Principles of Fire Behavior: The Great Kanto Fire - Essay Example

When these were fanned by the wind, it is easy to imagine how the fire became a firestorm that moved at a great rate of speed. As the basic necessities of life quickly ran short, the ensuing scene was a tableau of panic and anxiety from people. Because of this, the destruction of the fire was heavier than the earthquake itself. For example, the American ambassador to Japan wrote about the event in a report sent to his government: Shock after shock came, with fires breaking out in every direction, while the streets were filled with seething mass of humanity just escaped from death by the earthquake, once more fleeing for their lives as the flames drove them on.

(Nimmo 2001, p. 113) Conclusion As the case of the Great Kanto fire has demonstrated, the human reaction to disaster sometimes aggravates the situation due to fear. It has been an important lesson, particularly for Japan, which turned to the Great Kanto fire experience in building a fire-focused disaster mitigation system used in later earthquake disasters in the country.