Cybercrime & Historic Sites — the April 2026 San Marco Anti‑Flood System Incident
In April 2026 a threat actor calling itself “Infrastructure Destruction Squad” (aka “Dark Engine”) publicly claimed root access to the...
Engineering
Temporary use and events in heritage buildings: hidden fire risks before, during, and after opening
Why temporary use is a distinct fire-risk phase The Cappella della Sindone fire is the clearest case to quote because...
BIM/GIS Fire-Risk Models for Heritage: Why Interoperability Is Still the Core Problem
Recent research on BIM and GIS for heritage fire-risk assessment has produced promising results, but one issue continues to dominate...
Fire Risk during Renovation of Historic Buildings
Historic buildings under renovation are often at their most fragile the moment we believe they are being “made safer.” Several...
Fire Safety in Cultural Heritage Buildings: Beyond Compliance, Toward Protection
Fire is arguably the greatest single threat facing cultural heritage. From the catastrophic 2018 fire at the National Museum of...
The Uffizi Cyberattack: a Warning for Heritage Institutions, but not a simple story
On 2026, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, became the focus of a cyberattack story that quickly moved beyond technical disruption...
Mitigating Water Damages to Cultural Heritage: Strategies and Firefighting Solutions
Water remains the most pervasive threat to cultural heritage, as outlined in our previous analysis "Water: the Most Common Enemy...
Buffer Zones: War vs. Wildland Fire Protection
The UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace sustained damage from airstrikes, which shattered precious mirrors. This occurred despite the target of the attacks...
Fire Protection for Heritage Buildings in Hot-Humid Contexts: The Guangzhou Paradigm
TL;DR: Fire Protection Strategies for Guangzhou’s Historic Core Guangzhou’s dense historic districts—over 3,000 assets like qilou arcades and Xiguan mansions—face...
Historic Saint-Paul Church Fire, Montreal (Canada): Total Loss
Early Monday 23 February 2026, ~1:40am, a fire engulfed the former Saint-Paul Church (Sud-Ouest borough, Montreal). The historic church, converted...
Germany’s KulturGutRetter: Pioneering the First UCPM Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU)
Summary Germany’s KulturGutRetter pioneers the first UCPM Cultural Heritage Response Unit (CHRU)—a self-sufficient team for rapid protection of cultural assets...
Comprehensive FireRiskHeritage Guide for Historic Timber Structures Safety
Historic timber structures represent one of the most vulnerable yet essential components of architectural heritage. From medieval cathedral roofs spanning...
Natural Heritage on Fire: Lessons for Built Heritage Professionals
Historic buildings nestled in forests, parks, or scrubland increasingly face wildfire threats amplified by climate shifts, as evidenced by 2025–2026...
Fire Effects on Heritage Stone: Temperature Thresholds and Assessment
Introduction Stone has long been considered one of the most fire-resistant building materials in architectural history, providing inherent protection to...
Review: A Study about Guangzhou Fire Protection Strategies and Technologies for Heritage Buildings
In an era when historic city centres across the globe are at risk—not only from large-scale redevelopment and neglect, but...
Fire Resilience for Heritage in a Changing Climate: Priorities for Site Managers
International bodies such as UNESCO warn that climate-driven factors including heatwaves, droughts and extended fire seasons are intensifying fires at...
Attacks on Worship Sites: the Need for Specific Fire Design Scenarios
Attacks on churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship have become a worrying global trend, and they increasingly strike...
Why Cost–benefit Analysis matters for Historic Buildings
When deciding how to protect a historic building, it is not enough to ask “Is this measure technically effective?” The...
Suspicious Fire Destroys Abandoned Church in Scotland
The overnight fire that on December 7, 2025 engulfed the 182-year-old Pollokshaws Parish Church on Shawbridge Street serves as a...
Backdraft at Historic Hotel Fire in Escanaba (USA)
A 161-year-old landmark hotel, a complex multi-occupancy historic structure, a ventilation-controlled fire in a concealed ceiling space, and a near‑fatal...
What is Cost-Benefit Analysis for Cultural Heritage?
If you're managing a historic building or cultural site, you face tough decisions about where to spend limited money—especially on...
Fire at Public Archives in Zagreb
Late on November 17, 2025, a large fire ripped through the Vjesnik skyscraper on Slavonska Avenue in Zagreb, burning vertically...
