A report from firefighters who dealt with the OVHcloud data center fire last year makes for eye-opening reading.
The fire occurred on March 10 last year in one of four OVHcloud data center buildings located in Strasbourg. Thankfully, no people were harmed, but the building was left devastated. As DCD reports, the subsequent report from local firefighters has revealed why the blaze did so much damage so quickly, and points the finger at OVHcloud for simply not having the required protection and systems in place to deal with a fire.
The report reveals that the facility had wooden ceilings only rated to resist fire for one hour. Add to that a free-cooling design which created “chimneys” allowing the fire to burn with more ferocity. If that wasn’t surprising enough, OVHcloud had not installed an automatic fire extinguishing system, meaning there was nothing in place to put the fire out before it could spread.
The firefighter’s task of tackling the fire was made all the more difficult by the fact there was no universal cut-off for the power system and none of the electrical ducts were insulated. When they arrived, electrical arcs of more than a meter long were flashing across the power room. Ultimately it took the firefighters three hours to disable the power.
OVHcloud has responded to a request for comment from DCD stating it can’t respond to the fire report as “it is still working with its insurers and government agencies on a formal report.” The company also pointed out “the fire report is not from a data center expert.”
OVHcloud is facing a class-action lawsuit over the fire, with 103 companies claiming damages for the losses they incurred. This report will do nothing to help OVHcloud’s defense, and may result in even more customers deciding to join the lawsuit now it has been revealed how poor the fire protections were at the facility.
