Simulation of an atrium fire using CCFM.VENTS

A fire occurred in a Karaoke restaurant adjacent to an atrium space of a three-story shopping mall in Hong Kong. Smoke spread to the atrium space rapidly and accumulated at the roof. It was suspected to be an arson fire since all the sprinkler heads were actuated but did not discharge water. The program CCFM.VENTS (Consolidated Compartment Fire Model application code named VENTS) developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is used to simulate the fire environment. Based on the simulated results, the thermal sensitivity of sprinkler heads at upper levels is studied. Further, the growth of the smoke layer with natural and forced ventilation is studied. It seems installing smoke extraction systems is important in atrium buildings.