At around 12:23 PM on August 26, a sudden fire broke out at a Country Garden construction site in Foshan, sending thick smoke billowing. Foshan police received the alarm and dispatched three fire engines to the scene to assist, quickly evacuating people and maintaining order. By 12:36 PM, the fire was extinguished, and no casualties were reported. Preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of plastic foam at the construction site, with an affected area of approximately 16 square meters.
Statement on the Fire Incident at the Chao'an Country Garden Project Site
At approximately 12:20 PM on August 26, 2018, a fire broke out near the perimeter wall of the Chao'an Country Garden project site. Immediately after the incident, all departments of the project carried out emergency response. With sufficient firefighting equipment and water on site, the open flames were extinguished within 3 minutes. The fire occurred at noon when workers had already left work, and no injuries or property damage were caused. The project responded promptly, and the main building structure was not affected. Normal operations have now resumed.
Current Follow-up
After the incident, the project promptly reported to relevant government departments. Multiple police units from Chancheng Public Security, the fire department, the subdistrict office, and the safety supervision department arrived to assess the situation; by the time they arrived, the project had already extinguished the fire. Preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of waste plastic foam stored next to the perimeter wall. Because the waste contained plastic components, thick black smoke was produced. The fire was not intense at the time, and the project handled it quickly.
All departments of the project are now conducting in-depth safety inspections and will take targeted measures to strengthen the identification and rectification of safety hazards.
The on-site handling is shown in the pictures and video below; it can be seen that the main building structure was not affected by this incident.
Appendix: What are the fire prevention measures at construction sites?
Temporary buildings and structures under construction on site should adopt corresponding fire prevention measures. In the event of a fire, these measures help delay the spread of fire and buy valuable evacuation time for personnel on site.
I. Principles for Building Layout at Construction Sites
Fire prevention for buildings at construction sites mainly includes two aspects: temporary buildings and buildings under construction.
(1) Fire Prevention Principles for Temporary Buildings
Temporary buildings at construction sites generally include living quarters for construction workers such as offices, dormitories, kitchens, and boiler rooms, as well as warehouses for storing construction materials. The fire prevention design of the entire temporary building area should be determined based on its nature of use and fire risk.
First, temporary buildings with different fire risks should adopt fire compartmentation measures, which can delay the spread of fire to some extent and buy valuable evacuation time for occupants. Second, evacuation provisions must be considered, and evacuation indicators such as evacuation distance, evacuation corridor width, and evacuation stairs should meet code requirements.
(2) Fire Prevention Principles for Buildings Under Construction
Since there are many construction workers in buildings under construction, and depending on the construction phase, hot work and on-site construction materials increase fire risk, the safe evacuation of on-site workers in the event of a fire is the key to fire prevention design for buildings under construction.
Therefore, passages that ensure the safe evacuation of on-site workers should be provided as much as possible in buildings under construction. At the same time, fire prevention design for buildings under construction should be based on construction nature, building height, building scale, and structural characteristics.
II. Fire Prevention Requirements for Temporary Buildings
Temporary buildings mainly include dormitories, offices, etc. In addition, construction sites also have generator rooms, transformer and distribution rooms, kitchen operation rooms, boiler rooms, and warehouses for combustible materials and flammable and explosive hazardous materials.
(1) Fire Prevention Requirements for Dormitories and Offices
In the living area of a construction site, a large number of temporary buildings are generally set up for office and accommodation purposes, where many on-site workers gather and rest. These temporary buildings generally cannot be designed for fire prevention like formal office buildings or dormitory buildings, which brings fire safety hazards to the construction site. Therefore, based on both economic rationality and ensuring basic fire safety requirements, the following fire prevention requirements are proposed for temporary dormitories and offices:
1. The combustion performance grade of building components should be Class A. When temporary buildings are made of metal sandwich panels (commonly known as color steel plates), the core material should have a combustion performance grade of Class A. The combustion performance of materials should be tested by qualified testing institutions in accordance with the current national standard "Classification for Burning Behavior of Building Materials and Products," and a qualified test report should be issued.
2. The number of building stories should not exceed 3, and the floor area of each story should not exceed 300 m².
3. When the building has 3 stories or the floor area of each story exceeds 200 m², no fewer than 2 evacuation staircases should be provided, and the maximum distance from any room evacuation door to the evacuation staircase should not exceed 25 m.
