n the early hours of Wednesday 4th May 2016 a disturbed patient set fire to bedding then activated the sprinkler head in their single room within a ward area of a large 15 storey, 200m x 200m hospital in Glasgow.
The sprinkler extinguished the fire at an early stage with only the bed, bedding, ceiling tiles and the smoke produced causing 2m ² of damage estimated to be about £1000.
It is reported that there was 12 hours business interruption with two hospital wards temporarily closed and patients being moved to other areas of the hospital. A major repair and clean up (deep clean for infection control) was instigated after the fire to bring the wards to operational status.
Scottish F&RS personnel attended but did not undertake any firefighting action. They report that ‘if the sprinkler had not been activated there would have been more damage to the bedroom and the local area of the hospital building, with a potential for the affected area to be larger’.
