Cultural and Historic Heritage Losses in the World: 2025 List
This article compiles online reports of fires and other losses of historic or cultural heritage buildings. While it doesn’t capture...
Attacks on Worship Sites: the Need of Specific Fire Design Scenarios
Attacks on churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship have become a worrying global trend, and they increasingly strike...
Christmas Markets under Pressure: from Terror Plots to “Ordinary” Disasters
Across Europe, Christmas markets are more than seasonal shopping events. They are recurring public rituals that each year re‑occupy historic...
Do Traditional Fire Codes Fall Short in Protecting Cultural Artifacts? The Notre Dame des Champs Case
When discussing fire safety in cultural heritage buildings, such as churches, museums, and historic monuments, we often rely on standards...
The Laborie Estate Fire – Heritage Resilience and WUI in Paarl (South Africa)
Date of Incident: December 20, 2025 Location: Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa Site Classification: Grade II Provincial Heritage Site (Cape Dutch Werf) Laborie Wine...
Why Cost–benefit Analysis matters for Historic Buildings
When deciding how to protect a historic building, it is not enough to ask “Is this measure technically effective?” The...
Fire and Destruction of a Traditional Village in Sumba (Indonesia)
Kampung Adat Waru Wora in West Sumba is a village that suffered a devastating fire on 5 December 2025 that...
Heritage Sites Destroyed by Floods in Sumatra
Since late November 2025, extreme monsoon rains, intensified by deforestation resulting from logging and mining activities, have caused catastrophic floods...
Rebuilding an Heritage Canadian Village with Fire-Resilient Principles
On June 30, 2021, during a record-breaking heat dome, the Village of Lytton, British Columbia (Canada) — home to about...
New Zealand Heritage Wildfire
In early December 2025, a human-caused wildfire ignited within Tongariro National Park, a dual World Heritage landscape recognized for its...
Suspicious Fire Destroys Abandoned Church in Scotland
The overnight fire that on December 7, 2025 engulfed the 182-year-old Pollokshaws Parish Church on Shawbridge Street serves as a...
Backdraft at Historic Hotel Fire in Escanaba (USA)
A 161-year-old landmark hotel, a complex multi-occupancy historic structure, a ventilation-controlled fire in a concealed ceiling space, and a near‑fatal...
What is Cost-Benefit Analysis for Cultural Heritage?
If you're managing a historic building or cultural site, you face tough decisions about where to spend limited money—especially on...
Damage Limitation Team in Resource-Constrained Heritage Sites
Many cultural heritage sites operate with limited budgets, relying on restricted public funds or modest tourism revenues. Nevertheless, these sites...
Hyrcanian Forest Fires: When Ancient Heritage Burns
In November 2025, Iran requested urgent assistance from friendly countries to contain a large wildfire in the Hyrcanian forests after...
Fire at Public Archives in Zagreb
Late on November 17, 2025, a large fire ripped through the Vjesnik skyscraper on Slavonska Avenue in Zagreb, burning vertically...
Analysis of a Maintenance Fire in a Theatre in Italy
Between November 11 and 12, 2025, a significant fire occurred at the “Ciotolone” Theatre, situated within the esteemed Le Ciminiere...
Smart Technologies and Historic Buildings: Gaps to be filled
Cybersecurity is a critical concern when implementing IoT smart technologies in heritage buildings, particularly museums. This concern encompasses both safety...
600.000 Comics Artefacts destroyed in a Fire
On October 1, 2025, a catastrophic fire engulfed the Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) warehouse in Bhiwandi, a suburb of Mumbai,...
How Smart Technologies Improve Historic Buildings Safety
Preserving historic buildings means protecting not just architecture, but the memory and identity of communities. Today, the integration of smart...
What if Smart Technologies had been implemented at the National Museum of Brazil or Notre Dame?
This post initiates a series of considerations regarding the opportunities and risks associated with adopting and utilising intelligent technologies within...
Fire Risk from Electrical Micro-Mobility Devices in Historic Buildings
The recent fire that damaged the Cathedral of Córdoba originated from equipment powered by lithium-ion batteries. The growing diffusion of equipment...
Why Historic Buildings require dedicated Fire Studies
In a 2024 post titled “Why the Notre Dame Fire Improved Historic Buildings Safety”, this website examines the significance of...