Fire risk impacts business operations

The summer of 2026 showed that a fire can disrupt an enterprise's operations even without damaging its buildings. Road closures, evacuations, smoke, unavailable suppliers, or employees affected by the fire can be enough to interrupt activity. For company leaders, fire risk must be considered as a risk to business continuity. An effective crisis management strategy is necessary.

Record-breaking fire risk duration

The summer of 2026 marked a significant increase in fire risk. Météo-France recorded 901 days with at least one department placed on high fire risk, including 74 consecutive days between June 8 and August 20, an unprecedented duration.

Financial impact of fire claims

France Assureurs estimates the cost of approximately 25,000 claims related to fires in the Gironde, Landes, and Var departments to be nearly 500 million euros. Over 1,800 business interruption claims have been opened, totaling nearly 30 million euros, and these occur very largely without direct material damage.

Expanding the definition of fire risk

These figures show that the risk is no longer limited to material destruction. For company leaders, the challenge is now to identify everything that can interrupt operations, including when the site itself remains intact.

Mapping fire risk at multiple levels

The first step is to examine the risk at three levels: the site itself, its immediate environment, and everything on which its operations depend. First, it is necessary to identify what could be directly affected by a fire, such as buildings, equipment, stocks, or resources essential to production.

Expanding the analysis beyond the site

Then, the analysis must be expanded to the site's environment. For example, a fire at a neighboring location, a closed road, or an evacuation perimeter can be enough to make the company inaccessible, even if its own facilities remain intact. Finally, it is necessary to map critical dependencies. These include water, energy, sole suppliers, logistics, or external expertise.

Preparing for post-fire challenges

A company may comply with fire safety obligations and yet find itself helpless once the incident is controlled. The fire may be extinguished in a few hours, while for the company, the crisis may only just be beginning. A site may remain unusable for several weeks due to site security measures, investigations into the cause, preservation of elements useful for expert analysis, or judicial constraints.

Anticipating extended downtime

This downtime remains largely underestimated in continuity plans. Therefore, this duration must be anticipated. Which functions must continue at all costs? Where should temporary teams be installed? Which activities can be suspended? Which customers must be prioritized?

Elevating crisis management to the board level

Once a fire can interrupt production, affect customers, and weaken revenue, the issue can no longer be confined to QHSE or the security department. It becomes a governance issue. The role of the board of directors is not only to approve a plan, but to ensure that it is truly capable of making decisions when normal operations disappear.

Clarifying decision-making responsibilities

This requires clarifying who is in charge, who makes decisions, and how far teams have decision-making autonomy. But above all, it requires testing. A relevant exercise could, for example, start with a neighboring fire: the factory is intact, but inaccessible for five days, part of the employees are unavailable, and a strategic supplier interrupts deliveries.

Testing decision-making under uncertainty

The board must then decide, without knowing the exact duration of the crisis, which activities to maintain, which orders to prioritize, which resources to reallocate, and which customers to inform, in short, how to decide in uncertainty. The purpose is to verify whether the organization remains capable of making decisions under constraints, with incomplete information, and over time.

Preparing for recovery in advance

The final step is to prepare the means that will allow the crisis to be shortened. Where should the crisis team be installed if the premises are unavailable? Which service providers can operate at night or on weekends? Is there a backup site or an emergency subcontractor? Who actually holds the contact details of the right people?

Ensuring readiness for large-scale fires

These questions become even more critical during a large-scale fire, as the resources needed for recovery can quickly become saturated. Experts in building, debris removal, asbestos removal, or repair services may be simultaneously requested by multiple affected parties. Therefore, contacts, procedures, and emergency solutions must be prepared in advance.

Preserving critical elements for recovery

The preservation of elements useful for expert analysis must also be organized to avoid unnecessarily delaying investigations and recovery. The first minutes of a fire fall under safety. The days that follow fall under business continuity and crisis management.

Ensuring business resilience

For a leader, the real challenge is therefore to ensure that the company remains capable of making decisions, serving its customers, and maintaining its essential activities when its normal operating conditions have disappeared. Fire prevention protects the site. Crisis preparedness protects the business.