Museumplein Case Study

In the early hours of 26th December, 2000, a Porsche convertible car caught fire in the Museumplein underground car park in Amsterdam, Holland. Within a few minutes, the fire had breached the convertible roof and the car was ablaze. At approximately 01.00, the fire was detected and within minutes, the fire brigade had been alerted and the PSB Impulse Ventilation System within the car park had already activated to bring the smoke under contro by the time the fire brigade arrived.

The PSB system prevented the smoke from spreading and controlled it to the exhaust for discharge through the extract shaft. The fire brigade also had the advantage of knowing exactly where the fire location was. The PSB fire detection panel indicated clearly the location of the fire. The system also gave the fire fighters the advantage of good visibility having contained the smoke on one side of the vehicle. The Museumplein car park is also designed to allow easy access throughout the car park for the fire brigade as well as easy evacuation of the general public. Within 10 minutes of arriving, the fire service had extinguished the fire. No other vehicles in the car park were damaged.

Minimal damage was caused to the surrounding building. At 1.45 a.m., the fire brigade gave permission for the car park to be re-opened, less than an hour after the car had caught fire. The official fire service report stated that there was no structural damage to the car park. The floor of the car park was only slightly damaged and not in need of urgent repair. The said car-parking bay was in use only a few days after the fire had occurred.