Changes in Manufacture of Furniture Impacts Firefighting Tactics

As Furniture Burns Quicker, Firefighters Reconsider Tactics.  (The New York Times, 7/2/2012)

Excerpt: Plastic fillings in sofas and mattresses burn much faster than older fillings like cotton, helping to transform the behavior of house fires in the last few decades, firefighters and engineers say. With more plastic in homes, residential fires are now likely to use up all the oxygen in a room before they consume all flammable materials. The resulting smoky, oxygen-deprived fires appear to be going out. But they are actually waiting for an inrush of fresh air, which can come as firefighters cut through roofs and break windows. 

Exactly What is a Flashover?  (FireFighter Training HeadQuarters)