The dynamics of flash fires involving flammable hydrocarbon liquids

Victims of fires are sometimes discovered to have less-than-lethal levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the blood and no significant antemortem fire damage. Such occurrences are often linked to flash fires involving volatile hydrocarbon fuels. In this study, the dynamics of hydrocarbon fuel fires are examined, and the results of fullscale room tests ignited with small (< 2 L) quantities of flammable liquid are found to confirm the theoretical predictions. These tests showed that flame plumes with temperatures of 500-975 degrees C were produced above flammable liquids. Ignition of their vapors in a carpeted room produced a very short-lived flash of fire throughout the room, followed by intense flames in a layer above the floor approximately 1 m deep, which quickly degenerated to isolated pools of low flames. Combustion of hydrocarbon vapors in a room caused oxygen levels to drop below 8.5% in < 100 s, while causing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to increase to 12-16% whether the door to the room was open or closed. Production of CO trailed maximum CO2 production by 15-30 s. A victim exposed to such a fire may collapse from extreme heat (aided by the water vapor created by the combustion of hydrocarbons), weakened by oxygen deprivation, before CO inhalation becomes a significant factor.