McMurdo Fire Station

With a very cold dry environment, with liquid water being a rarity or at least very difficult to obtain most of the time, and due to isolation, the loss of facilities being a major blow to a base - fire hazards are taken very seriously in Antarctica. McMurdo is large enough to have its own fire department with the emphasis being very much on prevention.

Antarctic bases are typically built of a number of separate buildings in order to prevent fires spreading to other buildings once started.