Weil Ann - Fire Disasters

FIRE

DISASTERS

ANN WEIL

Copyright 2004, 2013 by Saddleback Educational Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. SADDLEBACK EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING and any associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Saddleback Educational Publishing.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61651-931-5
ISBN-10: 1-61651-931-2
eBook: 978-1-61247-627-8
Printed in Guangzhou, China
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Photo Credits: page

CONTENTS

DATAFILE

Timeline

December 19, 1974

A movie called The Towering Inferno is released about a fire in an office building.

July 20, 2000

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado closes after a wildfire grows from 50 acres to 500 acres in three hours.

Where is Colorado?

Did You Know?

Smokejumpers are highly skilled firefighters. They parachute into remote areas to help put out wildfires.

Key Terms

fine to demand that someone pays money for breaking a law

inferno intense heat

wildfire a fire that spreads very fast, making it difficult to put out

CHAPTER 1 | Introduction

People have relied on fire for many thousands of years. Early humans used fire to warm themselves and cook their food. They also used fire to frighten away animals that might hurt them.

Fire is a basic part of modern life. People still use fire to cook and to heat their homes.

Fire can also be a killer. A house fire can turn deadly if people do not get out in time. Fires seriously burn many people. These injuries are very painful and take a long time to heal.

Every year fires destroy many homes and businesses. Fire is expensive. Fires cause more damage than floods, tornadoes, and other disasters combined.

Wildfires

Toasting marshmallows and telling scary stories around a campfire is a lot of fun. But campfires can burn out of control. Wildfires destroy forests and parks. Wildfires also kill many animals.

Some wildfires are caused by lightning. Careless people are also responsible for many wildfires. Dropping a lit cigarette outside on a hot, dry day can start a huge wildfire.

Sometimes people start wildfires on purpose. They may think its fun. But these fires are no joke. Many homes are destroyed by wildfires. Firefighters risk their lives battling wildfires. People caught starting wildfires are fined or sent to prison.

Fires and Earthquakes

Earthquakes caused some of the worst fire disasters in history. Big cities are most at risk for fires after an earthquake.

Earthquakes damage gas lines. Gas leaks lead to explosions and fires. Earthquakes also damage water pipes. After an earthquake there may not be any water to use to fight the fires. San Francisco, California, and Tokyo, Japan, are two big cities that suffered huge fires after earthquakes.

Office Buildings on Fire

A popular disaster movie of the 1970s was called The Towering Inferno. It was about a fire in a high-rise office building.

Office buildings have safety features to protect people from fire. Sprinklers are designed to turn on automatically. Water sprays over a fire to put it out. There are usually fire escapes and fire stairs so people can exit a burning building quickly.

When terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, the jet fuel exploded and set the twin towers on fire. This real-life towering inferno was the worst fire disaster ever.

The first full-time fire brigades were started back in the 1800s. Firefighters today are well trained and highly skilled. They use modern equipment to control fires that threaten lives and destroy property.

Wildfire, Summer 2000

The summer of 2000 was one of the worst for wildfires. Hot, dry weather in the westerns states was mostly to blame. By the end of the summer, 74,180 fires had burned more 6.5 million acres across the United States.

DATAFILE

Timeline

July 1212

Both ends of the London Bridge catch on fire, making it impossible to escape.

September 2, 1666

The Great Fire of London begins in a bakery.

Where is London?

Did You Know?

During the Great Fire, people tried to stop the flames by destroying their houses. This way, the fire would not have anything to burn.

Key Terms

fire break a strip of land cleared to stop a fire

plague a disease that spreads quickly and causes death

thatch roof a house covering made of straw

CHAPTER 2 | London Bridge Fire, 1212

Many European cities grew up around rivers. Boats moved up and down these rivers long before there were cars or trains.

The Thames River runs through London, England. London is a very old city. Many of Londons beautiful buildings and bridges are hundreds of years old.

London Bridge was built in the 1170s. This bridge was more than just a way to cross the Thames River. It became a kind of neighborhood.

Hundreds of families lived in houses built on the bridge. There were many shops on the bridge, too. Thousands of people used the London Bridge every day. It was a very busy place.

London Bridge is on Fire!

One windy day in July 1212, London Bridge caught fire. Both ends of the bridge were burning. People on the bridge were trapped. The wind blew the fire toward the center of the bridge.

Buildings on the bridge caught fire. The bridges narrow street filled with smoke and flames. People panicked. Some jumped off the bridge.

About 3,000 people died from the London Bridge fire. Many were burned or crushed to death. Some drowned in the Thames River below.

All the houses on the bridge were destroyed. But parts of the bridge survived the fire. The huge stone piers were left. People could still use the bridge. It remained an important crossing for another 600 years.

Fighting Fires Without Water

There were no water hoses back in the Middle Ages when the London Bridge fire occurred. People used buckets of water to put out fires. But this did not work for very big fires.