Forensics in Focus - IFIC Forensics
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Forensics in Issue 17| Dec 2019
Focus
Introduction - Professor James Lygate
Welcome to the winter edition of Forensics in Focus. The content of this edition focuses on some
key trends and topics that have been prevalent in 2019. I hope you will find the subjects covered
both highly relevant and of interest.
We were approached by some of our insurer clients in the parking more cars in confined spaces are sought, fire risk
second half of the year who were seeking intelligence as to management becomes ever more vital to protect property and
why their fire claims experience was increasing in severity. human life.
Whilst fires attended by the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS)
have reduced dramatically in the last 10 – 15 years, the We work hard at keeping our finger on the pulse of relevant
number and size of insurance claims for fire damage have not and insightful topics featured in the media as one way of
followed this trend and illogically in many cases have risen. informing our client communications and keeping our ever
As a trend which is creating an impact across the insurance increasing LinkedIn following up to date with topical news. I
market, we have included an article – Fire Claims Insights - am proud to say that IFIC Forensics has the largest following
exploring how the changing nature of fire cause is linked to by company page of type in the market, with over 1,140
frequency and severity. followers in our LinkedIn community representing insurers,
loss adjusters, risk managers, damage management experts,
It is over two years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy and at lawyers and more. If you’re not already doing so, I invite you to
the time of writing Sir Martin Moore Bick has published his follow us on LinkedIn. Simply type IFIC Forensics in the search
conclusions of Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It would bar and hit the follow button when our company page loads.
seem very clear that firefighting policy and procedure needs You can also follow us on Twitter by using the same process.
to be better aligned to the implications of current construction It’s good to be connected!
practices and too, reliance on developer adherence to building
regulations is fraught with risk. The building regulations Finally I would like to extend a warm welcome to Mugtaba
themselves, meanwhile, are designed to protect life by Lazim who has joined the IFIC Forensics team as a Graduate
providing limited time for persons present to escape. They Investigator and will be working out of our Warrington
do not, unless part of a separate fire safety design, provide office which opened earlier this year. Mugtaba has been
for refuge, such as in hospitals. I write further on fire safety accompanying Chris Shorten, our CRM Manager, out and about
challenges in this issue. The conclusions of the Phase 2 at some recent industry events as part of his induction and to
Report from the Inquiry which will look at building materials introduce him to the market. We will be pleased to include a
and regulations will certainly raise concerning questions. It is profile of Mugtaba in the next edition of Forensics in Focus.
my hope that the findings of the Inquiry will act as a catalyst
for long overdue change. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support
of IFIC Forensics in 2019 and to wish you and your families a
Catastrophic car park fires hit the headlines at the end of wonderful Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2020.
August. This time a multi-storey car park at the Douglas Village
Shopping Centre in Cork, Ireland. Our article on Car Parks As always, if you have any suggestions for topics you would like
and Fire Risk Management examines current regulation and to see included in Forensics in Focus then please email me at
research related to fire spread in car parks. As private vehicle jlygate@ific.co.uk
ownership continues to increase and innovative methods of
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Fire Claims Insights
Deon Webber – Senior Investigator, IFIC Chip pan fire
Whilst fires attended by the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS)
have reduced dramatically in the last 10 – 15 years, the
number and size of insurance claims for fire damage have not
followed this trend and illogically in many cases have risen. So
why is it that today’s fires seem to be more severe?
The changing nature of fire cause is linked to claim
frequency and severity
The causes attributed to domestic and commercial fires have
changed along with our lifestyles over the past 50 years as
have the characteristics of the materials involved. In the 60’s
and 70’s fires were commonly started by chip pans, electric
blankets, paraffin heaters, open coal fires and cigarettes and
matches. Thermostatically controlled fryers, microwaves and
central heating, have since reduced many of these fire risks.
