[sliverstorm]

Not a fire scientist, but solid blocks of dense dry hardwood are actually comparatively quite resistant to ignition. They are not completely fireproof, but superior to many other modern building materials and furnishings.

supposedly the safest thing to do if there is a fire on another floor is to shelter in place

Of course, that's what they said about Grenfell.

[blattimwind]

A piece of beech firewood lasts about 2-4 hours in a wood stove, which is pretty impressive methinks. (However, construction timber isn't hardwood and never beech).

[notl4wy3r]

Fortunately, my building still has the original brick cladding.

[wahern]

Does it have sprinklers? Lack of sprinklers is what doomed the Marco Polo condominium victims despite all the mitigations.

  "We've got three commercial fire hoses on every floor," he
  said. "We've got three CO2 bottles, big ones, on every
  floor. When we did the building originally, we thought we
  have enough equipment at the time, so the fire will never
  transfer to another unit. We have 45-minute fire doors, so
  if we have a fire, we can keep it to one unit."

  ...

  "Solid, concrete and pre-stressed -- it’s the best.” said
  Schmidt. It was designed to accommodate natural, tradewind
  ventilation, but he thinks those winds also helped to feed
  the fire.

-- http://www.kitv.com/story/35948583/long-time-marco-polo-resi...