Safe as houses?

"This is a wake-up call to people who have historic homes."

That was the conclusion of senior fire officer Steve Cluderay on the report into the blaze that swept Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough.

He wanted it to serve as a warning that other stately home owners must ensure they protect their assets - if their buildings are not to suffer a similar fate.

It is a contentious statement, and one which was received guardedly at Allerton Castle. A crack in a fire flue was the most likely cause of that blaze, which ripped through the roof, dining room and wrecked a third of the castle on January 21. At its height, more than 100 firefighters battled to control the spreading flames.

North Yorkshire is awash with beautiful stately homes. In many towns and villages, such a house acts not only as a place to live, but also as a tourist attraction, bringing visitors in their droves.

Mr Cluderay said the Allerton Castle inferno gave other historic homes a chance to learn lessons.

"I believe the owners thought the castle was protected and I do not want to comment on whether anybody was at fault," he said.

"But it is much better to have significant controls in place to stop these things happening in the first place. That would probably have stopped the fire.

"The owner has paid the price - others need to learn the lessons."

He said many of the findings highlighted in the report would prove costly to action. But he said historic house owners had to weigh up the fire risks when deciding how to protect properties.

So what of our other priceless assets? What are they doing to protect themselves from millions of pounds of damage?

One of the best-known houses, Castle Howard, is no stranger to fire. In 1940, during the Second World War, a fire in the chimney in the building's South East Wing spread through the house, destroying some 20 rooms and causing damage to priceless artefacts.

Sixty five years later, and the North Yorkshire historic house has one of the most advanced fire protection systems available.

Detection signals, emergency procedures, trained staff at every level and an excellent relationship with the fire and rescue service are just some of the measures employed.

But no one is complacent, as curator Chris Ridgway reveals. "Every house is different. That's really one of the things you just can't stress enough," he said.

"Is it brick, or stone? Does it have tapestry interiors? All these things have to be considered. Clearly, you have to have a fire detection system in place.

"The issue with the fire in 1940 was it was smoking away for some time before anyone realised. Building up a good relationship with the fire brigade is very important. With us, Malton are extremely encouraging and cooperative."

Fire bosses attend Castle Howard training sessions and hand over input on what's good and bad about the building's fire protection methods. The important thing to remember, Mr Ridgway said, is that keeping a building protected from the perils of fire is an ongoing process.

"There are always things that you can do," he said. "We never say: 'We've got all our practices sorted out we can forget about this now'. We have an emergency fire working party which convenes quarterly to look at all outstanding issues and new developments.

"You have to know your building - in a physical sense but in a paper sense as well. You can't assume that the fire brigade will be as intimate with you, so up to date plans are vital."

Throughfares, stairs and dead ends all need to be accounted for when creating a set of plans which can be relied upon in the event of a quick spreading fire.

Mr Ridgway said: "We are always changing.

"We have a salvage plan, so we are able to start saving items in the event of a fire in the building."

It is a tough job, ensuring maintaining full protection against the ravages of fire alongside the subtleties of dealing with a historic house.

Allerton Castle was a warning. Everyone is now on guard.

Updated: 09:21 Monday, August 08, 2005