Occasionally I see news stories like “man runs back into burning house and rescues beloved pet”
However, I’ve also been told that you will most likely die in seconds if you inhale the smoke. I’ve read that in a fire you have to crawl to escape. I’ve read that you have to sprint quickly through the flames if you have a chance (the exact opposite of crawling low?).
In: 223
As a general rule, pure luck.
You’ll scar your throat and lungs from the smoke, experience at least significant first degree burns if you’re really lucky, and irritate your eyes badly. The true danger in doing this is not nust passing out from suffocation, but from being trapped inside or crushed under debris.
My dad was a fire fighter for decades and always told my brother and I to never enter a burning building. “If you dont have equipment, you aren’t equipped.”
Edit for additional safety info: do not run through a fire, that’s how you die. Get as low as you can and move as quickly, but purposefully, as you can to the nearest exit. Avoid windows, any glass, or metals as they will be far hotter than you think. If necessary, use as much fabric as you can as a rudimentary oven mitt to touch such surfaces. Call out and make your presence known to others, alerting them to the fire. Depending on where you live and when the building you are in was built, it is likely that any exterior doors open outwards. This is so you can slam into them and get yourself out of the building if youbare unable to safely touch the handle. Do not take elevators as heat weakens the cables and emergency brake systems, as well as the fire alarm tripping an emergency circuit break that prevents them running, so its a waste of time. To get out, hit the emergency stop, disabling the door lock, and pry the doors open as fast as possible, then head for a fire escape or stairwell. If you have water (and time), douse your shirt and use it to cover your mouth to prevent as much smoke inhalation as possible.
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