A fire at Wharfedale hospital in Otley, West Yorkshire was prevented from spreading throughout the GB pound 15 million building by Kingspan’s insulated fire performance wall panels.
Combustible building materials stored on the ground floor of the hospital were set on fire by an arsonist, whilst the hospital was under construction. The exterior of the building was exposed to direct flames up to 10 metres high along with smoke and heat damage.
An independent investigation by Tenos reveals how Kingspan’s Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) approved insulated wall panels did not ignite, demonstrating their fire performance capabilities that helped to minimise fire damage and prevent the fire from spreading.
The Tenos report concludes that “the panels did not ignite, did not promote fire spread within the core or to the eves and did not significantly contribute to the products of combustible.”
It is reported that the Association of British Insurers (ABI) states that LPCB approved panels can be classified as a non-combustible building system. The fire, says Kingspan, confirms that its LPCB approved panels will react as non-combustible building systems in a real fire scenario.
Kingspan also reports that they have been shown to cause no spread of fire within the core, no flaming deposits, low smoke emissions and they present no additional risk for fire fighters.
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