For more than two decades, science has recognized that building fires have become hotter, faster-spreading and more toxic. One engineer blames it on the world’s “addiction to polymers,” a reference to synthetic materials that are everywhere—from the exterior wall systems that wrap modern towers to the furniture, carpets and even decorative features. As the fire safety publication NFPA Journal described in a headline, often what “Looks Nice, Burns Hot.”
The danger to people in burning buildings is greater. What was in the 1970s an average timeframe of 17 minutes in which occupants of a home had to escape after a smoke alarm activated, according to Underwriters Laboratories (UL), has shrunk to just two or three minutes.