The destructive relationship between fire and buildings is as old as the history of buildings themselves. Fire protection has been a key reason for the development of new materials, construction methods, and safety protocols since the earliest buildings and each major fire acts as a trigger for innovation and regulation. The response to the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD was said to be the beginning of urban fire safety regulation, including wider roads, building height, common walls, and non-flammable structural materials. The great fires of Tokyo in 1657 and London in 1666, as well as similar major incidents around the world, have all played their part in driving the development of fire safety in our modern buildings and cities. Today, fire safety regulations in buildings have helped minimize the threat of city-wide infernos but fire still is, and maybe always will be, a key threat to buildings and their occupants. The latest reminder is never too far in the past and […]