Shortly after midnight on 6th January 2019 Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service attended an incident at Tamar House – an 17-story tower block in central Devonport. The fire had started accidentally in a kitchen on the 11th floor.
The fire activated the site-wide sprinkler system, which had only been installed 3 months previously. This successfully contained the fire, allowing all residents to evacuate in safety. By the time the fire service arrived, the fire had been completely extinguished by the sprinkler system alone. Firefighters quickly confirmed this and no fire hoses were deployed.
Read the full ‘Fire Safety Matters (FSM)’ article here – http://www.fsmatters.com/New-sprinkler-system-contains-fire.
This successful activation and extinguishing of fires highlight the need of sprinkler systems in all residential housing, but especially tower blocks. After the catastrophic fire that swept through the Grenfell Tower Block, many local councils are encouraging high-rise buildings to invest in sprinkler systems to try and prevent a recurrence.
Thanks to the timely activation of the sprinkler system in Tamar House, there was only one reported casualty – a woman taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke. If there had been no suppression system in place, the casualty list could have been a lot longer, and may have included fatalities.
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