Historic Churches 2023

BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON H ISTOR I C CHURCHE S 30th ANNUAL ED ITION 7 FIRE RISK Geraldine O’Farrell F IRE MUST be considered the biggest risk to all buildings. While all are at risk from fire to a lesser or greater extent, some are more vulnerable than others, and our historic churches are often among the more vulnerable, especially if left locked up and unsupervised during the day. Like all hazards, fire can be mitigated but occurrences such as lightning storms, deliberate acts of arson and poorly supervised building works can often circumvent the most careful actions and systems put in place by the custodians of these heritage buildings. In this article we will look at causes, preventative actions and methods of planning to minimise the resulting damage, should a fire occur. MITIGATING THE RISK Following any fire, the investigations carried out by the local fire and rescue service to determine the causation often discover varied and unpredictable reasons in addition to the more obvious. These can include: • lightning strikes to the building without appropriate protective tape or surge systems • faults in electrical wiring or equipment (heaters, Christmas lights and other temporary lighting systems, and organ blowers for example) caused by damage, lack of maintenance, infrequent servicing or overloading of the system • unauthorised hot works during maintenance or refurbishment works • portable LPG heaters or any form of supplementary portable heating. A wide variety of combustible items can contribute to the fire load such as stacked chairs or pew cushions, runners, hassocks and kneelers that have not been treated to make them less flammable and are stored together, often in one unlocked or unsupervised location. Inappropriately stored flammable liquids, Christmas trees and other season decorations, votive candles and matches are also common. Taking each of the above causes of a fire, here is what can be done to reduce risk. Lightning strikes Without a lightning protection system (LPS) to protect a building’s structure and mitigate the risk of a fire breaking out, churches and other buildings risk having their historic fabric severely disturbed or destroyed. Some believe the fire that broke out in York Minster in 1984, and badly damaged the transept roof, was caused by a lightning strike. A guidance book and design and installation details on how best to protect a church or any historic building from damage can be found on the Historic England webpages, along with a recording of the Historic England ‘Technical Tuesday’ webinar on this topic (see http://bc-url.com/hc23-gf1 ). A spark from welding caused the blaze at St Mary’s church in Beachamwell, Norfolk (Photo: Norfolk Churches Trust) The aftermath of the fire at St Mary’s Beachamwell (Photo: Domenico D’Alessandro)