West Midlands fire devastates multiple unsprinklered factory units

Photograph: West Midlands Fire Service/Business Sprinkler Alliance

With no sprinkler systems in place, the fire on 29 July rapidly spread across approximately 4,400 m² of industrial space on Great Bridge Street, duly requiring the attendance of 17 fire engines and over 100 firefighters from the West Midlands and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services who were deployed to control the blaze, drawing water from a nearby canal to support the firefighting effort.

Roads around the site were closed to allow access for Emergency Services vehicles, causing delays and congestion for drivers and local businesses. Several nearby homes had to be evacuated.

The affected buildings are located on a densely occupied industrial estate, which is home to a variety of manufacturing and logistics businesses. While no casualties were reported, the fire displaced tenants, interrupted operations and is likely to result in significant business downtime. For some companies, this could result in lost revenue, missed deliveries and costly delays in production.

Beyond the immediate commercial damage, the fire raised serious concerns over air quality as acrid black smoke from the burning tyres drifted over surrounding residential areas. Local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut, while air monitoring was actioned by the environmental authorities. There are growing calls for a review of fire safety practices on industrial estates storing high-risk materials.

Counting the cost

“This is yet another example of how quickly a fire can escalate in the absence of automatic sprinkler systems and require a huge deployment of resources,” said Tom Roche, secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance. “Four businesses are now left counting the cost of a fire that could have been controlled in its early stages.”

Fires on this scale carry long-term consequences. Beyond the damage to buildings and equipment, there are potential costs linked to site clearance, environmental remediation and future regeneration. For local authorities and business owners alike, the path to recovery can be lengthy and expensive.

Once again, it’s apparent that commercial buildings with no sprinkler protection are suffering catastrophic fires that put lives, livelihoods and Emergency Services personnel at risk.

The outcome could have been very different. When sprinklers are installed, fires are typically contained or extinguished before they can cause major damage.

Questions asked

With the scale of this latest incident now under review, questions are being asked. How many more fires like this one will it take before automatic fire suppression becomes a standard expectation, not an afterthought?

The smoke has now cleared over Great Bridge Street. The message remains equally clear. Sprinklers save property, protect people and support business continuity. Without them, industrial fires continue to burn through more than just bricks and mortar.

*Further information is available online at www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org