Escaping a fire: a few details can determine life or death!

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From January to October this year, the country reported a total of 250,000 fires, resulting in 1,261 deaths and 895 injuries, with direct property losses amounting to 3.01 billion yuan. Winter is a dry season, and it is the time of year when fires are most likely to occur. According to statistics, fires that occur in winter account for 40% of all fires throughout the year, with residential fires being the most common. Today, we will together examine the deadly actions during fire escapes, in the hope of helping everyone improve their skills for escaping from fires. Fatal Action 1: Fire in a room – breaking down the door to enter. Example: On July 22, 2010, a fire broke out in the Jinnuo Building in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province; in a bid to save people, the security guard kicked down the door, resulting in 1 death and 6 injuries. Experts advise: After a fire breaks out, the temperature in the room rises sharply, and the air pressure also increases dramatically. If the outer door is opened suddenly, it can cause a \"deflagration.\" Correct approach: The situation in a fire can change rapidly. When a room is on fire and one wants to break in, it is necessary to first feel the temperature of the door with one’s hand, so as to determine how far the source of the fire is from the door. If the door isn’t hot, the risk of kicking it down is relatively low as well. For safety reasons, before entering, it is necessary to push the door open a little from the side to allow air to flow in gradually; never try to push it in head-on. Deadly Move 2: Hiding in the bathroom and missing the best chance to escape. Case: Around 3 a.m. on April 20, 2012, a large fire broke out in the Wutong Apartment complex at the intersection of Wenyi Road and Xueyuan Road in the western part of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Three women managed to escape, but one woman hid herself in the bathroom, missing the optimal opportunity to flee; she was taken to the hospital but died despite efforts to save her. Experts advise: In the event of a fire, if a bathroom does not have windows leading outside, it is very easy to suffer from oxygen deficiency, which can lead to unconsciousness or death. In most cases, even if a bathroom has a window, it is very small. If a fire burns for an extended period of time, it becomes difficult for rescuers to locate and save those trapped inside, so it is still recommended not to take shelter in the bathroom. Correct approach: As soon as a fire breaks out, one should immediately evacuate downward along the fire escape. Deadly Move 3: Jumping from a Building Blindly. Case: Around 6:10 a.m. on November 14, 2008, a fire broke out at Shanghai Business School, located at 2241 Zhongshan West Road in Shanghai. Four female students jumped from the sixth-floor dormitory to try to escape, but unfortunately all of them died. Experts advise: Never jump from a building blindly. Jumping is an action to be resorted to only as a last resort, and it is only applicable to lower floors; there are also technical aspects involved. The correct approach: One can use evacuation stairs, balconies, drainage pipes, etc. to escape, or tear bed sheets and pillowcases into strips to make ropes, which can then be tied firmly to fixed objects such as window frames or iron railings, allowing one to slide down using those ropes or go to a floor that isn’t on fire in order to get out of danger. It is recommended that households with high-risk situations equip themselves with simple fire-fighting and escape tools such as escape descenders and fire blankets. Fatal Move 4: Escaping using ordinary elevators. Case: At around 12 p.m. on November 7, 2016, a fire broke out in Building 34, Group A of Nanfang Garden residential complex in Jiangning District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. Firefighters and police officers rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire. However, during the evacuation process, they found that many residents chose to use the elevators to go downstairs. Experts advise: In the event of a fire in a high-rise building, it is strictly forbidden to use the elevator to escape. Because a fire could destroy the electrical system, causing the elevators to stop working or even slide uncontrollably to the bottom of the building, those inside the elevators are at great risk of losing their lives. Correct approach: In the event of a fire in a high-rise building, one should use the emergency exits or stairwells to escape, cover the mouth with a wet towel, and move by crawling. There are also three major taboos: 1. Do not shout. Shouting not only wastes time and energy but also causes one to inhale thick smoke, leading to burns in the respiratory tract. If one inhales toxic smoke, it is possible to die on the spot. 2. Unable to walk upright. One should adopt a lower posture, stay as close to the ground and the wall as possible, and escape quickly through the fire exit or stairs. 3. Do not use your hands to put out the fire. Otherwise, not only will it fail to extinguish the fire on the body, but it may also burn the hands; one should roll on the ground instead.