Effects of fire on precast members: A case study

A cotton thread plant located in Kahramanmaras, Turkey was burned down in 2003. During the fire, the plant was used as a storage space for cotton fibers and waste. The plant was constructed by precast concrete structural members in 1997 and its construction area was 8142 m2. Riverbed aggregate and Portland cement was used in the production of concrete. Compressive strength of concrete was 25 MPa. All precast structural members had 1.5 cm concrete cover. Roof covers made by aluminum panels. In the plant, there were no interior walls and all the exterior walls were made by hollow clay bricks and plastered. There was no protection against fire in all precast concrete structural members. The construction was heavily damaged and collapsed. The estimated loss of goods was around $6,000,000.