Walls in type V construction may collapse inward or outward.

• A. Inward or outward
• B. Upward or downward
• C. Left or right
• D. Diagonally

Answer: (A)

Type V walls are wood-framed and built with combustible materials, so when a fire weakens the studs, plates, and connections, the wall loses its lateral restraint and can fail along its plane. Depending on where the fire is and which structural members give way first, the wall may bow and collapse toward the interior (inward) or push outward away from the interior (outward). This horizontal failure is the common collapse pattern for wood-frame construction under fire. Vertical or diagonal drops are not the typical modes for a wall failing in Type V construction, making inward or outward the best description of how these walls may fail.