On 20 November 1992, a fire broke out at the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, Windsor Castle. One hundred and fifteen rooms were damaged, and smoke continued to rise from the buildings for several days. The queen was reported to have been devastated. Probably only she and a few others knew of what had been lost in the flames.

It was by no means the first time that a large and famous building had caught fire. Many historic buildings all over the world have suffered a far worse fate than Windsor Castle and have been completely destroyed. A quick look through the history books will remind you that fires like these happen often.

1906 Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the third largest cathedral in the USA, caught fire following an earthquake.

1918   Hong Kong Racecourse caught fire, killing more than 600 people.

1936   Built for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, Crystal Palace was completely destroyed by fire.

1992                Windsor Castle caught fire while the late Queen Elizabeth II was present.

2019                Notre Dame de Paris caught fire, destroying its famous spire and roof.

Given that these buildings are so valuable and famous, you may wonder why they catch fire so regularly. One of the big problems is that most old buildings were originally built out of wood. Whilst some of that wood may have been replaced over the years with more fireproof materials, plenty of wood still remains within the building. It’s dry and can catch fire easily.

They also contain lots of paper; sometimes historic documents, and also paintings. These build up over the years and are left in rooms and forgotten about – until they catch fire.

Old buildings also require plenty of attention. They often catch fire when being renovated – just as Notre Dame de Paris was. Temporary lighting, temporary electrics, and machinery that heat up all pose a threat.

Buildings burning down is always a tragedy. However, when there is such a fire, investigations take place. This leads to new laws to make sure a similar tragedy cannot be repeated. Serious fires can bring reforms in fire safety procedures, especially in schools. Learning from past mistakes can ensure that safety structures are improved upon.

Fires can also deliver improvement. On 25 December 1953, 53,000 refugees from China were made homeless when fire swept through temporary homes in Shek Kip Mei. It led to one of the biggest housing construction programmes in the world, forming the backbone of one of the most dynamic business cities, Hong Kong.

QUESTION:

VIDEO: View the damage caused by the fire at Windsor Castle.

VOCABULARY