In the unfortunate event of a fire, within the context of the evolution of façade fires, with a specific focus on the utilization of polystyrene thermal insulation (external thermal insulation composite system façades—ETICS façades), this study delves into the investigation of fires ignited by containers containing plastic bottles. Through an examination of the fluctuating temperatures within the affected room and its adjacent areas, as well as an assessment of the fire’s impact on polystyrene thermal insulation, this paper underscores the significance of incorporating non-combustible barriers into the building’s thermal insulation system. The tests conducted revealed that the temperature inside the room reached a maximum of 1100 °C, subsequently decreasing to 800 °C at a height of 2.5 m and approximately 400 °C at a height of 5 m. For this research, two 1100-L containers of household waste were employed, each weighing 45.5 kg and possessing a gross calorific value of 46.97 MJ/kg, with 10.7 kg of PET bottles inside, characterized by a higher calorific value of 23.90 MJ/kg as the source of the fire. Heat release rate highest values were obtained between 11 and 17 min, with a maximum value of 4919 kW. Thus, even in the absence of specific legislation, this study emphasizes the imperative need to establish safety distances for the storage of household waste away from the building’s façade to mitigate the risk of fire propagation, particularly in relation to materials such as polystyrene thermal insulation. Furthermore, in certain situations, extensive fire experiments on a grand scale, like the one undertaken in this research, hold a crucial position in confirming numerical findings for global researchers. This process assures the reliability and real-world usefulness of fire safety studies through the experimental outcomes presented in this investigation.

The durability of cementitious materials is essential for the development of sustainable construction, and the integration of self-healing mechanisms can reduce damage and maintenance costs. This paper analyzes the self-healing capacity of masonry mortars reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers and crystalline additives, when exposed to repeated wet-dry cycles. Four mortar mixtures were investigated, including two control mixtures and two mixtures modified with self-healing agents. The experimental program included determination of density, water absorption, compressive strength, and flexural strength, as well as monitoring the evolution of microcracks during the healing process. The results showed that modified mortars exhibited complete surface crack sealing under the applied wet-dry conditioning regime, including an initial crack width of 346 μm, which was completely sealed within 48 h. The observed crack-sealing behavior may result from the combined contribution of autogenous healing processes, PVA-fiber crack bridging, and the crystalline admixture; however, their individual contributions and possible synergistic effects cannot be distinguished from the present experimental design. The results indicate the potential of the investigated modified mortars to improve crack-sealing performance and contribute to enhanced durability. However, no direct environmental or life-cycle assessment was performed in the present study; therefore, potential sustainability benefits associated with service-life extension and reduced repair demand require further quantitative assessment.

The reaction-to-fire class printed on the Declaration of Performance of an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) is often the only fire performance evidence available during early design. This paper reports, specimen by specimen, twenty-three Single Burning Item tests on nominally equivalent expanded-polystyrene ETICS, performed in one notified laboratory in two campaigns about two and a half years apart. A mineral silicate render on an inert substrate gave a fire growth rate index of 77.3 W/s; a complete ETICS with 100 mm of expanded polystyrene beneath an organically bound render gave 70.6 W/s, so that within the twenty-minute exposure, and while the rendering system retained its integrity, the assembly had a fire growth rate index comparable to, and slightly below, that of the render alone; because the two configurations differ in more than the presence of the core, this bounds the core contribution rather than isolating it. Coefficients of variation between nominally identical specimens ranged from 2% to 87%, and collapse and detachment carry no weight in the class. Individual specimens of one product spanned the B/C boundary, and one assembly was classified as s1 based on a mean of 0.4 m², below the threshold, although two of its three specimens lay above it. In the later campaign, nominally equivalent assemblies gave mean indices that were 3.7 to 7.0 times higher, with lateral flame spread in seven out of eight tests. The campaigns fall under different editions of EN 13823: the measured burner output places any residual bias of the heat-release chain opposite to the observed change, while the revised smoke correction makes cross-campaign smoke comparison indicative only. The recovered specimen-level dataset, including the time-resolved records, accompanies this paper.