This fire, in a kitchen showroom, took place at 00.05 hours local fire crews arrived soon afterwards to find a well-developed fire in progress, the incident commander requested further fire appliances to attend as well as a fire appliance equipped with Cobra. The fire crews commenced defensive firefighting from outside the building using jets and used positive pressure ventilation to clear the fire gases and allow firefighters to check for fire spread between the showroom and the warehouse.
A fire crew with Cobra was on site within 35 minutes. The firefighting crews were experiencing intense heat from the fire and a decision was made to use Cobra to pierce an external wall and cool the fire gases in the storage building and prevent the fire from spreading in that direction. Cobra was used to excellent effect along with PPV to prevent further fire spread. The incident commander used Thermal Imaging Camera scans to determine when the fire gases had been sufficiently cooled and supressed before allowing firefighters to safely enter the building and extinguish the remaining pockets of fire. The Cobra crew were on site for two hours.
Cobra can penetrate fire gases even in large buildings
- Very effective at cooling the fire gases
- Very effective at preventing fire spread
- Cobra attack from the ground or aerial appliance
- Creates a safer environment if used before BA entry
