User Manual

Siemens Switzerland Ltd

Building Technologies Division

1.3. Fire damage costs

Damage caused by fire is not a new phenomenon. Over the centuries considerable losses have been suffered and

this has been continuing until the present day. It is very difficult to find official statistics directly relating to the

number of damaging fires in historical buildings for the following reasons:

· The classification of “historical buildings” varies widely between different countries

· Fire reports generally do not state whether the building concerned was of historical interest or not

However, some countries have tried to quantify such fire losses in their jurisdiction. For example:

· Scotland:

o approx. 10 damaging fires per year

· England:

o 1 total loss of a Grade I building per year

o 3 Grade II buildings lost per year

o At least 12 listed buildings lost per year

· Canada:

o 30 incidents per year

· Germany:

o 70 buildings lost since 2000

The following table shows a number of high-profile fires in historical buildings or museums in recent history,

together with the approximate costs of the damage (where this can be estimated) and the suspected cause of the

fire. It is significant that in many cases “renovation work” has been identified as a major factor in starting some

very damaging fires, which could have been prevented if due care and attention had been taken.

Figure 5 Fire damage in Duchess Anna Amalia Library