ABSTRACT
According to the EU Commission Directive issued on December 21, 1988 (1989L0106-EN-20.11.2003), the construction works must be designed and built in such a way that, in case of an outbreak of fire, the following items are gathered: the load-bearing capacity of the construction can be assured for a specific period of time; the generation and spread of fire and smoke within the building and to neighboring constructions are limited; the occupants can leave the affected place by themselves or be rescued by other means; and the safety of rescue teams is considered. Evidently, the behavior in fire of structures that have been damaged by earthquakes represents an important issue (EQE, 1995), since the earthquake-induced damage makes the structure more vulnerable to fire effects than the undamaged one (Faggiano and Mazzolani, 2011a). Frequently, fires break out after a seismic event, giving rise to a real catastrophe (Figure 6.1). In fact, the negative effects of fires on structures and human lives may be comparable to and even more important than those of the earthquake itself (Scawthorn et al., 2005). Moreover, even in case no fire develops immediately after an earthquake, the possibility of delayed fires affecting the structure must be adequately taken into account. This is because the possible consequence of a seism on a structural system is the failure of the fire protection systems and worsening of the structural fire performances, due to the possible earthquake-induced damage. In several cases, the occurrence of a fire following earthquake (FFE) in urban areas has generated catastrophic scenarios. In fact, particular building characteristics and density, electric or gas wires, fuel tanks, and meteorological conditions can combine to create a situation in which FFE is a concurrent agent of damage (Williamson and Groner, 2000).
