Fires spread faster in new construction, study says
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Newer constructed homes may be alluring, but recent studies say homes built today burn differently than home built decades ago. In a fire, newer houses become deadly in less than three minutes thanks to lightweight materials such as composite hollow doors and double glazed windows. Materials like this cause fires to spread faster. “A lot more man-made materials are used in construction to include foam, vinyl different materials like that which in a fire situation will produce hotter flames,” Max Stewart, Jackson Fire Department chief said. Also to blame are open floor plans with fewer rooms and high ceilings.
