Sprinkler stops high-rise fire in Staffordshire

A retrofitted sprinkler system has been credited with preventing a serious fire in a Staffordshire high-rise in the early hours of 22 October 2025.

Fire crews were called to the 16-storey block at 4:25am after a blaze broke out in a sixth-floor flat. One sprinkler head activated and contained the fire before firefighters arrived, allowing crews to quickly extinguish the remaining flames. The resident had already self-evacuated.

Group manager Mark Walchester of Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service said the incident showed “how vital sprinklers are in stopping fire spread and protecting lives.”

The event adds to national data showing sprinklers are 99% effective at controlling or extinguishing fires. Safety bodies, including the NFCC and BAFSA, continue to call for mandatory retrofitting of sprinklers in existing high-rise buildings, warning that without them, incidents like this could have far worse outcomes.

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