Combustion Behavior of Flexible Polyurethane Foam in Oxygen-Enriched Atmosphere and Its Implications in the Development of a Fire in an ICU for COVID Patients—Case Study

On 2021, in the intensive care unit of a County Emergency Hospital where oxygen therapy treatment was applied to COVID patients, located in the municipality of Ploiesti, Prahova County, a fire occurred that resulted in the destruction by burning of the ICU room, the death of two people, and the injury of a medical professional. In order to elucidate the accelerating causes of the combustion phenomenon of materials in the ICU room, a combustion stand was designed whose atmosphere can be controlled in terms of achieving high oxygen concentrations of 40% vol., in accordance with the treatment schemes applied to the patients and with the configuration of the room and the frequency of use of the access door. In this experimental stand, a series of combustion tests of flexible polyurethane foam samples were performed, which highlighted the acceleration of combustion and the complete consumption of the mass. The purpose of this work is to explain the rapidity of the fire in a hospital ward, both with experimental methods and with the help of FDS.