguisher only if the fire is small, he is trained, someone is backing him up, and the alarm has already been raised.
3. What must be corrected before the next shift, and what must not be done during the post-fire period?
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Before the next shift:
- Clear the secondary exit and keep a 1 m clearance around the distribution board; move all fabric at least 1 m from electrical panels.
- Get the panel inspected by a qualified electrician; do not re-energise until the fault is found and certified.
- Service/test the manual bell and extinguishers; add a second alarm or hooter audible over machinery.
- Train workers in evacuation and extinguisher use; run a drill using the blocked-exit scenario.
- Add a housekeeping and exit-check to the guard's patrol sheet, signed each shift.
Must not be done: do not throw water on the live panel; do not re-energise the board to "test" it; do not move burnt material before the fire officer inspects; do not let production restart in the area. Preserve the scene, photograph it, and file the incident report with times, persons and actions.