Sprinklers contain fire in Stafford block of flats

Group Manager Mark Walchester Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) said: “Fire sprinklers are widely recognised as the single most effective method for preventing fire spread in the early stages, and that was certainly the case in this incident.

“If the sprinkler had not been activated, the fire could have spread and become a bigger risk to residents.

“I would like to reiterate to all housing providers how important these systems are; they not only limit damage but have the ability to save lives.”

Summary

At 4:25am on 22 October 2025, SFRS responded to a fire in a high-rise residential block of flats. The building’s retrofitted sprinkler system activated, successfully containing and controlling the fire within the room of origin. Firefighters then extinguished the blaze using appropriate firefighting media.

A sprinkler activation is categorised as an event where one or more sprinkler heads have activated and contained, controlled, or, in some cases, extinguished a building fire. This incident provides further evidence of the effectiveness, benefits of sprinklers as part of a comprehensive fire safety strategy.

Providing further weight to the reliability and effectiveness of sprinkler systems following the report conducted by ¹Optimal 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.

The incident

• Fire crews responded to a reported fire in a residential tall building.
• After conducting a dynamic risk assessment upon arrival, the incident commander (IC) determined that the sprinkler system in a flat on the 6th floor of the 16-storey building had been activated.
• The activation of the sprinkler system allowed time for the IC to implement a robust high rise tactical plan for the incident.
• Firefighters were committed, establishing that the fire been contained, controlled in the flat of origin by the activation of 1 sprinkler head.
• The fire was extinguished using firefighting media.
• The residents self-evacuated the dwelling prior to the arrival of SFRS.
• Enquires are ongoing to establish the cause of the fire.

The British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA)welcomed the government’s November 2020 decision to lower the height threshold for mandatory sprinklers in purpose group 1a (residential blocks of flats) from 30 metres to 11 metres. Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the lack of requirements to retrofit existing residential buildings with sprinklers.

In alignment with the ²National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) sprinkler position statement, the BAFSA advocate for government action to mandate the retrofitting of sprinklers in high-rise residential buildings. Retrofitting should apply to all existing residential buildings over 18 metres in height, or those with at least seven storeys served by a single staircase, as well as all existing residential buildings exceeding 11 metres, based on risk assessments.

If it was not for the decision of the housing provider to retrofit sprinklers the outcome of this incident could have been so much different.

Conclusion

This incident highlights the value of residential sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings. In this case, the system:

• Provided support to firefighters operating within a high-rise building reducing fire growth.
• Controlling the fire in its early stages, reducing contribution to fire spread made by combustible construction materials.
• Provided valuable time for the occupier to self-evacuate from the dwelling to a place of safety.
• Prevented conflagration.
• 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.

Furthermore, this incident illustrates that sprinklers are integral to a thorough fire safety strategy, protecting lives, property, and the environment. It also strengthens ongoing advocacy efforts by the NFCC and stakeholders within the fire sector for more rigorous government regulations regarding the retrofitting of sprinklers in existing buildings.

Sources/further reading

• Sprinkler Saves Review 2024/2025
• Sprinkler Saves winter update
• ¹Optimal economics report Efficiency and Effectiveness of sprinkler systems in the Uk: An analysis from fire service data.
• ²National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) sprinkler position statement
• SFRS Press release, Sprinkler system prevents spread of fire inside flats

If you want to make a difference working in the fire sector, we need your assistance……

To make sprinklers the norm and not the exception – we need the evidence. Encouraging FRS and those in the sprinkler community to promote, collate, report sprinkler activations to Sprinkler Saves UK which will help to create a central and comprehensive record of fire incidents where sprinklers played their role in containing/controlling or extinguishing the fire.

If you hear of a save report it using this link.