But as one risk disappears it is replaced by another. As the
number of smokers has dramatically reduced we have seen
the rise of vaping and electronic cigarettes, which due to
their use of lithium ion batteries, have been the cause of Tumble dryer fire
many spectacular fires. The same can be said of defective or
counterfeit phone chargers and many other devices that use solar powered photovoltaic systems, battery power storage,
lithium ion batteries which have been linked to mobile phone sophisticated security systems and smart appliances. The
fires, laptop fires and even recycling site fires. Fires originating growth in electrical fires, arising from misuse and defects in
in white goods are also commonplace nowadays and include components and installation is significant.
washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, freezers and
tumble dryers – many of which make headline news but all of Arson must also be considered with deliberately started fires
which were practically unheard of 50 years ago. Homes and remaining the largest single cause of fire in England and
business premises have also evolved with central heating, full Wales. The past year has seen a minor decrease in some
mains wiring and increasingly technical heating and cooling deliberate fires; the trend in the past five years has seen a halt
systems; together with the arrivals of connected premises and to the dramatic decreases from the past 15 years.
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rate of fire growth and spread of fire gases. Open stairways
provide routes for fire and smoke spread and the replacement
of natural fibre furnishings with modern synthetic materials
contributes to greater fire loading. The drive for sustainability
and energy efficiency contributes to heat build-up and
containment of fire gases, creating conditions in which
flashover can be reached in shorter times.
Fire and Rescue Service Challenges
There has been a 23% reduction in fulltime firefighters
since 2010 and many fire stations have been closed or
Partial roof collapse amalgamated. This has seen longer response times and
a perceived rise in defensive, external firefighting where it
Buildings is seen as too dangerous for a crew to enter the property.
Modern buildings are changing, with the evolution of new Fighting the fire from outside using water jets through windows
techniques and modern materials. Modern construction and aerial appliances leads to much greater damage incurred
techniques use less raw material and have greater reliance from firefighting water. The reduction in reported fires has
on pre-engineered, lighter weight ‘manufactured’ systems. had an effect on the firefighting experience of all but the
The outcome, when involved in fire, can be rapid collapse and busiest fire officers with the acquisition of associated skills
greater destruction if not total loss. and knowledge of offensive firefighting consequently taking
longer to acquire. These factors coupled with the demand for
Construction site fires including those occurring during sustainable, cheaper construction methods and the impact
refurbishment and renovation works are on an upwards of modern construction and building design on fire behavior
trajectory according to data from the Home Office, with means that the potential for the severity and cost of the fire to
intentionally caused fires up by 43% between 2015 – 2017. escalate is high.
Hot work is linked to a large proportion of construction site
fires. Onsite discipline is paramount and the use of permit to
work schemes can help to ensure the correct level of control is
applied. Timber frame construction has for many years been
restricted to the low-rise residential sector. This appears to be
changing with advances in technology allowing timber frame
to break into the commercial and mid-rise residential market.
Timber framed buildings are at particular risk from fire when
under construction with the inherent risk of construction
methods which involve hot work. There has also been an
increase in the use of external timber cladding over recent
years and in June this year 30 flats in a five-storey block in
Barking were damaged in a fire which spread up external
timber cladding.
The use of combustible cladding has been an issue for a
number of years, spectacularly highlighted by a number of
high-rise external fires in places such as Dubai. The extent
of the issue in the UK was brought to light in 2017 after the
tragedy at Grenfell Tower where 72 people lost their lives.
Combustible cladding is the subject of further review in Phase
2 of the Grenfell Tower inquiry, which has reported its Phase
1 findings in October 2019 and the Government is reviewing
fire safety regulations. And more recently, as we go to print,
cladding has hit the headlines again with the fire at the
student residences in Bolton.
Building design can also impact how a building performs
in a fire. The modern trend has been for family homes and
commercial offices to adopt an open plan design. Lack of External firefighting with water jets
Credit: Chesire Fire and Rescue Service
interior sub division and increased ventilation increases the
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Car Parks and Fire Risk Management
Deon Webber – Senior Investigator, IFIC Forensics
Automatic stacking car park
On August 31, 2019, a car drove into the multi storey car to result in uncontrollable fire spread in the car park or in
park of the Douglas Village Shopping Centre in Cork, Ireland. serious damage to the structure of the building.”
