| More than 60 billion feet of communication and data cabling have been installed in commercial buildings in the United States in the past 20 years, adding significantly to the amount of combustible material capable of fueling hard-to-reach infernos that emanate from concealed spaces in walls and ceilings.
Although business and building owners have been installing new cabling to support new computer and communication networks, old "legacy" cabling is seldom removed unless required. This scenario has resulted in the build-up of hazardous layers of combustible cable in most tall commercial buildings.
Fast Facts:
- Installation of combustible cabling has been increasing at 10 percent to more than 25 percent per year for the past 20 years.
- Hazardous unused layers of combustible “legacy” cables are left in commercial buildings.
- Unused cabling is seldom removed, even if required, due to loopholes in many local building codes.
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