EFFECTIVENESS OF HAND-HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ON CARGO CONTAINER FIRES.

The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of firefighter intervention using hand-held fire extinguishers on fires in 150- and 800-cubic-foot cargo containers. This test plan was undertaken following a fire in the main deck cargo compartment of a South African Airlines Boeing 747-244B (COMBI) on November 27, 1987. The airplane crashed into the Indian Ocean killing all occupants. A total of 27 tests were performed; 23 in the 150-cubic-foot cargo container series, and 4 in the 800-cubic-foot cargo container series. Three agents were tested--Halon 1211, Halon 1301, and loaded stream water. Only the Halon 1211 agent was partially successful in extinguishing this type of Class A fire. Seven of the 23 fires were extinguished. The rigid cargo containers contained and controlled the test fires through oxygen starvation in 18 of 20 fire tests that were not extinguished.... Aircraft cargo fire, Cargo containers.