4. When rooms are arranged on one side, the clear width of the evacuation corridor should not be less than 1.0 m; when rooms are arranged on both sides, the clear width of the evacuation corridor should not be less than 1.5 m.
5. The clear width of evacuation stairs should not be less than the clear width of the evacuation corridor.
6. The floor area of a dormitory room should not exceed 30 m², and the floor area of other rooms should not exceed 100 m².
7. The distance from any point in a room to the nearest evacuation door should not exceed 15 m; the clear width of the room door should not be less than 0.8 m; when the room floor area exceeds 50 m², the clear width of the room door should not be less than 1.2 m.
8. Partition walls should extend from the base of the floor to the bottom of the roof slab.
(2) Fire Prevention Requirements for Special-Purpose Rooms
In addition to offices and dormitories, special-purpose temporary buildings on construction sites, such as generator rooms, transformer and distribution rooms, kitchen operation rooms, boiler rooms, and warehouses for combustible materials and flammable and explosive hazardous materials, have relatively high fire risk. Fire prevention requirements for these rooms help control fire risk.
1. The combustion performance grade of building components should be Class A. The combustion performance of materials should be tested by qualified testing institutions in accordance with the current national standard "Classification for Burning Behavior of Building Materials and Products," and a qualified test report should be issued.
2. The building should be single-story, and the floor area should not exceed 200 m²; warehouses for combustible materials and flammable and explosive materials should be arranged in separate temporary buildings, and the area of each temporary building should not exceed 200 m².
3. Warehouses for combustible materials should be divided into several rooms using non-combustible materials. If a certain flammable or explosive material is needed in large quantities during construction, it can be stored separately in multiple rooms. The floor area of a single room should not exceed 30 m², and the floor area of a single room in a warehouse for flammable and explosive hazardous materials should not exceed 20 m².
4. The distance from any point in a room to the nearest evacuation door should not exceed 10 m, and the clear width of the room door should not be less than 0.8 m.
(3) Fire Prevention Requirements for Combined-Function Temporary Buildings
There are many temporary buildings on construction sites, and their layout is often constrained by site conditions. Temporary buildings with different functions can be combined according to the following provisions. When combined, non-combustible materials should be used for fire separation between two temporary buildings with different functions, and the fire prevention requirements should be based on the temporary building with the higher grade requirement. Generally, the following requirements should be met:
1. Dormitories and offices should not be combined with kitchen operation rooms, boiler rooms, transformer and distribution rooms, etc.
2. On-site offices and dormitories should not be combined. If the scale of on-site offices and dormitories is small and the total floor area of both does not exceed 300 m², they may be combined.
3. Generator rooms and transformer and distribution rooms may be combined; kitchen operation rooms and boiler rooms may be combined; dining halls and kitchen operation rooms may be combined.
4. Conference rooms may be combined with offices; cultural and recreational rooms and training rooms may be combined with offices or dormitories; dining halls may be combined with offices or dormitories.
5. Rooms with relatively dense personnel on construction sites, such as conference rooms, cultural and recreational rooms, training rooms, and dining halls, should be located on the first floor of temporary buildings, and their evacuation doors should open in the direction of evacuation.
III. Fire Prevention Requirements for Buildings Under Construction
Fire prevention for buildings under construction mainly includes requirements for temporary evacuation routes and for expansion and renovation construction of existing buildings.
(1) Fire Prevention Requirements for Temporary Evacuation Routes
Fires in buildings under construction often occur at work sites. Therefore, evacuation routes in buildings under construction should be kept in step with the structural construction and connected to work sites to meet evacuation needs. Based on economic and safety considerations, completed horizontal structures and stairs of the building under construction may also be used. To ensure rapid, orderly, and safe evacuation from the fire scene and to avoid secondary disasters such as crowding, stampedes, and collapse of evacuation routes during evacuation, the installation of temporary evacuation routes at work sites in buildings under construction should comply with the following provisions:
1. Temporary evacuation routes at work sites in buildings under construction should be built with non-combustible or flame-retardant materials and installed in step with the structural construction of the building under construction. Temporary evacuation routes should have fire resistance matching evacuation requirements, with a fire resistance rating not less than 0.50 h.
