Numerical solution of the full Navier-Stokes equation as well as the energy equation has been obtained for the unsteady natural convection in a rectangular enclosure. One side wall was maintained at very high temperature simulating fires. Especially the effect of surface radiation was taken into account. While the enclosed air was assumed to be transparent, the internal walls directly interacted one another through the surface radiation. Due to a significant temperature difference in the flow field, the equation of state was used instead of the Boussinesq approximation. It was found that the rapid heating of the adiabatic ceiling and floor by the incoming radiation from the hot wall made the evolution at thermo-fluid field highly unstable in the initial period. Therefore, the secondary cells brought about at the floor region greatly affected the heat transfer mechanism inside the enclosure. The heat transfer rate was augmented by the radiation, resulting in requiring less time for the flow to reach the steady state. At the steady state neglecting radiation two internal hydraulic jumps were clearly observed in upper/left as well as in lower/right comer. However, the hydraulic jump in the lower/right comer could not be observed for the case including radiation due to its high momentum flow over the bottom wall. Radiation resulted in a faster establishment of the steady state phenomena.