"The only thing you know for sure, is...
Good report, Bonnie. That is the kind of incident that bore NFPA 610-Guide for Emergency and Safety Operations at Motorsports Venues.
The following is a desciptor of the document:
"Revised to recognize the National Incident Management System (NIMS), NFPA 610: Guide for Emergency and Safety Operations at Motorsports Venues provides racetrack owners, operators, promoters, first responders, insurers, and sanctioning agencies with comprehensive guidelines for implementing safety and emergency response strategies.Guidelines apply to both indoor and outdoor motorsports events--at temporary or permanent facilities--with emphasis on planning and training as a means of ensuring that personnel are equipped with the appropriate resources to handle emergency situations. 58pp.
The 2009 NFPA 610 reflects the use of NIMS plus other major changes:
•New method to classify events provides a better description of scalability.
•Rewritten chapter on training and competency uses a 'Knowledge, Skill, Ability' format for denoting minimum training requirements for response personnel.
•Revised chapter on PPE reflects the latest editions of applicable PPE Standards for emergency workers.
•Changes to the section on portable fire extinguishers and extinguishing agents--including added material on the agent discharge performance for dry chemical extinguishers--are based on the current NFPA 10: Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers.
•An all-new Sample Emergency Action Plan and a revised Emergency Action Plan Checklist help personnel responsible for running simple events develop a comprehensive emergency action plan.
•A new applications statement clarifies that NFPA 610 does not apply to non-motorsports events conducted at a motorsports venue."
(Sigh) And I suppose it's time for me to buy the latest edition again. I do not suggest, that NFPA is the know all, be all, or a set of strict standards. It is what it is, and that is only a GUIDELINE, and NOT a book of legistlated standards, or codes like the NEC became. But it puts it all in a nice package for us to use as a reference in our own operations, and I consider it "highly recommended" on the reading list. And the 2009 edition is out for under $53.
Here's another example of a race track owner with little, if any regard for the safety of their environment over the costs that are required for its maintenance.
http://www.oem.msu.edu/MiFace/05MI077.pdf