‘A unique situation’: Fire contained inside Chesterfield data center, questions remain
VENN
CHESTERFIELD Co, Va. (WRIC) -- Experts are weighing in after a fire broke out Wednesday morning inside Chirisa Technology Park, a 104-acre data center complex in Chesterfield County.
Chesterfield Fire and EMS said flames were reported just before 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and were contained to a single room within the facility. No injuries were reported.
Mary Finley-Brook, a University of Richmond professor who studies data centers, said responding to these types of fires poses unique challenges.
"Bringing water into an instance like this could cause a lot of harm," she said. "It is a unique situation that people have to be prepared for."
Milos Manic, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the high-density design of data centers makes them vulnerable to fast-spreading fires. However, he added that data is rarely lost permanently.
"Backups are always there, " he said. "They may be physical on premise. They may be in the cloud, which means that fire is probably not going to be a crucial issue. But it does bring substantial monetary loss."
As of Wednesday night, questions remain about what sparked the fire. Chesterfield Fire and EMS said future updates will come directly from Chirisa Technology Park, which has not responded to 8News' requests for comment as of the time of reporting.
Finley-Brook noted that many data centers operate under non-disclosure agreements, which can limit what information is released publicly. She said this could be why 8News' questions could remain unanswered.
