The flat EIFS system is mounted to gypsum boards and the gypsum acted as a barrier to prevent the fire from entering the building. As a fire heats up and spreads gaps will form and windows will pop and the fire can pass around the gypsum and enter a structure. You cannot guarantee a fire and smoke won't enter a building just because there is a layer of gypsum board.
In fire tests of EIFS, with unbroken basecoats and finishes, the EPS foam sandwiched between the basecoats, mesh and finish of the EIFS will melt at around 100 degrees Celsius. If enough melts it will open a vent for oxygen within the lamination creating flames behind any coatings. Thus EIFS acts as a fuel for fire. And as the EPS in part of the EIFS melts it drips and spreads the fire.
Large amounts of EPS is in EIFS and EPS is flammable. After numerous "great fires" of entire cities constructed with wood buildings a hundred and some years ago, it was decided that no flammable materials should be on the facades of highrise buildings.
The EPS contained within EIFS both fuels and spreads a raging fire. In this photo posted by drobar in the Las Vegas thread you can clearly see the flat white section burning. The burning ledge a few floors lower was ignited by melting eps dripping down and spreading the fire.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=3656
This rendering shows the flat column of EIFS that ignited up the side of the Water Club tower at the Borgada resort in Atlantic City.
And photos of it on fire that were posted by AC11 in the Atlantic City thread.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...t=89260&page=5
Luckily it was still under construction and not much was inside to catch on fire. They also said it wasn't fully coated yet, but this still demonstrates the flammability of the material.
Cities like Las Vegas and New York have very strict fire codes in place, for sprinklers and evacuation plans and such. But this material is starting to be widely used in many other cities that haven't implemented the stricter codes yet.
Do we really have to wait for people to die before we realize this stuff is dangerous?