Wildfires could damage or destroy between 133,000 and 449,000 structures across the US from 2024 to 2060 if current development patterns and limited adaptation persist, according to a new peer‑reviewed risk assessment. The projected losses nearly triple current estimates, driven by continued expansion of housing into the wildland–urban interface and inadequate fire‑resilient design. For civil and geotechnical engineers, this signals rising demand for fire‑hardening of infrastructure, updated land‑use planning, and performance‑based codes for foundations, retaining systems and utilities in high‑risk corridors.

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire are launching a detailed investigation into the façade “chimney effect” that allowed flames and smoke to race up Grenfell Tower’s cladding system in 2017. The work will focus on how ventilated cavity geometry, insulation and cladding panel configuration influenced vertical fire spread and smoke movement. Findings are expected to inform future façade fire engineering, including cavity barrier design, material selection and test methods for high-rise residential towers.

Industrial action at Sellafield and escalating cyber threats to nuclear sites are now the “top concerns” for Nuclear Decommissioning Authority chief executive David Peattie, who oversees clean-up of 17 UK sites including Magnox and Dounreay. Peattie warned that further strikes by GMB and Unite members at the 6 km² Sellafield complex could disrupt high-hazard waste retrievals and legacy pond and silo decommissioning schedules. He also flagged ransomware and operational technology intrusions as key risks to safety-critical control systems and long-term programme delivery.