The Cutty Sark was built in 1869, and sailed its first voyage in 1870.  It was reserved as a tribute to merchant navy workers.  Over 15 million people visited the ship each year. During restoration work during 2007, a fire started that caused considerable damage to the vessel. Fortunately, a significant amount of valuable materials had been ... Read More
Archive for March 27th, 2012
Namdaemun Gate in South Korea was completed in 1398. It was the oldest wooden structure in Seoul. In 1962 it had been given the status of “National Treasure No.1" for South Korea. On 10 February 2008, an arsonist, using only an aluminumladder, three 1.5 liter bottles of paint thinner, and two cigarette lighters started a fire ... Read More
The Manège Militaire de Québec was the home to Canada's oldest French infantry regiment.  It was built in 1884 and designed by Eugène-Étienne Taché  who also designed the Parliament buildings and the old Quebec Courthouse. The building possessed Canada’s largest suspended ceiling and housed a museum.   On the evening of 4 April 2008, after renovation work had ... Read More
The Troitsky Cathedral (or Trinity Cathedral) is located in St Petersburg, Russia St and is famed for its 80-metre-high central dome made of wood. On 25 August 2006, while restoration work was underway, fire apparently started in the scaffolding and spread rapidly. The response from the fire brigades included 40 trucks, and a helicopter. The ... Read More
On 29 January 1996, La Fenice was destroyed by fire. The fire was started by two electricians. Their reason for setting the fire was apparently due to their contracting company facing significant fines for delays in their repair work. Further exacerbating the situation, was the fact that due to the renovation work going on inside La ... Read More
The fire at Windsor Castle occurred on the morning of 20 November 1992.   The castle suffered severe damage in the fire, which destroyed some of the most historic parts of the castle which is the largest inhabited castle in the world. The fire began in The Queen's private Chapel at approximately 11:30 am when a curtain was ignited by ... Read More
The World Trade Center PATH Terminal provides access to the PATH trains connecting New York and New Jersey. The WTC PATH project is the replacement to the previous WTC PATH Terminal that was lost during September 11th. Fire Engineering work for this project involved the development of the initial fire and life safety strategy and review ... Read More
The Old New York County Courthouse in New York City, more commonly known as the Tweed Courthouse, was built in the mid 1800’s. It is a New York City Landmark, as well as a National Historic Landmark. In the 1990’s it underwent an extensive rehabilitation to bring back its past grandeur. During this time, Chris developed ... Read More
On Condè Nast’s list of top 75 hotels in Europe, the Excelsior Florence is located in Piazza Ognissanti, neighbouring the famous Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace in downtown Florence. The Excelsior Florence is one of the great Historic Hotels of the World. During the recent overall rehabilitation of the Hotel, Chris was involved with conducting ... Read More