• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2016

We are living in the 21st century, a new era of high-technology. Due to movements in population towards certain preferred areas, caused by material and technological advancement, growth has occurredn beyond the metropolis, leading to the development of the so-calleda "megalopolis." This development has changed the culture of housing, notably the characteristics of high-rise buildings, and underground facilities (such as subways and shopping centers), and has generally enlarged the scale of the facilities. Due to the increase in the number of single-family households, - notably ones including only the nuclear family, there has been a growing overpopulation problem, with apartments and urban housing developments expanding at rates beyond institutional safety regulations. In this study, we analyze the phenomenon of fire spreading in apartment buildings through actual apartment fire case studies, including that of the MunjonPonpuri apartment building. It was found that the speed at which the fire spreads is lower in apartments without than in those with an extended balcony. Based on the findings from case studies and the test results, we propose a series of safety countermeasures and responses for apartment fires.