Fire Resilience for Heritage in a Changing Climate: Priorities for Site Managers
In several previous posts, fireriskheritage.net has explored how climate change threatens cultural heritage. This includes material degradation due to heat, humidity and sea-level rise (as summarised in the European Parliamentary Research Service report and global assessments) and its role as a multi-hazard challenge encompassing fires floods and erosion.
Today, we zoom in on fire, the growing frontline risk. With wildfires intensifying worldwide, site managers need to shift from reactive incident response to proactive resilience. This post translates high-level climate-risk discussions into concrete actions: defensible space, water supplies, fire service coordination, climate-focused risk assessments, and recovery planning.
International bodies like UNESCO warn that climate-driven factors—heatwaves, droughts, and longer fire seasons—are amplifying fires at both cultural and natural heritage sites. Traditional guidance emphasizes “classic” internal risks like electrical faults, but managers now face compound threats: encroaching wildfires, ember storms, power grid failures, and smoke damage.
1. New Drivers of Fire Risk for Heritage
Climate change isn’t just warming the planet—it’s supercharging fire dynamics around heritage sites.
- Drier vegetation and intense wildfires: Prolonged droughts turn surrounding landscapes into tinderboxes. Embers can travel kilometers, igniting roofs or thatched structures, as seen in the 2018 Athens wildfires that threatened the Acropolis or the 2023 Canadian fires blanketing European historic towns in toxic smoke.
- Infrastructure failures as ignition sources: Overloaded grids during heatwaves spark external fires, while aging power lines near sites (common in historic areas) fail under storm stress.
- Visitor pressure in high-risk seasons: Summer events and tourism peak when fire danger soars, overloading open-air sites like Roman forums or medieval city centers with crowds, tents, and barbecues—exacerbating ignition risks.
These drivers demand a landscape-scale view, not just building interiors.
2. What “Fire Resilience” Means for a Heritage Site
Fire resilience goes beyond preventing a single blaze. It’s about building capacity to absorb shocks, adapt to worsening conditions, and recover swiftly across four pillars: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
- Blend building-level protections (fire compartments, early detection, sprinklers) with site-wide measures: Create defensible space by clearing 10-30 meters of flammable vegetation around structures; ensure wide, hardened access roads for fire trucks; and secure multiple water sources like static tanks or community hydrants.
- Embrace a “plan for the worst” mindset: Model scenarios with embers, smoke, and multi-day events using tools like the Australian Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) ratings, adapted for heritage.
- Example: Notre-Dame Cathedral’s post-2019 rebuild incorporated climate-resilient features like external ember deflectors and drought-resistant landscaping.
This holistic approach future-proofs sites against a hotter, drier world.
3. Practical Priorities for Managers
Directors and facility teams could start here with a 12-month action plan.
- Update fire risk assessments: Commission heritage-specific audits that model climate-driven wildfires and external ignitions.
- Boost preparedness: Document all safety measures, plans, and as-built drawings in a “fire grab bag.” Train staff quarterly with tabletop drills; forge MOUs with local fire brigades for site familiarization visits; pre-plan salvage priorities (e.g., artifacts first) and recovery chains (temporary shelters, conservation experts).
- Embed in daily operations: Reduce fuels via annual vegetation cuts, ban flammables near buildings, maintain clear escape routes, and monitor weather apps for fire alerts. Integrate with visitor management—limit summer crowds during red-flag warnings.
4. Leveraging New International Tools
To enhance fire resilience, consider adopting the emerging resources, like UNESCO’s Fire Risk Management Guide for Cultural and Natural Heritage (2024) or ICOMOS-IFRC Guidelines: Align heritage with civil protection and climate adaptation plans..
Fire resilience is essential for survival in a changing climate. Site managers, assess your risks today and share your experiences in the comments. What action will you take this season?
