Container House Fire Collapse
Container houses are prone to collapse in fires, mainly due to poor fire resistance of the building, flammable core materials, and narrow internal passages that hinder evacuation.
Poor fire resistance of the building, prone to collapse: Container houses are mostly supported by steel structures. In a fire, the temperature in the fire scene can reach 800 - 1000℃, far exceeding the 500℃ critical temperature at which steel structures lose their static equilibrium stability. Under load-bearing conditions, the exposed steel structures will rapidly deform, causing local damage and leading to the overall collapse of the building. Ordinary container houses generally lose their load-bearing capacity and collapse within about 10 minutes after a fire breaks out, which greatly hinders personnel evacuation and material rescue.
Core materials are easily ignited and spread rapidly: To reduce costs, some container houses use flammable materials such as polyurethane and polystyrene to fill the core. These materials have low ignition points and poor flame retardancy. They will immediately burn when exposed to high-temperature sparks, short-circuited wire beads, or open flames. Moreover, their honeycomb structure increases the contact area with the air, making the combustion more intense and the fire spread extremely fast.
Narrow internal passages hinder evacuation: Some user units, in pursuit of usable area, do not leave safety passages and evacuation spaces that meet regulatory requirements, and even occupy safety evacuation passages to build container houses. Once a fire occurs, personnel evacuation is blocked, and the consequences are unimaginable. In addition, container houses also have problems such as unauthorized electrical wiring, mixed use of high-power electrical appliances, and the use of bottled gas indoors. The risks of electric shock and fire are prominent, further increasing the likelihood and danger of fires.
