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The fire risks of construction and refurbishment
5th February 2026
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Refurbishment is something you’d expect to happen after a fire, not before one. Yet there is a catalogue of fires through both recent and distant history that have been caused by refurbishment and construction. Such incidents are particularly galling because of how easily preventable they should be, given the obvious risks of using electrical equipment in an unoccupied building.
When existing fire safety systems aren’t yet in place, or aren’t enabled, the burden of preventing fires clearly falls to the contractors involved. However, the legacy of devastation caused by these fires also raises an interesting question: should greater efforts be made to install both active and passive fire protection systems at an earlier stage of construction?
From construction to destruction
Construction and refurbishment work might not be as ample as the industry would want, but it is expected to skyrocket. Climate goals mean that refurbishments are necessary to improve energy efficiency, while the government is targeting the construction of 1.5 million new homes. The race to achieve both of these targets will test the supply of labour and materials, but it will also put greater onus on site safety, and particularly fire safety.
While hazards such as slips, trips and falls, working at height, and hearing protection are all highly relevant to site personnel, it’s fire safety that most imperils the buildings themselves. Both construction sites and refurbishments present high-risk environments, with combustible materials, hot-works equipment, and electrical systems in the process of being finished. Tiring work can lead to oversights, and the lack of occupants can mean that a small fire is not detected until it snowballs.
The 2019 Notre-Dame Cathedral fire is perhaps the most famous modern example. The 850-year-old Gothic landmark was undergoing extensive roof and spire restoration when a blaze began in the attic roof space, surrounded by scaffolding and plastic coverings. Investigators suggested a cigarette or electrical fault from the works as possible causes,with the presence of highly combustible timber and the confined, difficult to access space allowing the fire to spread rapidly. The scaffolding that supported the restoration further restricted firefighting efforts, and within hours, the spire and most of the medieval roof had collapsed.
Another major incident in Philadelphia demonstrates similar risks during interior refurbishment. The One Meridian Plaza fire began when oil-soaked rags spontaneously ignited during the fit-out of a vacant office. Without full sprinkler coverage or alarm functionality, the fire was able to develop unnoticed, and would go on to burn for nearly 19 hours, destroying eight floors and killing three firefighters. Investigators found that combustible waste from refurbishment work, coupled with the disabled fire-protection systems, was to blame for the scale of the disaster, which led to the building being demolished.
The unique fire hazards of construction and refurbishment
Incidents like these highlight the extent to which we rely on passive and active fire protection. During construction or refurbishment, alarm and sprinkler systems will often be offline while ceilings are open or being replaced. Temporary wiring, power tools, and site lighting can create new electrical hazards, while combustible materials like timber, packaging, insulation, and plastics can all accumulate in large quantities. Somewhat ironically, scaffolding and coverings can actually hinder emergency access, and present an additional danger of collapse.
One of the greatest fire risks on worksites arises from the temporary changes in layout and access. Escape routes that would normally be clear might be obstructed by building materials or waste. Stairwells and corridors meanwhile might be sealed off or partially blocked, preventing people from evacuating quickly, and making it difficult for firefighters to reach the source of a blaze.
Fire-protection systems can also be turned off to prevent nuisance alarms during dusty work, with fire alarms switched off or sensors covered. Similarly, sprinklers may be disconnected until fairly late in the construction process. Processes should exist to check these systems are reenabled when workers leave the site, but even while people are present, they can leave large areas of a building unprotected for extended periods of time.
Perhaps the most obvious source of fire during construction and refurbishment is hot-works activities, including welding, soldering, and cutting. All of these involve the use of tools that generate heat and sparks, which are capable of igniting flammable debris or vapours nearby. Without strict controls, it only takes a single lapse in memory or judgement to create an uncontrollable fire. Such fires tend to be exacerbated by the large quantities of combustible waste on building sites, from wood offcuts to packaging and oily rags.
