By Iain Cox, Chair of the Business Sprinkler Alliance
Firefighters were called to what was reported as ‘a huge fire’ at a warehouse near Wakefield in Yorkshire. The devastating blaze tore through a car workshop and a concrete factory on an industrial estate close to residential housing.
The fire on 19 January broke out around 8pm and required 80 firefighters, 14 appliances and specialist equipment including aerial ladder platforms and high-volume pumps from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to tackle the blaze. Local residents reported hearing loud explosions and the fire sent plumes of toxic black smoke over this congested area.
While workers escaped unharmed, considerable resources were used by the fire and rescue service to control the fire. The impact on the local community and environment was significant with local road closures, power cuts, residents forced to keep their windows and doors closed due to harmful smoke and a number of measures employed to minimise the impact of pollution to the local environment.
The disposal of the destroyed 1,600m2 building and shoring up of neighbouring properties will cause an adverse environmental impact, while the materials and resources required to repair and rebuild it will incur significant financial costs.
History shows that fire can have an impact on business and in this case two separate businesses will need to recover from the effect of the blaze. In the worst case scenario, the effect of the fire is the closure of the business.
It is interesting to note that this fire took place in a modestly sized building. The fire service worked hard to protect surrounding properties yet the intervention of 80 firefighters could not stop the fire in a building of this size. Industrial fires impact far larger premises with similar results and with potentially larger impacts.
Preventing large costly fires is possible through a combination of strategies. One of the most effective methods is the use of sprinkler systems which contain and control fires before the fire and rescue service arrives. They therefore minimise the wider impact of unmanageable fires, reducing costs to business and the economy as a whole. Importantly, by limiting any fire damage, they allow businesses to resume operations quickly, often within hours of the incident.
For more information about the BSA visit the www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
