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I can assure you that most fires in European buildings don't happen in " modern up-to-code houses ".

• nemo44x 3y ago
  There's a difference though. Old homes in the USA are often made from timber and don't have fire retardants like insulation, drywall (instead they have plaster and lath which is more flammable than drywall), etc. Plus the wood is very old (but very high quality!) which means it's very dry which means it goes up quickly. And with no insulation it spreads really quickly. Plus a lot of older homes haven't been brought up to date with new hardwired fire alarms, modern electric, etc.
  • hotpotamus 3y ago
    Another quirk of American home building history is "balloon framing" that used long, continuous studs for the exterior walls that could rapidly channel fires between walls. The modern method is called "stick framing" where floors are essentially stacked up which creates fire breaks. So not all wood construction methods are equal where fire safety is concerned. Modern homes will certainly burn, but you should have a reasonable amount of time to escape at least.