When is a million-dollar fire not a complete disaster?

It’s not often you can call a $1.5 million fire a success story, but the gas explosion and fire at the Woburn Nursing Center in Woburn, Massachusetts, in October 1992 was just that, as I noted in "Looking Back" in the most recent issue of NFPA Journal. Despite the violence of the explosion, and the ensuing fire, no one died, although 21 civilians and two firefighters were injured. Four factors contributed to the successful outcome. The facility had a functioning sprinkler system that operated as designed; the administration had developed programs and procedures for staff emergency response; the staff followed those procedures immediately; and the fire department responded quickly. Everything worked as designed and, as Woburn Fire Chief Robert Doherty said later, “everyone worked together.”

Read the full story on line or on page 96 of the September/October issue of NFPA Journal. You can also download the full fire fire investigation report written by NFPA's Michael Isner.