SprinklerSave : high rise, London

• Date of incident;29 September 2021
• time of call; 0707
• Location; Croydon
• Property type ;Purpose built block of flats over 10 floors

The benefits of sprinklers have clearly been clearly demonstrated once again following a further fire in the same residential block of flats following an earlier incident reported in July of this year.

This latest incident resulted in the activation of a sidewall sprinkler head following a fire involving a tea light. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, Croydon Council announced it would retrofit sprinklers in its 25 tallest residential blocks of 10-12 storeys and an eight-storey sheltered block.The programme was completed in 2019. In total 26 Tower blocks are now protected by fire sprinklers under the council’s £10m retrofitting programme.

LFB press release

Part of a four-roomed flat on the fifth floor of the building was damaged by fire. One man left the property before the Brigade arrived and was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews.

The Brigade’s Fire Investigators believe the fire was caused by a tea light candle.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Candles are one of the most common causes of fires in the home and you should be careful when using them.

“It’s really important that you never leave them unattended and keep them away from anything that could catch fire such as curtains, furniture or clothes.

“We recommend swapping traditional candles for LED flameless ones as they are much safer, but if you do use real candles, follow our simple safety tips.”

The Brigade was called at 0707 and the fire was under control by 0855. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Norbury, Woodside and Croydon fire stations attended the scene.

Links

• Sprinklers will automatically protect your home from fire, BAFSA animation video
• LFB press release
• Croydon Press release