Student Accomodation: Fire, Water and Mould Damage

Case study from the archive · First published in 2015

What happened?

On October 12, 2015, a severe fire broke out in astudent accommodation block on the University of Bristol campus. The blaze gutted the top floor and caused extensive water damage across all five floors due to firefighting efforts. Structural instability prevented access to the building for nearly three weeks, during which conditions allowed significant mould growth, adding to the damage.

The building housed around 120 students, mostlyfirst-years and many international, who had to be urgently relocated with no access to personal belongings. This created significant distress and disruption at the beginning of their university experience.

The response

BELFOR was appointed by RSA’s Commercial Major Loss Claims team on October 28, just over two weeks after the incident. The BELFOR UK Major & Complex Loss Team mobilized immediately, arriving on-site the next morning to assess damage and begin planning.

Recognizing the urgency and the emotional sensitivity of the situation, BELFOR quickly devised a custom recovery plan: An adjacent, semi-derelict university building was identified and converted into a local Processing Hub, allowing contents to be handled safely, efficiently, and on campus.

BELFOR implemented a tailored triage, inventory, restoration, and disposal system. The first priority was returning essential items — such as passports, medication, glasses, and valuables — through a rapid initial triage in coordination with university security. All other items were restored where possible, or inventoried and prepared for claims processing.

The results

Thanks to a collaborative and carefully managed approach, the project was completed in just 9 days — ahead of schedule. The innovative use of an onsite processing hub significantly reduced time and costs, while maintaining close control over personal item handling.

BELFOR’s sensitivity, communication, and professionalism helped rebuild trust and provide stability to students during a disruptive time. University stakeholders praised the service, emphasizing its promptness and practicality. Ultimately, BELFOR not only restored physical possessions but also contributed to restoring a sense of normality for the affected students.

Project overview

• 12 October 2015 – severe fire gutting top floor of building
• Major water damage to all 5 floors from extinguishing water
• No access to building for 3 weeks due to structural concerns
• Severe secondary damage from mould
• 120 residents, mostly first year and many international students
• BELFOR appointed 28th October 2015
• Bespoke contents handling, tracking, triage,
• Restoration and disposal process designed by BELFOR
• Cost effective BELFOR ‘processing hub’ solution implemented
• Project completed in 9 days – ahead of planned schedule
• Project Managed, collaborative approach with all stakeholders