The car, an Opel Zafira, parked on the first floor and the
occupant hurried from the car to ask for help. Security A Worldwide Problem
staff observed the car to be on fire, evacuated the shopping It is true that most car fires in car parks do not spread
centre and called the fire service. On their arrival at the first beyond the vehicle of origin. When they do however, there
floor, multiple cars were involved. The fire was eventually is the potentially huge fire load of vehicles situated in close
brought under control, but not before around 50-60 cars proximity to one another, generally in a compartment with a
were damaged and the building so damaged that demolition low ceiling. The significance of the low ceiling is that the lower
was inevitable. The shopping centre is expected to close the ceiling the faster the spread. Notable and tragic examples
for around a year with devastating losses to the businesses include:
within. The fire is reminiscent of the catastrophic fire at the
• 2004 Gretzenbach, Switzerland 7 firefighters killed as
car park of the Liverpool Arena on New Year’s Eve 2017,
ceiling of the car park collapses;
where around 1150 vehicles were destroyed and again the
building was required to be demolished. • 2017 South Korea, a fire spread from underground parking
area to engulf 8-storey building above, killing 29 people;
• 2018 Paris, 200 evacuated from apartments above a car
park fire, a 28 year old firefighter died;
• 2006 Bristol, fire in underground car park beneath
sheltered housing involved 22 cars. 61 evacuated and one
man, from an apartment above the car park, later died.
Regulation
There are many types of car park: open air, basement,
multi storey, some are free standing blocks whilst many are
incorporated into office buildings, residential blocks and
Early image from car park user (Cork) shopping centres.
These fires are an extreme example of a problem that has Recommendations for the fire safety of car parks in England and
been challenging the fire risk management industry for many Wales are primarily those contained in Building Regulations,
years. In 1968, the Government produced Fire Note No.10, Approved Document B. The main objectives being to protect
“Fire and Car-Park Buildings”. Following research that showed those occupants evacuating by avoiding the build-up of toxic
the potential for single car fires to spread rapidly from one gases; to prevent the spread of fire from one storey to another,
vehicle to another and thus to determine the fire resistance and to assist the fire service in their operation.
requirements of large-scale vehicle storage structures. The
risk was not seen as significant as the report summarised This official guidance does not currently require the
that “an outbreak of fire, within a single parked car, is unlikely installation of sprinklers in car parks. Trust is placed on
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Remains of damaged vehicles
‘passive protection’ measures such as fire walls and doors, 3000 reported car park fires, only 162 occurred where a
and smoke ventilation. However, the guidance is based fixed fire suppression system was present, and sprinklers
largely on data gained in fire tests carried out in the 1960s, extinguished 100 of them. In only 1% of cases did sprinklers
on cars vastly different from those made today. Today’s cars operate and not contain the fire.
have an increased use of plastics and other combustibles
and are generally larger, and therefore carrying more fuel,
mostly in plastic tanks. Modern electric/hybrid vehicles bring
their own issues.
The design of the building often determines the type of
ventilation it possesses, be it open sided, naturally ventilated
or mechanically ventilated.
Car fires in enclosed areas have the potential for vehicle to
vehicle spread. This is due to direct radiation, re- radiation
of ceiling fire plumes, direct flame contact, running fuel fires
due to plastic fuel tanks and there is also the added worry of
alternative fuels such as LPG, batteries and hydrogen.
Car blaze
Research
In 2006, DCLG (Dept. for Communities & Local Government) Conclusions
Sustainable Buildings Division, commissioned BRE Global Private vehicle ownership continues to increase across the
to carry out a three year project looking at the problems world. Innovative ways are required to temporarily store this
associated with fires in car parks. growing number of cars in our overcrowded cities. Automatic
car stacking systems are already in use with their deployment
Using a specially constructed test rig, the tests focussed on set to grow.
the speed of vehicle fire spread. The test demonstrated that
the provision of sprinklers could limit spread from the vehicle Fires in car parks are rare and injuries from these even rarer.
where the fire started and that this would have a dramatic The recent car park fires however demonstrate the potential
effect on the ability of the fire service to extinguish any such of fires that can develop beyond the ability of the Fire and
fire in relative safety. Rescue Service to control it.
