Study on personnel movement and evacuation time in large shopping mall fires

With the ongoing evolution of urban planning and construction, large shopping centers have proliferated significantly. However, their high occupant density necessitates careful management of safe evacuation during fire emergencies. This study evaluates required safe egress time (RSET) versus available safe egress time (ASET) at Bozhou Wanda Plaza, using field-surveyed peak occupancy data. The analysis combines Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) smoke modeling with Pathfinder evacuation simulation across two fire locations and a blocked-exit scenario. Results show that while ASET generally exceeds 1200 s, corridors on floors 2–4 reduce to about 500 s in worst-case conditions. Total RSET equals 782 s with all exits; blocking a main exit extends it to 1013 s, causing severe congestion at stairwells, corridors, and atrium exits and lowering walking speeds. By integrating advanced fire and evacuation models with actual data, this study identifies critical bottlenecks and provides targeted recommendations to improve safety in large shopping centers.