Chemicals and gases may also not be properly stored as they would be in an occupied building, while the dynamics of the structure itself can also worsen the risks. We might think that a fire will spread in a certain way, but these expectations can be upended when things like fire-rated walls are dismantled, and compartmentation is breached by new service openings. A fire that penetrates these gaps can spread unchecked through voids and ducts that would normally be sealed.
Improving processes and education
Preventing fires during construction and refurbishment begins with strong planning, oversight, and education. Every project should start with a comprehensive fire-risk assessment that identifies site-specific hazards, and outlines how fire safety will be maintained throughout the works. What’s crucial is that this assessment evolves with the project, and doesn’t become incomplete or obsolete as the building changes.
Housekeeping is perhaps the easiest fire safety process to implement. Materials that could burn or explode need to be stored safely, while waste (particularly highly combustible waste) should be removed regularly, and disposed of in appropriate bins. Keeping escape routes and work areas clear is also just as important as it is in an occupied building, with the need for materials not being an excuse to just dump them anywhere that’s convenient.
Hot-works procedures also need to be tightly controlled, ideally through a formal permit system. Only trained personnel should carry out welding, cutting or soldering, and every operation should include a designated fire-watch both during and after the activity, as tools can stay hot for hours after use. Fire extinguishers and suppression tools also need tobe on hand, and any work that produces heat or sparks should be monitored for re-ignition.
Training and awareness are equally important. Workers and subcontractors should be educated about the specific fire risks of the site, including factors such as temporary power systems, blocked exits, and areas without fire protection. Regular briefings and toolbox talks should also put fire safety at the forefront of people’s minds, rather than being an afterthought, or dismissed altogether.
Coordination between trades is also essential. On a busy construction site, multiple contractors may be working simultaneously, each with different hazards and procedures. A central safety officer can ensure that all activities align with the fire-safety plan, and that any issues (such as disabled alarms or blocked routes) are addressed immediately. Finally, maintaining effective compartmentation where possible can prevent small fires from spreading. This can be achieved by isolating work areas from occupied or completed sections of the building using temporary fire-rated partitions or hoardings.
Putting fire protection first
While processes can be put in place to avoid fires, there are also fewer layers in the ‘Swiss cheese model’ to prevent a construction or refurbishment fire. If it’s possible to implement fire-protection systems into the construction process at an early stage, why shouldn’t this be a priority? Too often, it seems that some safety risks are downplayed because the building isn’t occupied, allowing for risks that wouldn’t be acceptable if more people were there.
Active fire-protection measures such as sprinklers, alarms, and smoke detection systems can often be commissioned in phases, ensuring that at least part of the system is operational while work continues. Where this isn’t possible, temporary systems or on-site fire watches can bridge the gap. Clear access routes for fire-service vehicles and functional standpipes or hydrants are also easily implemented, and should be maintained at all times.
Passive fire protection is equally vital, and more sensible as an early form of fire protection. Installing fire-resistant walls, ceilings, doors, and barriers early in the build can contain any potential fire, and prevent it from spreading between work zones. Temporary fire-rated hoardings or barriers can also provide separation between active work areas and occupied spaces, isolating whichever sections are currently being worked on.
Durasteel fire protection systems fulfil this need for a robust solution with both temporary and permanent applications. Fire-resistant barriers, walls, and ceilings can withstand intense heat from both directions if needed, and maintain their structural integrity for extended periods. They can also be adapted for use during construction to protect vital assets, electrical systems, or escape routes. This type of passive protection not only limits damage, but provides crucial time for workers to evacuate, and for emergency services to respond.
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Construction and refurbishment are periods of heightened fire risk, and deserve to be treated as such. Major disasters like the Notre-Dame and One Meridian Plaza fires demonstrate how quickly a routine job can become a catastrophe if fire precautions are overlooked when both the structure and its fire-safety systems are in flux.
Through rigorous planning, training, and adherence to safety procedures, many of these risks can be mitigated. Yet processes can also fail, and the physical safeguards of active and passive fire-protection systems should also play a greater role. Doing so can ensure that buildings remain resilient against fire even during the early stages of construction, providing additional redundancy for workers, and resilience for the structure itself.
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