Clandon Park Fire

WOSHA update

January 2016

Clandon Park

• early 18th-century grade I listed Palladian mansion in West Clandon, near

Guildford

• a seat of the Onslow family.

• owned since 1956 by the National Trust

• Pay for entry property

• Includes an events company and a military museum run by third parties

on site

Fire

• 29 April 2015, a fire started in the house's basement, and quickly spread to the roof.

• attended by 16 fire engines and more than 80 personnel

• While fire fighters tackled the blaze National Trust volunteers were joined by

conservators in recovering items from the house

• A significant number of items were salvaged, but the house was left "essentially a

shell"

• Among the items thought destroyed were six Victoria Crosses and one of the footballs

kicked across no-man’s land on the first day of the Battle of the Somme

• Some medals and other artefacts have subsequently been salvaged from the rubble.

• the roof, ceilings and floors fell into the basement, leaving only one room intact

• There were no injuries

Clandon causes

“an accidental fire caused by a

resistance heating fault on a neutral bar

in the electrical distribution board.”

“It could be assumed that this

distribution board was delivered from

the manufacturer with this fault”

“The board was estimated to be about

20-25 years old”

“The electrical connection would have

repeatedly over heated….ever since the

distribution board was fitted”.

“…not contained through adequate fire

compartmentation, spreading quickly

throughout the entire building”

Extracts from the fire service investigation report

The distribution board

How the fire spread Wind Direction

Fire started here

Key lessons learnt

• Thermagraphics

• Service penetrations

• Third party operators

• Mobile signal

Response

Insurers

– No warranties

– Valuations

– Largest loss = Increase in premiums

Fire recommendations

– Audit of “mansions”

– Thermagraphics – resistive faults

– Tool box of approaches (Thermarestor, physical works, fire

stopping of service penetrations)

FRA

– build in call challenge and response times issues

– Third parties