Journal of Architectural Conservation
Volume 13, Issue 3, November 2007
Managing Fire Risk in Historic Thatched Buildings
Roger Angold and Marjorie Saunders
Paper Summary
Every year, between 70 and 100 thatched properties will experience a serious fire. In addition to the irreplaceable loss to the built heritage, the financial cost of reinstatement is now in excess of £200,000 per building on average. The majority of thatch fires are chimney related, and are most often associated with the installation and use of modern multi-fuel appliances. The potential for a fire is entirely dependent on understanding and managing the risks during the design and installation process, and on the subsequent usage patterns of appliances. There are a number of risk minimization construction strategies that can be used in old properties that will not compromise conservation principles. However, when a fire does occur, it is important that fire-fighters are familiar with the pattern of fire spread in a thatched roof, and know how to recognize the roof construction details designed to protect the rest of the property. Unfortunately, once started, thatch fires are almost impossible to control; therefore, prevention is essential, as if one relies on detection, it is almost always too late to save the property.
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Figure 10 Looking up from an inglenook fireplace in a single storey thatched home. This wide chimney was sealed, top and bottom, with a rigid flue passing through it. The flue heated the air trapped in this insulated space to a temperature high enough for the thermal conductivity of the masonry to raise the temperature of its interface with the deep thatch to ignition point.
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Roger Angold PhD, MA, BSc, CBiol, MIBiol
Marjorie Sanders MPhil, CBiol, MIBiol, Churchill Fellow
Between them, the authors have two lifetimes’ experience in botany and cereal science, agriculture and food research. For the past 15 years, they have been active leaders in both academic and practical research into the major causes, management and control of fires in thatch. On leaving the food industry, they established Pyxis CSB Limited, which provides independent advice to thatch owners, architects, surveyors, conservation officers and fire services in addition to providing consultancy services to the National Society of Master Thatchers Limited on all technical issues associated with thatch, including fire.
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