2. Temporary evacuation routes should have traffic capacity matching evacuation requirements. For temporary evacuation routes set on the ground, the clear width should not be less than 1.5 m; when using completed horizontal structures or stairs of the building under construction as temporary evacuation routes, the clear width should not be less than 1.0 m; for climbing ladders used for evacuation and temporary evacuation routes set on scaffolding, the clear width should not be less than 0.6 m.
3. When the temporary evacuation route is a ramp with a slope greater than 25°, stairs or steps should be built, or anti-slip strips should be provided.
4. Temporary evacuation routes should have load-bearing capacity matching evacuation requirements. Climbing ladders should not be used as temporary evacuation routes; if they must be used, reliable fixing measures should be provided.
5. Temporary evacuation routes should ensure the safety of evacuees. If the side is an open edge, protective railings with a height of not less than 1.2 m must be installed along the open edge.
6. If temporary evacuation routes are set on scaffolding, the scaffolding, as the supporting structure of the evacuation route, should meet relevant requirements for load-bearing capacity and fire resistance. When checking the stiffness, strength, and stability of scaffolding, evacuation loads should be considered. Scaffolding should be erected with non-combustible materials, and its fire resistance should not be lower than that of the evacuation route.
7. Temporary evacuation routes should ensure orderly evacuation of personnel and should be provided with obvious evacuation signs and emergency lighting facilities.
(2) Fire Prevention Requirements for Expansion and Renovation Construction of Existing Buildings
When expansion, renovation, and alteration construction is carried out in existing buildings that are occupied, in operation, or in use, the construction site itself has many fire risk factors, resulting in greater fire risk. In the event of a fire, it is likely to cause mass casualties. Therefore, various fire prevention technical and management measures must be taken to strictly prevent fires. During construction, effective preventive measures should also be taken based on the specific project and construction conditions.
When expansion or renovation construction is carried out on existing buildings, the construction area and non-construction area must be clearly separated. The construction area must not be used for business, use, or residence; when the non-construction area continues to be used for business, use, or residence, the following requirements should be met:
1. A fire separation wall of non-combustible construction with a fire resistance rating of not less than 3.0 h and without doors, windows, or openings should be used between the construction area and the non-construction area.
2. Fire facilities in the non-construction area should be intact and effective, evacuation routes should be kept clear, and daily duty and fire safety management systems should be implemented.
3. The construction area should be guarded by dedicated personnel for fire safety, and fires should be handled immediately.
4. The construction unit should provide fire safety education to residents and users, inform them of the location and use of building fire facilities and evacuation routes, and organize evacuation drills.
5. The erection of external scaffolding should not affect safe evacuation, normal passage of fire engines, or firefighting and rescue operations.
(3) Other Fire Prevention Requirements
1. External Scaffolding and Formwork Supports
External scaffolding is both the external protective scaffold and the external working scaffold for construction workers. Formwork supports are both the supporting framework for concrete formwork and the supporting framework for workers' operating platforms. To protect construction workers from fire hazards, the frames of external scaffolding and formwork supports should be erected with non-combustible or flame-retardant materials. Among them, the frames of external scaffolding and formwork supports for high-rise buildings and existing building renovation projects should be erected with non-combustible materials.
2. Safety Nets
The safety protective vertical nets of external scaffolding wrap or enclose the entire building under construction. Once flames, sparks, or embers from hot work ignite combustible safety nets, the fire will spread rapidly. During exterior facade renovation of existing buildings, it is generally difficult to stop use; there are many combustible items indoors, many people, and a certain proportion of people with relatively weak escape ability. Combustion of external scaffolding safety nets may very likely spread indoors, making the fire difficult to control and more harmful. In addition, if the safety protective net of a temporary evacuation route burns, construction workers will have no way out, and safety facilities will become unsafe facilities. Therefore, the following safety protective nets should be flame-retardant:
(1) Safety protective nets for external scaffolding of high-rise buildings;
(2) Safety protective nets for external scaffolding during exterior wall renovation of existing buildings;
(3) Safety protective nets for temporary evacuation routes.
3. Evacuation Signs
To help workers quickly find evacuation routes in emergency and chaotic moments and facilitate orderly evacuation, obvious evacuation signs should be installed at work sites, with directions pointing to the nearest temporary evacuation route entrance.
4. Safety Evacuation Diagrams
During the construction period of a building under construction, visibility is generally poor. Therefore, safety evacuation diagrams should be posted in prominent positions on the work floor.