Skip to main content
Log in

A study of evacuation behavior in the World Trade Center explosion

  • Published:
Fire Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper is an analysis of five interviews conducted after the World Trade Center explosion on February 26, 1993, in New York City. Five people who were among those evacuated from the towers reported their experiences. The testimonies were analyzed according to the number of evacuees, occupants' awareness and knowledge of the emergency, behavior until egress, behavior in stairways, reverse flow of evacuees, and time to egress. According to the study, characteristics of human behavior become apparent in mass and simultaneous egress.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Isner, Michael S., and Klem, Thomas J., “World Trade Center Explosion and Fire,” Fire Investigation Report, National Fire Protection Association, February 26, 1993.

  2. Fusco, Anthony L., “Report from Chief of Department,”Fire Engineering, Special Issue: World Trade Center Bombing, 146 (1993), 12, pp. 9–23.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kobayashi, Masami, and Horiuchi, Saburo, “Analysis of Occupant Behavior in an Office Building Under Fire, Part 2, Extraction of Behavior Patterns,”Transactions of the Architectural Institute of Japan, No. 284 (October 1979).

  4. Donald, Ian, and Canter, David, “Behavioral Aspects of the King's Cross Disaster,”Fires and Human Behavior, second edition, David Fulton Publishers Ltd., (1990).

  5. Sime, Jonathan, “The Concept of Panic,”Fires and Human Behavior, second edition, David Fulton Publishers Ltd., 1990.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yoshida, Y. A study of evacuation behavior in the World Trade Center explosion. Fire Technol 32, 174–189 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01039897

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01039897

Key words

Navigation