What happens when a lifetime of studying industrial fire hazards meets the creative mind of a novelist? In this conversation with Professor Joaquim Casal, we explore the unique intersection of fire safety engineering and science fiction through his novel "The Last Fire."

Professor Casal, a retired academic from Universitat Politécnica Catalunya and founder of their fire research group, has crafted something unique – a  novel where the protagonists are fire researchers and the plot revolves around fire phenomena, fire research and fire testing. 

Beyond the novel on its own, our discussion also takes us deep into the world of industrial fire hazards, exploring phenomena that many building-focused fire engineers rarely encounter. From the extreme temperatures of jet fires that can trigger catastrophic "domino effects" in industrial facilities to the deadly "boil-over" phenomenon that has claimed numerous firefighters' lives. We examine the behaviours of jet-fires, pool fires, flash fires, and the spectacular but devastating fireballs created by BLEVEs (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions).

And finally, I think the greatest imminent value of this novel is in the communication - it is a brilliant example of how you can communicate difficult technical concepts of fire to lay people. I believe many fire engineers could be inspired by this example.

If you would like to read the novel, it is available at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Fire-Joaquim-Casal-ebook/dp/B0F4QYLYSV

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