A large fire at a Sainsbury’s warehouse in Charlton, South East London on Monday (18th May), has drawn attention to the necessity of installing fire sprinklers in commercial and industrial buildings.
After a large black smoke cloud was spotted rising from the estate, ten fire engines and around 70 firemen rushed to tackle the fire. Although six lorries were destroyed and part of the 250,000 sq ft distribution centre was engulfed, officials have said that the damage would have been a lot worse if fire sprinklers had not been installed.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner at London Fire Brigade Mark Andrews said: “There is absolutely no doubt that in this case the sprinkler system, along with the quick actions of our crews, prevented a much more serious fire from spreading any further into the depot and causing potentially millions of pounds worth of damage to both the building and stock inside”.
Warehouse fires are a huge threat to the UK economy and to business resilience, according to the Business Sprinkler Alliance.
The Business Sprinkler Alliance, a group of industry experts who aim to increase the number of businesses protected by fire sprinklers, is calling for the lessons learned from the Sainsbury’s Warehouse fire to be put into practice.
Iain Cox, Chairman of the Business Sprinkler Alliance, commented: “It’s important that people realise just how important it is to install fire sprinklers, in warehouses and commercial buildings as well as homes. As well as being better for the environment, having sprinklers fitted protects businesses in the long run and can safeguard them against potentially disastrous losses, which amount to £3.4m each day across the UK. We’ve heard time and again from fire services across the country that sprinklers are instrumental in preventing the spread of fire”.
A study by independent third party approval body, BRE Global, commissioned by the Business Sprinkler Alliance, has found that each year one in five warehouses in England will have a fire requiring the attendance of firefighters and that the total annual cost to the UK economy of fires in English warehouses without fire sprinklers is £232 million.
About the Business Sprinkler Alliance
The Business Sprinkler Alliance aims to increase the number of business premises protected with fire sprinklers by showing that fire resilience is better for businesses, people, communities and the environment. It aims to drive a culture change so that fire sprinklers are accepted as the norm for UK business buildings.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Bodansky, Business Sprinkler Alliance, on 020 7309 1228 or michael.bodansky@ogilvy.com
Images courtesy of the London Fire Brigade.
