Sprinkler system controls Portsmouth e-bike high-rise Fire

Matt Rowe, fire safety station manager, “This incident once again, showed the dangers of charging electronic bikes/scooters inside but highlighted the benefits of a fully functioning sprinkler system installed for life safety. This system kept the fire in check until the fire service arrived and allowed crews to work in a safer environment, knowing the fire would be limited in size reducing the risk of entering the compartment to fully extinguish the fire. HIWFRS continue to promote the installation of sprinklers for both life and property safety and this incident could have been a lot different without this early suppression system in place”

 Summary

On the 13 February 2026, HIWFRS were mobilised to a e-bike fire on the tenth floor of a 12-storey tall rise building in Portsmouth. The fire involving a charging e-bike was contained, following the activation of the building’s sprinkler system. The benefit of which allowed firefighters to work in a safer environment to extinguish the fire. Four casualties were treated for smoke inhalation by South Central Ambulance Service, released at the scene.

A comparable incident was reported by West Midland Fire Rescue Service (WMFRS) in April 2023. In this instance, a lithium-ion battery for an e-bicycle, left charging in the hallway of a flat within a residential apartment block, ignited and compromised the designated escape routes.The building’s retrofitted sprinkler system promptly activated, containing, controlling, and extinguishing the fire through the activation of a single sprinkler head. The occupants sought refuge on their balcony until they were safely rescued by firefighters.

A West Midlands mum stated her partner and her young son owe their lives to a sprinkler system, she is quoted as saying in a WMFRS media release

“We couldn’t get out. We were on the tenth floor. It was too high. I can tell you for sure that the sprinklers saved our lives. It is brilliant they were installed in the first place.”

Incidents involving lithium-ion fires are becoming more common, ¹LFB reported a record number of fires involving e-bike and e-scooter fires across London in 2025 with more than 200 fires attended by firefighters across the capital.Since 2023, five fatalities in London have been linked to fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters. Sprinkler systems play a crucial role in reducing the rate of heat and smoke, providing more time for the occupants to escape to safety or be rescued by the FRS.Without the presence of sprinklers as part of a package of fire safety measures, these incidents may have had a much more severe consequence for the occupants.

The Incident

• HIWFRS responded to a fire in a former office building, now converted into residential units, after a remote monitoring station sent an alert following the activation of the sprinkler system.
• On arrival, the incident commander completed a dynamic risk assessment, identifying the presence of a sprinkler system, and established a tactical plan tailored for high-rise operations to extinguish the fire.
• Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were committed to the tackle the fire within a dwelling on the tenth floor.
• Upon entry, it was established that the fire within the hallway had been suppressed by the activation of 1 sprinkler head located nearest to the seat of the fire involving a e-bike on charge.
• The fire was extinguished by firefighters using firefighting media via the premises dry rising main.
• After confirming that the fire was fully extinguished, firefighters proceeded to isolate the dwellings sprinkler isolation valve.
• Fire, smoke damage was contained, controlled to the dwelling.
• Four residents sustained minor injuries for smoke inhalation.

 Conclusion

This incident reinforces the benefits of sprinklers playing a significant role as part of a package of fire safety measures, reducing the impact of fire on people, firefighters, property and the environment. Despite sprinkler protection of lithium batteries being outside the scope of current sprinkler design standards, these incident(s) demonstrates that a sprinkler system can contain, control a e-bike/scooter lithium battery fire.

Providing further weight to the reliability and effectiveness of Automatic Water Suppression Systems (AWSS) following the report conducted by ²Optimal Economics, and commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council, National Fire Sprinkler Network into the performance, reliability, and effectiveness of sprinkler systems in controlling and extinguishing fires.

Revealed that across all premises types: –

• Sprinklers are 99% efficient in extinguishing or controlling a fire.
• Sprinklers are 94% efficient in their ability to operate.

It is important to acknowledge that the sprinkler system contributed significantly to the effective resolution of this incident.

• Preventing flash over, reducing the rate of production of heat and smoke to the compartment of origin, limiting fire growth, suppressing the fire.
• Limited the development of the fire to the item first ignited.
• Prevented conflagration.
• Provided confidence to firefighters to deal with the incident, due to the presence of the sprinkler system allowing valuable time for a dynamic risk assessment, tactical plan to be actioned, implemented.
• Identified the importance of active fire protection systems minimising fire-related risks.
• Allowed prompt incident resolution and earlier release of resources, supporting continued emergency response and giving crews greater confidence when tackling fires in sprinkler protected buildings
• Water egress was reported following the activation of the sprinkler system for context modern sprinklers release 45 litres of water per minute, compared to 700-4000 litres per minute discharged by fire service hoses/jets.

This incident provides further supporting evidence of the benefits of AWSS to under pin the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association’s (BAFSA) advocacy, turning operational evidence into persuasive tools for policy and parliamentary engagement. Supporting our campaign to increase the presence of AWSS within the built environment by highlighting real life, tangible examples of where AWSS were present and had an impact. As such, each of these stories provides powerful evidence of the ability of AWSS protecting our communities from fire.

Effective advocacy and policy lobbying

Require the collection of robust supporting evidence. If you have knowledge of a sprinkler incident that may contribute to this initiative, please provide the pertinent details using the sprinkler activation reporting form available at www.sprinklersaves.co.uk.

References, Sources

• ¹Record number of e-bike and e-scooter fires across London in 2025
• ²Optimal economics report Efficiency and Effectiveness of sprinkler systems in the Uk; An analysis from fire service data
• Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & rescue Service press release
• Sprinkler Saves Review 2024/2025
• Sprinkler Saves Winter Update
• National Fire Sprinkler Network Newsletter
• National Fire Chiefs Council AWSS Position Statement