Firefighting in high-rise buildings rnpresents numerous challenges to firefighters. Access and water supply in many cases can be extremely limited, and firefighting operations often require more personnel than usual. Additionally, high winds can create the "blowtorch effect," which can intensify and extend the fire, making conditions untenable for firefighters, reducing their ability to control and knock it down, resulting in increased property damage.rnThe blowtorch effect is one of the most dangerous aspects of high-rise fires. This dangerous condition occurs when a heavy fire load is intensified by high winds blowing through an opening on the fire floor, pushing the intense heat, gases, and fire into the primary access route (usually a hallway), creating a potential deathtrap for an advancing interior team. In many cases,rnconcrete walls contain the heat and intensify the effect. Blowtorches can develop with little or no warning and have been responsible for at least four firefighter deaths and numerous injuries in New York.
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