Staffordshire warehouse saved by sprinklers

Head of Prevent, Protect and Partnerships, Ian Read, said: “At Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, we champion the use of automatic sprinklers. As shown in the incident at a warehouse on 1 August , the fire was contained and extinguished by the installed water suppression system, which are an invaluable resource for our crews. “We would encourage all businesses to consider the equipment they have installed to help reduce risk should the worst happen.”

Summary

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) reported a fire within a single-story warehouse which was contained, controlled and extinguished through the activation of the automatic water suppression system, (AWSS) on this occasion  a sprinkler system.

A sprinkler save (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 review further substantiates the role and advantages of sprinkler systems within the built environment.

For this incident, the operation of the AWSS, inside the facility led to the following outcomes:

• Reduce the rate of production of heat and smoke limiting fire growth and ultimately containing and controlling and extinguished the fire.
• Prevented a potentially extended incident that could have required considerable resources from SFRS and impacted routine operations.
• Limited the development of the fire, facilitating search and rescue efforts by firefighters and reducing risk to personnel.
• Averted the complete loss of the building due to fire.

This incident provides additional evidence supporting the reliability and effectiveness of AWSS, aligning with findings from the report conducted by ¹Optimal Economics and commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council and National Fire Sprinkler Network on the performance of sprinkler systems in controlling and extinguishing fires

The incident

• August 2025, SFRS despatched 3 pumping appliances to a warehouse fire on an industrial estate.
• Upon arrival the incident commander established that the fire was located on the ground floor of the single storey warehouse involving an industrial forklift.
• The fire was contained and controlled through the combined action of four activated sprinkler heads and the presence of ²firewalls within the premises.
• Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus confirmed the extinguishment of a fire involving a forklift lead-acid battery, attributed to the sprinkler system’s activation.
• The affected area damaged by fire covered approximately 25m².
• Fire damage to the lead-acid battery and subsequent exposure to sprinkler water initiated an exothermic reaction with the sulphuric acid, while recorded temperatures did not exceed 80°C

Conclusion

• The incident highlights the critical importance of active fire protection systems, notably AWSS, demonstrating their effectiveness when integrated with passive measures such as firewalls. Together, these elements constitute a robust framework aimed at minimising fire-related risks to people, property, and the environment.
• An event with the potential for significant escalation was resolved swiftly, resulting in only minor disruption due to the effective operation of the sprinkler system.
• Incorporating sprinkler systems can safeguard assets, minimise financial loss, and bolster business resilience by controlling or extinguishing fires prior to the arrival of emergency services, allowing for rapid resumption of normal operations and mitigating economic and social impacts.

For context, in August 2021, a non-sprinklered warehouse fire in Coventry reported by the Business Sprinkler Alliance required ten fire appliances and seventy firefighters to suppress the blaze, which ultimately destroyed the Ram Enterprise building at Prologis Park. The structure was demolished four days after the incident.

Sources/further reading. 

• Sprinkler Saves Review 2024/25
• Sprinkler Saves Spring Update No 8
• ¹Efficiency and Effectiveness of sprinkler systems in the United Kingdom: An Analysis from Fire Service Data
• Business Sprinkler Alliance, case study Coventry warehouse fire
• ²Firewalls, is a fire‐resistant structure which restricts the spread of fire and extends continuously from the foundation to or through the roof with sufficient structural stability under fire conditions to allow the collapse of the existing construction on either side of the wall to occur without allowing the collapse of the wall.

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.