noun General Slang

backdraft

· noun · firefighter

An explosive reignition when fresh air hits an oxygen-starved, smoke-filled space.

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Definitions

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A smoke explosion. A fire in a sealed space burns down its oxygen and stalls; pent-up unburned fuel gases sit there waiting. Crack a door or break a window and the rush of air re-ignites the lot at once, blowing fire and pressure back through the opening.

“Door felt warm and the smoke was puffing in and out — classic backdraft signs, so we vented from the roof first.”
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backdraft In A Sentence

Door felt warm and the smoke was puffing in and out — classic backdraft signs, so we vented from the roof first.

Origin & Usage

Fire-service term for the deflagration that follows when a ventilation-controlled fire suddenly gets oxygen — open the wrong door, the room explodes outward. Brought into popular vocabulary by the 1991 Ron Howard film of the same name.

Variants back-draftback draft
Tags #firefighter#fire service#fire behavior#technical

People Also Ask

What does "backdraft" mean?

It's an explosive reignition that happens when fresh air suddenly hits an oxygen-starved, smoke-filled space.

How do you use "backdraft" in a sentence?

"Open that door wrong and you'll trigger a backdraft that could kill everyone on the crew."

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