Originally, there was no attic in the house when it was built in the 60s. The previous owner had apparently opened a hatch in the roof and created an attic up there. Could that be why no fire wall is mounted against one neighbor?H hempularen said:
Exactly. I was unclear. There was an attic, but the owner has opened a hatch there. The hatch itself is fireproof. So why should I set up a firewall in the attic? I've also heard that the walls are fireproof, so why is it so necessary to have a firewall in the house?
If he has fireproofed the attic with fireproof gypsum, it is addressed, as that is the most sensitive part. The fire spreads mainly upwards, and in the attic, there is a lot of dry flammable wood that also covers the entire length.W Wisiano said:
No, the spread via the attic has very little to do with whether or not there are hatches.W Wisiano said:
It's about the fact that the fire often very easily makes its way up through the ceiling and then has a free path to spread rapidly from attic to attic, causing the whole building to quickly become engulfed in flames. You mitigate this by having firewalls between each attic. This is standard in new constructions today, but it was common not to think of such things in the 60s and 70s.
Sure, it's good to have a firewall on the residential floors between yourself and your neighbor. But if you forgo addressing the attic, a large part of the problem remains.
Here where I live, we've had a couple of major fires in townhouses in the past 2 years where the entire row burned down in no time. In both cases, they were old townhouses where the fire spread quickly via the attic. One started with an electric scooter that was charging. The other was probably a cigarette butt in a flower box that set a canopy on fire and then went in through the eaves.
Sorry if I'm discouraging you from living in a townhouse now.
Subscribe to a service like Verisure, they have smart smoke detectors that alert the control center in case of a fire and then forward the alert to the fire department. This way, you are extra safe even when you are not at home!W Wisiano said:
Double-check that there is not already a firewall in the attic first.
In 1997, there was a major townhouse fire in Trosa that decimated quite a large area. After that, for once, retroactive regulations for fire protection in townhouses were introduced.
That is, regardless of when the house is built, whether it has been remodeled or not, a fire protection wall *should* have been installed in the attic more than 20 years ago.
Extensive inspections were conducted nationwide after that, and it should have been very difficult for previous owners to bypass that requirement.
In connection with fire protection inspections from chimney sweeps, etc., it should also be discovered, and there is a penalty associated with it, so saying that you have a fire-protected hatch and smoke detector is not enough.
In addition, most regulations regarding fire protection are only associated with new construction and renovation, meaning your house walls likely have requirements for better fire protection next time you renovate.
*But* it's not primarily to meet regulations and avoid penalties that you build fire-safe; it's to save your family's life and property in the event of a fire at the neighbor's, so it's very unwise to cut corners.
In 1997, there was a major townhouse fire in Trosa that decimated quite a large area. After that, for once, retroactive regulations for fire protection in townhouses were introduced.
That is, regardless of when the house is built, whether it has been remodeled or not, a fire protection wall *should* have been installed in the attic more than 20 years ago.
Extensive inspections were conducted nationwide after that, and it should have been very difficult for previous owners to bypass that requirement.
In connection with fire protection inspections from chimney sweeps, etc., it should also be discovered, and there is a penalty associated with it, so saying that you have a fire-protected hatch and smoke detector is not enough.
In addition, most regulations regarding fire protection are only associated with new construction and renovation, meaning your house walls likely have requirements for better fire protection next time you renovate.
*But* it's not primarily to meet regulations and avoid penalties that you build fire-safe; it's to save your family's life and property in the event of a fire at the neighbor's, so it's very unwise to cut corners.