Every year an estimated 5,000 people die in residential fires across Europe, while about ten times that number are injured1. Since the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, the spotlight has fallen on fire safety in high rise buildings.
FIRE SAFETY IN HIGH RISE & HIGH RISK BUILDINGS
Fires can be more dangerous in high rise residential buildings than in low rise homes. Why is this?
- During a fire it is more difficult to evacuate occupants from tall buildings.
- Fire and smoke tend to spread vertically.
- It more challenging for fire services to fight fires in tall buildings.
- Finally, if the external cladding of a high rise building features combustible materials, as was the case at Grenfell, it can cause a fire to spread quickly up its external surface. This is why it is important to specify non-combustible materials in high-rise facades.
