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Researchers have divided themselves into specialties with boundaries that can be defined in an academic sense; e.g., fire specialists, heat transfer specialists, structural specialists, and materials specialists. Within these specialties much progress in understanding has been achieved over the past 30 years; however, this compartmentalization also has created artificial barriers to the flow of knowledge that now inhibit the development of a science-based predictive capability for structural/fire interactions and building performance. A concerted effort is needed to break down these barriers through improved communication, education, and training, which then can accelerate the development of the engineering tools needed to support the ambitious goal of scientifically-based performance predictions of building materials, products, structural elements, and systems up to the point of imminent fire-caused collapse. This paper reviews the general state of fire/structure test methods and models, and uses the specific case of the collapse of the World Trade Center to highlight recent advances and remaining challenges on the way to achieving this goal.