Just learned about the Kaprun disaster in which 155 people lost their lives when an underground train caught fire.

There were only 12 survivors all of whom followed the advice of a retired firefighter who advised them to run downhill through the flames in the rear of the train.

The steep incline of the tunnel acted as a blast furnace that sucked in fresh air from the low end and funneled toxic smoke to the high end.

Not sure how applicable this will be to anyone here, but I thought it a great example of how a little more widespread knowledge of how fire works could have saved a lot of lives.

Tl;dr fire bad but smoke worse. Get to fresh air.

  • rustydrd@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    41·
    2 days ago

    Perhaps worth pointing out that the 12 who survived did not run into the fire. They broke a window and went downwards past the fire. From Wikipedia:

    Twelve people from the rear of the train broke a window with a ski pole and, advised by an escapee who had been a volunteer fire fighter, escaped downwards past the fire and below the smoke.