This paper describes a numerical investigation of the thermal-structural response of timber columns. The study uses as benchmark recent experimental data from eight furnace tests with different heating durations and twelve compartment fire tests with different column cross-sections, fire loads, opening factors, and wood cribs. The tested columns exhibited a range of responses including failure during the heating phase, failure during the fire decay phase, and survival to burnout. Numerical models were developed using fibre-based beam elements with the temperature-dependent material properties from Eurocode EN 1995-1-2. Comparisons between measured data and numerical results are provided in terms of internal section temperatures, evolution of displacements, and failure times for the glulam columns. The results show that this relatively simple modelling approach with the Eurocode properties accurately predicts failure or survival of the tested glulam columns, except in cases involving smouldering. However, the model tends to underestimate failure time by about 20%.