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Aflash fire is a sudden, intensefire caused by ignition of a mixture of air and a dispersed flammable substance such as a solid (includingdust), flammable or combustible liquid (such as an aerosol or fine mist), or a flammable gas. It is characterized by high temperature, short duration, and arapidly movingflame front.
A flash fire is defined byNFPA 2112 (Standard on Flame-Resistant Clothing for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Short-Duration Thermal Exposures from Fire)[1] as:
A type of short-duration fire that spreads by means of a flame front rapidly through a diffuse fuel, such as dust, gas, or the vapors of an ignitable liquid, without the production of damaging pressure.
Flash fires may occur in environments wherefuel, typically flammable gas or dust, is mixed withair in concentrations suitable for combustion.
In a flash fire, the flame spreads atsubsonic velocity, so theoverpressure damage is usually negligible and the bulk of the damage comes from thethermal radiation and secondary fires. When inhaled, the heated air resulting from a flash fire can cause serious damage to the tissue of thelungs, possibly leading to death byasphyxiation. Flash fires can lead to smoke burns.
Flash fire is a particular danger in enclosed spaces, as even a relatively small fire can consume enough oxygen and produce enoughsmoke to cause death of the persons present, whether by asphyxiation or bysmoke inhalation.[2]
Protective clothing made offire-retardant materials (e.g.Nomex) reduces or prevents thermal injury in the body areas that are covered by the fire-retardant material. Even normal clothing can provide partial protection.
Small flash fires can occur in theoperating room duringsurgery where the presence of ignition sources such as electrical instruments orlasers, an oxygen-rich environment, and flammable vapors (e.g.alcohol-based disinfectants) may set the stage for such an accident. While apparently smaller fires go unreported, surgical flash fires have led to burn injuries and fatalities.
Incidents of surgical fires are "significantly under-reported", according to The Joint Commission. More than half of surgical fires happen inside a patient's airway or on the patient's upper body; around 10 percent of surgical fires actually happen within the body cavity, and a quarter of surgical fires happen on other parts of the body. About 70 percent are ignited by electrosurgical tools commonly known asBovies, devices that use a high-frequency electric current to cut tissue or stop bleeding. 20 percent of fires are sparked by hot wires, light sources, burrs or defibrillators. Another 10 percent are touched off by lasers.
As far as the patients are concerned, some recover with scars and emotional damage. Some die from burns and smoke inhalation.[3]
