Fire Importance Factor for Existing Urban Bridges According to Italian Guidelines Within a Fire–Seismic Multi-Risk Assessment

Abstract

Fire represents a relatively infrequent but potentially severe hazard for bridges, with collapse rates comparable to or exceeding those caused by seismic events. Despite this, fire risk is often neglected in bridge design and assessment, particularly for existing infrastructures in urban contexts. Beyond collapse, fire can induce significant post-event consequences, including material degradation, serviceability loss, traffic disruption, and economic and social impacts. Existing studies highlight the influence of bridge material, fire scenario, and traffic characteristics—especially the presence of fuel tankers—on damage severity. In this context, this paper proposes a rapid fire-risk assessment methodology applicable to large bridge stocks. The approach adapts and modifies existing methods from the literature, integrating them into the multi-risk framework defined by the Italian Guidelines for existing bridges, where fire is not explicitly addressed. The methodology is specifically adapted to urban and suburban bridges and European roadways, validated through its application to a stock of 30 bridges along the Palermo ring road. The results enable the classification of bridges by fire risk, supporting infrastructure Authorities in prioritizing detailed assessments and intervention strategies on the most vulnerable bridges. Multi-risk assessment considering the fire–seismic risk is also addressed, by adopting a simplified seismic risk approach consistent with the Italian Guidelines for existing bridges and comparing it with internationally accepted methods, particularly the North American HAZUS system. Results show that accounting for the actual condition and deterioration of bridges leads to higher seismic risk classes, more consistent with the fire risk assessment procedure proposed. In contrast, expedited methods such as HAZUS, which neglect maintenance conditions, may underestimate seismic risk.