Summary: The Great Adventure Haunted Castle Fire

My timeline for the fire comes from Fairchild’s 2015 NFPA conference, revisiting The Great Adventure Haunted Castle Fire. He uses the NFPA investigation and the trial testimony for his information. The foam pad caught on fire. After the fire started it took 60 seconds for the ceiling above the foam pad to become involved. Two minutes for other parts of the Castle to smell smoke. Two and a half minutes for the end of the strobe corridor (end where the fire started) to reach flashover. Three minutes for the entire strobe corridor to flashover. Great Adventure fire arrived with a ½ inch hand line for the front entrance sometime around 6:35 PM. They only got 20 feet through the front before being overwhelmed and retreated, then began to attack
The two managers never had to go to court because they entered a pretrial program to serve community service. The Corporation who owned the park was found not guilty of manslaughter due to the fact they were told they didn’t have to put sprinklers in because it was a temporary structure and was not inspected by Jackson Township fire marshal. Guilty verdicts were hinged on the fact that whether a sprinkler system would have saved the teenagers. The experts that testified for the NFPA opinions was that a sprinkler system would not have saved the teenagers lives. This testimony cause a lot of back lash for the
In haunted houses the presence of combustible materials and special props can also contribute to the fuel load should a fire occur. Because of this, in 1988 NFPA 1 code was adopted with requirements for corn mazes, haunted houses, and other special events. The Code requirements are purposely strict in hopes of avoiding a disastrous fire event and loss of life. NFPA 1 code summery (taken directly from NFPA web site): Haunted houses must apply the provisions for assembly occupancies in addition to the provisions of Section 20.1.4. Automatic sprinklers are required for all haunted houses. If the haunted house is considered moveable or portable, an approved temporary means is permitted to be used for water supply. Smoke detection is required throughout the haunted house where the nature it operates in reduced lighting and the actuation of any smoke detection device must sound an alarm at a constantly attended location on the premises. Actuation of sprinklers or any suppression systems, smoke detection system (having a cross zoning capability) must provide an increase in illumination of the means of egress and termination of other confusing visuals or sounds. Exit marking and floor proximity exit signs are required. Where designs are such that the egress path is not apparent, additional directional exit marking is