The BRE report Fire Spread in Car Parks (2010) also As car design becomes increasingly diverse, and vehicle
concluded that when considering the effectiveness of fire load continues to increase, there is a need to review
sprinklers in controlling car fires in car parks that; ‘the the precautions to be considered when designing methods
incidence of fatalities and injuries is zero and the property to store them in large numbers. There is considerable
loss is around 95% lower than that of an uncontrolled fire’. evidence and published research to support the value of the
installation and use of automatic sprinklers.
UK statistics show that between 1994 and 2005, of over
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Fire Safety Advice - Get Out and Stay Out
Prof. James Lygate – Founder and Principal Investigator, IFIC Forensics Grenfell Tower fire
Sir Martin Moore Bick has now published his conclusions of Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
His conclusions have ramifications which will be felt by the response of residents in high-rise fires which had
throughout the construction community and are of concern to occurred after Grenfell. I was taken to task by an experienced
anyone living in a high-rise residential block. Spanish firefighter turned fire investigator from Madrid. He
expressed the view that residents should be required to
On the face of it there is a dichotomy between the philosophy remain in their apartments providing firefighters access and
of stay put and the development of the building regulations not to impede their firefighting efforts. Such a view reflects
which concentrate on providing an adequate (but short) period some in the firefighting community who have failed to grasp
of time for people to escape. the hazard posed by combustible cladding systems in new
and refurbished buildings. So unless and until combustible
London Fire Brigade have disowned the doctrine of stay put cladding systems are removed and no longer used, firefighting
but it was their employees following LFB policy which guided policy and procedure requires to change.
residents to stay put and wait to be rescued rather than
evacuate when they had a chance to do so. Strategic managers who make firefighting policy have not
kept up with the implications of changes in construction and
I lecture annually at the University of Edinburgh’s course other recent fires in timber framed buildings make the point.
in fire science and fire investigation. At this year’s course I Had the fire at the Beechmere Residential Complex in Crewe
expressed the view that ‘stay put’ was dead as evidenced occurred in the middle of the night rather than in the late
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Beechmere Residential Complex Fire - Credit Chesire Fire and Rescue Service
afternoon, the outcome might have been very different. The stairs and be overcome by untenable conditions. Conditions
risks posed by multi-storey timber frame buildings are only in the stair well at Lakanal House became untenable because
now being revealed and assessed. there was a breach in the fire-resisting wall between the flat
on fire and the stairwell, but not before escape was possible.
Kick boards which permit hose to be run through fire resisting
doors are typically found in cruise ships. Why could this not be
introduced into builds?
The recent fire in the multi-storey car park of the Douglas
Village Shopping Centre in Cork highlights the issues of multi-
storey car park fire safety and reinforces my view that the only
way to protect the structure, and therefore to limit losses due
to business interruption, is to fit sprinkler systems. The same
can be said of schools.
So here we have it, we have building regulations which are
designed to, and with glaring exceptions, protect life by
providing limited time for persons present to escape. They do
not, unless part of a separate fire safety design, provide for
refuge, such as in hospitals.
Aftermath of car park fire at Douglas Village Shopping
Centre, Cork - Credit Cork City Fire Brigade
If my mother was in a care home and there was a fire what
would my advice be? Get Out and Stay Out! If my daughter
I welcome the changes in the Scottish building regulations in was on the 20th floor of a residential block and there was a
the latest edition of the Technical Standards which requires fire my advice would equally be Get Out and Stay Out!
buildings over 18m in height to be equipped with fire detection
and alarm systems which at the control of the fire service can If that advice sounds familiar it should do because you will
be used to signal a building wide evacuation. Firefighters could find the mantra Get Out and Stay Out on the fire safety pages
of course be taken out of the equation and such systems be of almost every Fire and Rescue Service in the UK. This is not
programmed to trigger a building wide evacuation should a a new mantra and it came into use many years ago.
fire spread to more than two apartments or fire spread from
the apartment of origin to another floor. Such a system is
not without risk and occupants could be directed into single
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from all at IFIC Forensics
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