The devastating fire at Notre-Dame de Paris is the latest blaze to damage or destroy historic buildings while undergoing renovations. It highlights how vulnerable such structures are to fire while undergoing repairs.
While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it may well be due to activity during the restoration project on the ancient cathedral.
Historic structures are like tinderboxes, according to an expert in the field, as quoted in a Fast Company article, because they contain wood and other flammable materials that have dried out over centuries.
Torches used in restoration work for soldering pipes or welding metal roofing components can give off hot molten metal bits that drop into concealed spaces. The embers can spark a fire that is not immediately detected.
With extremely dry wood, the heat from power tools could also induce a blaze, even without an open flame. The construction industry doesn’t appear to have universal standards for fire watch and suppression for historic renovations, the Fast Company article says.
Related Stories
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
New LEED Dynamic Plaque system will measure building performance
The U.S. Green Building Council recently unveiled the LEED Dynamic Plaque, which is a new system designed for benchmarking and comparing post-occupancy building performance on a global scale.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
EPA, Freddie Mac collaborate on energy- and water-efficient apartments
Freddie Mac will gather data on energy and water use from property owners, and encourage lenders to spend on energy-efficient investments for multifamily housing.
| Feb 7, 2014
ASHRAE releases new refrigerant standards
The 2013 editions of ASHRAE’s major refrigerants-related standards, incorporating 41 new addenda, have been published.
| Feb 7, 2014
Ohio legislature moves to bar LEED standards on state projects
The use of LEED standards is being barred for public construction in Ohio under a state senate resolution.
