Container House Fire Accident

Container house fire accidents are often related to construction materials, electrical circuit failures, and unauthorized use. They are commonly seen in unauthorized renovations and construction site dormitories, characterized by rapid combustion, difficulty in escape, and challenges in firefighting.

Common Causes of Fire Accidents

• Unauthorized Construction Materials: Some container houses use flammable materials such as polystyrene and polyurethane foam as core materials to save costs. These materials have poor fire resistance and can be ignited by electrical welding sparks or cigarette butts. For example, containers in Danyang City's Danbei Town, which were illegally renovated for residential use, were mostly built with flammable sandwich panels that did not meet fire resistance standards. Once ignited, the fire spreads rapidly and produces toxic smoke.
• Electrical Circuit Failures: Short circuits and overloads in electrical circuits are significant causes of container house fires. For instance, the warehouse fire at Qianhui International Cultural and Art Logistics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in Jiading's Nanxiang was caused by the company's failure to implement fire safety responsibilities, leading to an electrical short circuit that ignited the cardboard box packaging of goods below and escalated into a disaster. Another fire in two renovated container houses in the industrial park of Anci District, Langfang City, was caused by an electrical circuit failure at the switchboard, which ignited surrounding weeds and triggered the fire.
• Unauthorized Use Behaviors: Behaviors such as unauthorized wiring, mixing high-power appliances, and using bottled gas indoors in container houses increase the risks of electric shock and fire. For example, unauthorized residential containers in Danyang City's Danbei Town generally have these issues, posing significant safety hazards.

Characteristics of Fire Accidents

• Rapid Combustion: Once ignited, flammable sandwich materials melt and deform at 80°C, causing droplets that trigger more severe combustion wherever they fall.
• Difficulty in Escape: Both polystyrene and polyurethane produce thick black smoke when burning, filling rooms with toxic fumes and making it difficult for trapped individuals to escape, often resulting in casualties. For example, in a fire at a container mobile home near Xiamen Road, Xinbei Street, Tianjin Binhai New Area, two trapped and injured individuals were found during the search and rescue operation but died after rescue efforts failed.
• Challenges in Firefighting: Fires spread rapidly and can easily cause collapses in a short time. Collapsed container houses, wrapped in iron sheets, make it difficult for firefighting water cannons to penetrate the interior, increasing the difficulty of firefighting and rescue operations.