At 10 a.m. on June 9, 2022, a fire broke out in the Hangzhou Bay Building Materials Market at No. 588 Wangmei Road, Linping District, Hangzhou. The fire started in the Ice and Snow World on the second floor of the building materials market.
Among them, what deserves people's attention is: Since the fire occurred on the second floor and the floor was not high, several of the victims panicked and jumped down from the second floor to escape.
(Hangzhou fire scene picture)
Although it is human nature to "seek advantages and avoid disadvantages", this still arouses heated discussion among people: Is it advisable to jump off a building when a fire breaks out? What are the chances of escaping by jumping from a low floor?
Fire danger is ruthless: the whole story of escaping by jumping off the building
According to the owner of a shop near the Ice and Snow World, he first heard a huge explosion, so he hurriedly ran out and saw billowing smoke coming from the Ice and Snow World opposite the store.
Another witness also reported that although the Ice and Snow World was a thousand meters away from him, he could still smell the smoke through the balcony window, and it felt choking even through a mask.
(Dense smoke at the scene)
Later, people saw this thrilling scene from the video of the crime: a girl's hair was burned off; some people jumped from the second floor to avoid the scorching heat wave of the fire after their clothes were burned; others jumped from the second floor and hung on the line of the outdoor air conditioner, and then fell down again.
The rapid advance of the fire fighters at the scene, the countless screams and shouts, and the sound of blunt objects falling to the ground as the trapped people jumped from the second floor to the ground were intertwined, creating a tragedy of fire danger.
Later, the reporter came to the entrance of the emergency room and saw a woman in green clothes lying on the hospital bed. Although the clothes were intact and there were no obvious signs of burns, her face was full of pain and pain, which still attracted the reporter's attention.
After detailed questioning by reporters, we learned that she was the one who jumped off the building bravely during the fire. The lady in green revealed to reporters that she was on the second floor when the incident occurred and saw a fire next door. The intense smoke at the scene choked her and she couldn't breathe.
Seeing the flames rising higher and higher, heading towards her, she had no time to think at the critical moment and relied on instinct to jump out of the second floor window. Although she was injured, fortunately the floor was low and her life was saved. She felt that she had done the right thing by jumping off the building.
(A woman in green clothes jumped off a building)
In addition to the woman in green clothes currently lying on the hospital bed, some netizens also saw another man in white clothes jumping from a video posted online. In response to this, many netizens condemned the indifference of passers-by. At the same time, also said that if he were this man, he would also choose to jump from the second floor to escape.
People with a little knowledge of fire protection will understand that in addition to the fierce open flames approaching the ignition point, the most terrifying thing about fires is the thick dust and smoke. Many victims first inhaled a large amount of dust particles and were choked to death by the thick smoke, and then the fire carbonized their bodies. In this case, if the floor is not high, jumping off the building during a fire seems to be a way to escape in desperate situations.
So what is the chance of surviving a fire on a low floor by jumping off a building?
What are the chances of escaping by jumping off a building in a fire on a low floor:
In life, there are very few examples of successful escapes by jumping off a building during a fire. For example, on April 4, 2021, a fire broke out in the flea market in Simao District, Pu'er, Yunnan. Many stores on the first floor were instantly engulfed in flames. A man jumped from the third floor and successfully escaped. But this man's situation is extremely special. Because there was a large sofa for cushioning downstairs, the man only sprained his foot.
(Survivors who jumped from buildings)
In other cases, people who jumped from buildings in a fire would not be so lucky. According to incomplete fire statistics in Zhuhai, more than 70% of deaths in building fires are caused by jumping from buildings.
Because the outdoor ground is made of cement, it is extremely hard and has very poor buffering capacity. If people jump from a building rashly, although they escape the fire, they are very likely to break their ribs or pelvis, causing massive blood loss and death.
And now the height of most floors is about 2.9 meters. If it is a commercial floor, the height is about 4.5 meters. If you jump from the second floor, the height is actually not low at all. With such a dizzying height of six or seven meters, ordinary people cannot psychologically convince themselves to jump down.
(Height of the Ice and Snow World)
Maybe after seeing this, some people have entered into a dilemma. Fire is ruthless. If you don’t jump from the building, you will be burned by the fire, and if you jump from the building, you will face falling to death. If you happen to be on a low floor, then in this case, should you jump from this building?
Should you escape from a fire on a low floor?
First of all, fire brigade professionals do not advocate jumping from a building to escape because the mortality rate of jumping from a building in a fire is higher than the mortality rate of house collapse and fire smoke during an earthquake.
Secondly, if you are in desperation and are really desperate, jumping off a building is only suitable for low floors. The highest limit is the third floor.
Even if you choose to jump off a building in such a critical moment, you must not jump straight down! You must throw quilts, sofa cushions, or any soft things downstairs to ensure that there is cushioning at the landing position to reduce the impact after jumping.
If you can't find anything soft on the second floor and the fire is about to burn you, you can choose to jump off the building to escape, but you must pay attention to your jumping posture. Make sure your legs and feet are close together, pay attention to your center of gravity, and protect your fragile head.
(The person who jumped from the building in the Hangzhou Ice and Snow World fire)
As for being on the fourth floor of html For disaster victims above 1, they should never choose to jump off the building as a last resort. Because of this height, even if there are professional life-saving air cushions downstairs, they will not be able to protect themselves and will still cause great physical impact and harm to the people who jump off the building.
So in a fire, besides jumping off a building, how can we respond correctly and improve the fire escape rate?
The correct way to escape in a fire:
Use evacuation channels to escape: Generally speaking, shopping malls, KTVs and other public places will post a safety evacuation diagram at the entrance, with escape channels marked on it. You must pay more attention to the specific locations of these escape channels. Once you encounter a fire, you must stay calm and quickly evacuate the escape channels.
Correctly determine the origin of the fire: Because the fire spreads upward, not downward. Therefore, when your floor is lower than the fire point, you can choose to run downstairs to escape. If your floor is higher than the fire point, be sure to close the doors and windows to reduce the spread of the fire. Call the fire alarm immediately, and then block the gaps in the doors and windows with wet blankets to prevent the spread of smoke. Cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel and wave a bright cloth outside the window to initiate a distress signal and attract the attention of rescuers.
Crawling to avoid poisonous gas damage: Some public gathering places use a large number of sponges, foam plastic boards, fibers and other decorative materials during the decoration process. After a fire, these materials produce a large amount of toxic gases. Therefore, during the escape process, in addition to covering your mouth and nose with a wet towel or clothes, you must also walk in a low posture to minimize the damage from smoke.
Crawling is the most scientific escape method to avoid poisonous gas damage. If you stand and walk during a fire, you won't be able to walk very far before you suffocate. Most of the trapped people did not have this common sense. People upstairs ran downstairs, and people downstairs ran upstairs. They were crowded in the stairwell and died of suffocation due to poisoning.
is written at the end:
Fire is ruthless, and the fragile human body seems so powerless when faced with waves of fire devouring it. We hope that we will pay attention to this fire, find out the cause of the fire, and prevent such things from happening in the future. After all, human life is at stake and it is no child’s play. Pray for the people affected by the disaster in Hangzhou.
References:
[1] Jiang Qinqin . Ten ways to escape quickly from a fire. CNKI
[2] Liu Bing. Should you jump off a building when facing a fire? CNKI
Author: Xiaoyang Reviewer: henna Proofreading editor: Li Zi
