Why do firefighters sometimes cut a hole in a perfectly good roof or wall?
This is a standard firefighting practice referred to as ventilation, which is performed for several reasons. In a free-burning fire, thick, heavy smoke accumulates throughout the structure. This smoke is composed of both unburned carbon particles and several flammable and toxic gases. This smoke can make a bad situation even worse. The smoke can be extremely deadly to anyone still in the building. The gases contained in the smoke are usually highly flammable, causing not only an additional fire load, but also an explosive hazard as well! Smoke makes it even more difficult for victims to escape. It is also more difficult and more dangerous for firefighters to do their jobs. Unlike the movies, visibility in a real fire is almost always non-existent. Without a way out of the building, all of the heat that is generated by the fire will continue to build-up, bringing temperatures to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Wood paper and plastic all start to burn and give off gases at between 400 and
