PEER has just published Report No. 2021/01: "Fire-Induced Structural Collapse on Pier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, May 23, 2020." It was authored by Mohammadreza Eslami, Khalid Mosalam, Ankit Agrawal, Amarnath Kasalanati, UC Berkeley. https://doi.org/10.55461/JFUJ6011
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Abstract
On May 23, 2020, a severe fire resulted in progressive collapse of a processing and storage warehouse structure located at Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf, in San Francisco, California. This incident provided a unique opportunity to study the performance of structural systems exposed to large open-compartment fires resulting in progressive collapse. Subsequently, a post-fire investigation was conducted to collect data pertinent to both fire severity and key structural characteristics, which were made available to the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) at the University of California, Berkeley. The collected information in conjunction with engineering judgment is used to qualitatively and, to the extent possible, quantitatively describe the fire-induced failure modes and damage observed in the structural members. Further, a simplistic sequence of eventsl eading to the fire-induced progressive collapse is hypothesized. Preliminary analysis, based on available fire resistance verification methods, is carried out to qualify this hypothesis. Findings from this report and data available through PEER will contribute towards improving the collective understanding of best practices in performance-based structural fire engineering.