The world knows that the iconic Notre Dame had caught fire in an untoward incident on Tuesday. While, the people are still in shock looking at the massive fire that almost shook the city, the experts of the fire-engineering and eminent professors have their take on how and why it was a massive effort to douse the fire.
Science behind fire
Professor of fire science at Imperial College London, Guillermo Rein told BBC about the complexity of roof that is prone to fire. He said, “The roof of the cathedral involved complex carpentry. It has very thin and very thick columns which are flammable.” While, the thin columns are prone to ignition, the thick columns burn to keep the flames high.
Also, the churches are usually built to be airy and ventilated that freely allows the passage of oxygen. The presence of oxygen accentuates the condition more and more.
Different methods of Dousing
There are scientific prescribed methods to douse the fire. Experts in the case of Notre-Dame discussed two methods – one by putting the water outside of building where attack is from within and fighting the flames from above.
However, in the case of Norte Dame fighting the flames from above using a flying water tanks was not a good idea as it could have damaged the walls and could have affected the structure of cathedral.
Suggestive Methods
The principles of fire-engineering play an important role in designing the architecture of building.
Bob Parkin, an expert UK Firefight quoted BBC Notre-Dame should install sprinklers.
“The buildings like this should have sprinkler systems as it’s relatively easy to prevent,” he said.
