The number of industrial fires was relatively large in 2020, concludes the Dutch Association of Insurers in the Industrial Fires Risk Monitor. Although there was much more work from home and many companies were closed, there were still 3617 company fires. That number is not far below the average of the three years before, which is 4079.
Director Richard Weurding of the association cannot say how the number of company fires remained so high. One of the main causes of the fires was human activity, such as careless work or a stray cigarette butt. There was also talk of arson and short circuit.
Most fires, about 30 percent, originate in large companies, such as barn fires in the agricultural sector. But logistics companies are also affected, where you have large storage halls that are not divided into compartments. “The impact is also great there,” Weurding said in the NOS Radio 1 News. “In 25 percent of those cases, the entire property is lost.” There are also many fires in the waste and recycling sector.
23 percent of corporate fires were in offices and 20 percent in shops.
The damage amounts to many millions. According to Weurding, the impact is very large and entrepreneurs still underestimate that. “In 50 percent of the cases, a major fire leads to bankruptcy within two years. The consequences for business continuity are particularly significant in times of corona.”
–
