Neither the fire alarm algorithms nor the smoke detector operating alone detected the methanol fire. No visible smoke was generated by this fire, so the smoke detector did not show any rise in voltage. Thus, the fire alarm algorithm based on first detecting a rate of increase of smoke exceeding a predetermined threshold rate and then checking the rates of increase of CO and CO2 concentrations cannot detect this type of fire. That is, a fire alarm algorithm based on [CO_Alarm+SMOKE_Alarm=2] or [CO2_Alarm+SMOKE_Alarm=2] cannot detect the methanol fire. Note that [CO_Alarm=1] indicates that the rate of increase of CO concentration has exceeded its predetermined threshold rate, and [CO_Alarm=0] means the threshold rate has not exceeded. However, the time traces of CO and CO2 concentrations do indicate sharp rises. By modifying the fire alarm algorithm to be [CO_Alarm+CO2_Alarm+SMOKE_Alarm=2], the methanol fire was actually detected at 248 s; that is, 51 s after the visual indication of a fire (t=197 s). An algorithm based on CO and CO2, that is (CO alarm+CO2 alarm=2), will alarm promptly in the cases of heptane and toluene in which concentrations of CO and CO2 rise at about the same time, but not for smoldering fires (e.g. HDPE).