Investigation of a large wooden gymnasium fire- Its documentation, estimation of the fire scenario by experiments and evaluation of the structural properties of surviving timber elements

This is the first fire in Japan of a large wooden gymnasium with a large-scale glue-laminated timber structure which was totally burnt with a rapid flashover (FO). The fire deserves close attention for not only rapid FO in a large enclosure but also availability of extremely good documentation on the fire. The extent of carbonization of the members that was collected when the building was dismantled and its structural property were measured. A series of burning tests of the combustibles stored in the source of the fire, conducted to clarify why the fire spread so rapidly in the gymnasium where a FO had been least anticipated and to make guidelines to prevent fire from spreading rapidly.