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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Frank,<br>
It is an interesting question. Hollywood movies frequently show
villages going up a blaze as you describe. Would they use an
accelerant? Usually they show them lit by torches. A wind would
really get it going. However, as someone who has tried burning
bales of hay or straw I can attest to how difficult some of these
materials are to get going, burning, when they are packed. Combine
that with the fact that a spark from a small cooking fire has to
be low enough in mass to travel up in the lazy open convection
current, it likely has a low specific heat. The cooking
environment will include added moisture to the air. It would be
interesting to know the moisture content of the thatch. Perhaps
the species used are selected through time and tradition for
their fire limiting characteristics. I am not sure about all
thatched roofs but exposed underside looks quite different than
the top. The finer, thinner biomass over lapping on the top, with
the coarser stem, less easily ignited, under lapping on the
bottom. Chimneys may make it worse, rapidly conveying any sparks
to the top side.<br>
<br>
In my work I occasionally have to do 'hot' metal work surrounded
by flammable biomass, usually dry wood chips and fines and dust.
Glowing metal fragments, sparks from a grinder are generally very
small and cool rapidly in contact with anything, except my
clothing:) A welding or cutting splatter is often larger and will
get a spot in a layer of wood dust smouldering. I understand that
in many industrial settings they post a fire watch for up to 6
hours after, around sites where 'hot' work was completed. I tend
to do those kinda jobs in the morning. <br>
<br>
Perhaps the cooks are always on the 'fire watch', both up and
down.<br>
<br>
And then there is wikipedia<br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatching">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatching</a><br>
with a section on fires.<br>
<br>
Alex<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 20/10/2012 2:22 PM, Frank Shields wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Dear
Stovers, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">One
thing I have been thinking about…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Lets
see - we have an open fire on the floor where the smoke
goes up and through a straw roof. Where the soot and tars
condense and collect coating the straw with an oily like
highly flammable coating. There must be roof fires that are
very dangerous and fast burning and where flaming straw
comes falling down. Do they happen? And when they do I would
think the sparks would start other roofs on fire and the
entire village would go up in smoke. And then the scarcity
of available water to put them out. I would think this would
be a huge problem but no one ever mentions about the fires.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Thanks<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Frank<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Frank
Shields<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Control
Laboratories, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">42
Hangar Way<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Watsonville,
CA 95076<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">(831)
724-5422 tel<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">(831)
724-3188 fax<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.biocharlab"><span
style="color:blue">www.biocharlab</span></a>.com<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
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