The Chiltern International Fire (CIF) research into wheelie bin fires, commissioned by the Merseyside and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services, was cited on the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 in early September.
The news report was prompted by a number of fires in Derby, some of which were caused by the deliberate ignition of wheelie bins which had been left outside in the street. In one fire, a property was destroyed and in another, two people were alerted to a fire outside their flat.
According to Philip Howard, Chiltern Fire’s Head of Section, Fire Behaviour, the estimated cost of wheelie bin fires at the time the research was undertaken was more than £49 million – Government puts the cost of attending a wheelie bin fire at around £1,650.
‘These fires can quickly get out of hand because the bin rapidly melts to a pool of molten plastic, generating large levels of heat,’ Phil said. As part of the research, CIF carried out a large-scale fire test under controlled conditions to show how quickly a fire could escalate. Even the smallest standard 9.5kg wheelie bin in common use could generate a potential heat release of 427.5 MJ, with a peak energy output of 0.95 MW.
Merseyside and South Yorkshire decided to commission the research after five people died in two separate incidents. Phil stressed, ‘Life is definitely at risk. Nearly 30,000 wheelie bin fires were reported in 2006 and the problem will not go away.’
PDF: Jeremy Vine airs Chiltern International Fire wheelie bin fire research
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