Sprawling Cities, Faster Fires: As Modern Fires Burn Hotter, Jonesboro Firefighters Struggle to Keep Up

Livingroom fires are now flashing over six times faster than they have in the past, that’s according to the UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute. Ethan Ivy, a Jonesboro firefighter and the vice president of the Jonesboro chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters, says the materials used to make modern furniture, such as plastic, press board, and synthetic fabrics, burn faster.
With the decrease in flashover times, fire crews now must arrive on scene and cool the environment quicker than in the past. Ivy says Jonesboro is the second largest city, geographically, in the state. However, there are parts of the city, including the Valley View School District, fall outside of the standard eight-minute response time.