Following a Freedom of Information request to the fire services following a fire at the Moorfield Hotel in Shetland last year, the BBC has reported that experts believe further investigation into the risks of modular buildings is required.
The Moorfield Hotel, which was built using factory-made rooms stacked on top of each other, burned down in July last year.
A fire service report was obtained via Freedom of Information laws. In it, a senior fire engineer seeks more clarification about the 100-bed building's design.
The areas mentioned include fire prevention plans, and the safety certificates for the foam and chipboard panels used.
The cause is thought to have been electrical, but the report said it was possible the “rapid and unchecked” spread of fire was aided by wall or roof cavities.
The hotel fire followed the world-famous Fair Isle Bird Observatory being lost to fire in 2019.
Both buildings were less than 10 years old and made from factory-built units, which had been shipped up to Shetland by sea.
Both blazes were particularly severe, and fire crews were unable to stop the spread. No-one was injured in either incident.
The Moorfield Hotel had 70 occupants on the night it caught fire in July 2020. It was due to close a week later having lost its contract to house gas plant workers.
BBC News August 2021