Wild fires! Buildings destroyed!
Discussion
Just been watching the new about the Australian wild fires!
Looking around it shows that the only parts of the building that are left standing are the parts constructed out of bricks, such as chimey breasts. Would traditional British style brick buildings have lasted longer and offered the occupants more protection. Could the houses be rebuilt with shelters in the basement to provide a sanctuary from the fires (similar to the Tornado shelters in America).
If they are rebuit the same way its only going to happen again! anyone got any good ideas how they could be built to stand up to the fires and protect the people inside?
Looking around it shows that the only parts of the building that are left standing are the parts constructed out of bricks, such as chimey breasts. Would traditional British style brick buildings have lasted longer and offered the occupants more protection. Could the houses be rebuilt with shelters in the basement to provide a sanctuary from the fires (similar to the Tornado shelters in America).
If they are rebuit the same way its only going to happen again! anyone got any good ideas how they could be built to stand up to the fires and protect the people inside?
I'm not sure i would want to be in a shelter under a burning building, it would be like cooking in a big oven.
Thing is with homes like that and US homes, they are built very cheaply i.e. wood etc and therefore can be rebuilt very cheaply. I know when my Dad was in the real estate business he said a typical 3 bed american house could be built for under $20,000
Thing is with homes like that and US homes, they are built very cheaply i.e. wood etc and therefore can be rebuilt very cheaply. I know when my Dad was in the real estate business he said a typical 3 bed american house could be built for under $20,000
Edited by Nickyboy on Tuesday 10th February 22:25
It would seem to make sense to have an underground 'bunker' near the house rather than under it (as you might end up trapped)
Certainly a concrete house would fair much better but costs more and is ugly. Obviously shutters would be needed for doors / windows.
But it is such a rare occurance that its not worth it.
For areas suffering regular tornados etc concrete homes make much more sense but again its down to speed / cost constraints.
Certainly a concrete house would fair much better but costs more and is ugly. Obviously shutters would be needed for doors / windows.
But it is such a rare occurance that its not worth it.
For areas suffering regular tornados etc concrete homes make much more sense but again its down to speed / cost constraints.
MonkeyMatt said:
It is a regular occurance! these fires may be worse than normal but they happen every year! and people die every year!
They know the risk, it's not like it's a secret that country homes are at risk of bushfires.The one way to protect your house is keep trees as far away from it as possible and GTFO as soon as you hear of a bushfire on the way. Or else just live in suburbia.
I guess there's loads they could do to protect themselves (sturdier building, fire prevention paint, even sprinkler systems) but you get complacent and think it'll never happen.
From some of the shots on TV last night I was surprised that there seemed to be clumps of houses and trees, but with quite a lot of open space around the "clumps". Why on earth don't they clear the trees away from the houses?
From some of the shots on TV last night I was surprised that there seemed to be clumps of houses and trees, but with quite a lot of open space around the "clumps". Why on earth don't they clear the trees away from the houses?
You lot DO realise that that these fires jump all 6 lanes of a motorway? 
Look at the pictures in this thread and read the news paper linked.
Hiding it out doesn't work!
Look at the pictures in this thread and read the news paper linked.
Hiding it out doesn't work!
redgriff500 said:
So you're telling me that we use bunkers to stop bombs.
Yet they won't stop a fire ?
Of course they will, heat travels up, go a couple of feet below ground and the temps will be fine.
It's not just temperature. Big fires suck the air out of the shelter beneath and asphyxiate the victims. That's why the death toll was so high in the firestorms of Dresden, Cologne and Hamburg.Yet they won't stop a fire ?
Of course they will, heat travels up, go a couple of feet below ground and the temps will be fine.
Truckosaurus said:
I'm no Sammy Scientist, but surely any underground bunker would need to be airtight and have its own oxygen supply as any atmospheric air would be consumed by the fire?
Someone was interviewed who hid in their cellar. They survived but the cellar had ametal roof which glowed red due to the intense heat.A lot of houses here are wooden, or fibre-board. It is a selling point to have a brick home.
I live in a house made of whole tree trunks stacked up on top of each other in the middle of bush and forestry land. I was bricking myself, but thankfully we've had no fires close to us but there have been some around. We'd have stood no chance whatsoever and that is a f
g sobering thought...Edited by Buffalo on Wednesday 11th February 11:36
Buffalo said:
I live in a house made of whole tree trunks stacked up on top of each other in the middle of bush and forestry land. I was bricking myself, but thankfully we've had no fires close to us but there have been some around. We'd have stood no chance whatsoever and that is a fg sobering thought...
Maybe surround the house with a ring of water jets fed by a large underground tank? But I don't think I'd want to be in it when the water ran out...g sobering thought...MonkeyMatt said:
In the scheme of rebuilding the houses shirley adding in some king of protection systems for when this happens again (it will) would be worth the small extra cost?
But to add a decent fire proof shelter to a timber house would probably add several hundred % to the cost. I would doubt you could build a good shelter for much less than £100k in the UK.Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff