Wildfire-damaged historic buildings may not be as ruined as they appear, but saving them means acting fast

The damage is sometimes only centimeters deep. Three engineers explain the colors of burned masonry and other signs preservationists look for amid another destructive fire year.

By: Rebecca Napolitano, Penn State; Giorgia Giardina, Delft University of Technology, and Tiago Miguel Ferreira, Universidade de Lisboa , The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 13, 2026

Words: 1,408

Last Updated: 5 days, 6 hours ago

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By Rebecca Napolitano, Penn State; Giorgia Giardina, Delft University of Technology, and Tiago Miguel Ferreira, Universidade de Lisboa

In a summer of wildfires severe enough to trigger Spain’s first-ever national emergency for a forest fire, a historic stone structure called the Nevera de Castro stands in a landscape burned bare in the Castellón region. Its walls are blackened by smoke and heat. A local news outlet noted that “a technical inspection will …

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