Abstract: Luggage fires and store fires most likely to occur in railway station buildings were selected for full-scale experiments. Based on the actual conditions of the test site, the minimum width of the fire isolation zone was calculated through theoretical methods. The natural smoke exhaust openings in the large space accounted for 3.5% of the total area, while the openings directly above the fire isolation zone accounted for 20%. The fire separation effectiveness of the isolation zone was studied in terms of smoke spread, toxic components in the smoke, temperature, and thermal radiation intensity. The results showed that the calculated minimum width of the fire isolation zone under the actual conditions of the test site was 6 m. In both luggage fire and store fire experiments, most of the smoke was exhausted outdoors through the smoke vents. The temperature on the side of the fire isolation zone away from the fire source remained close to ambient, and the thermal radiation intensity was nearly 0 kW/m². The fire isolation zone effectively served its purpose of fire separation. The findings of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the design of fire isolation zones in railway station buildings.

Key words: fire isolation zone, railway station, minimum width value, fire separation