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Multiple-alarm fire

The Eastern Market in Washington, D.C. was damaged by a three-alarm fire in 2007[1]
New York City's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava was mostly destroyed by a four-alarm fire in 2016[2]
This row of small businesses was destroyed in a five-alarm fire in New York City in 2013[3]

One-alarm fires, two-alarm fires, three-alarm fires, etc., are categories classifying the seriousness of fires, commonly used in the United States and in Canada,[citation needed] particularly indicating the level of response by local authorities. The term multiple-alarm is a quick way of indicating that a fire is severe and is difficult to contain. This system of classification is used by both fire departments and news agencies.[4]

The most widely used formula for multi-alarm designation is based on the number of units, (for example firetrucks, tankers, rescue vehicles and command vehicles) and firefighters responding to a fire; the more vehicles and firefighters responding, the higher the alarm designation.[4]

In terms of understanding the relative severity of an incident, the government of Rochester, New Hampshire has reported in a statement that a "typical fire in a small structure will usually require only one or two alarms". In contrast, however, a "large-scale fire in a commercial building would require three alarms or more."[5]

  1. ^ Klein, Allison; Keith Alexander; Michelle Boorstein. "2 Fires Ravage Eastern Market, Georgetown Library in 12 Hours". The Washington Post, May 1, 2007
  2. ^ Rosario, Frank; Sullivan, C.J.; Wilson, Tom & Perez, Chris (May 1, 2016). "Massive fire breaks out at Manhattan church". New York Post. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  3. ^ Schweber, Nate (2013-05-02). "Fire Devastates Businesses in Bronx, and Neighborhood Laments Loss". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  4. ^ a b Engber, Daniel (2006-05-04). "How big is a 10-alarm fire?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  5. ^ "What is a 2-alarm fire vs. A 5-alarm fire? | Rochester NH".
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