Solving the soft furnishings fire problem (without incurring collateral damage)

Abstract Fires in which soft furnishings (upholstered furniture and beds) were either the first item ignited or were identified as the major item in the fire's growth are the deadliest of residential fires. This Special Issue of Fire and Materials on Furniture Flammability grew from a small session on this subject in Interflam 2019. The issue contains 14 papers that describe the fire problems of soft furnishings, research to better understand their burning behavior, and recent success in and promising approaches to reducing the losses from these fires. This introduction concludes with the author's challenges to the fire safety community for reducing the number and consequences of soft furnishings fires.