David, That assumes everybody is acting rationally. There would be many pax who would see the inferno and the only rational thought would be 'run the other way quickly'. The sterile area would soon be breached. Even if well informed staff had tried to control the flow they would have probably been knocked over in the rush.
If any incident in the air is not treated with the maxim 'Safety First' there is an uproar on here from the professionals.