The serious fire at the very large warehouse in South Yorkshire occupied by on-line fashion retailer ASOS on 20/21 June resulted in the loss of around 20% of the stock in this very large (>40,000m2) warehouse arranged over four mezzanine floors. It would appear that the fire started on the second level and some vertical speed occurred as the initial sprinkler heads opened. The sprinklers made a major contribution to controlling fire spread so that the warehouse conditions were still tenable for the first responding crews.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s Head of Prevention and Protection, Phil Shillito, who said: “The fire suppression systems installed by ASOS were sophisticated, worked effectively and played a significant role in reducing the spread of the fire.
“This was still a major fire and our firefighters did a tremendous job in tackling the blaze and bringing it under control so quickly. But there is no doubt that the sprinkler system in place greatly limited the damage, and probably saved the warehouse from being destroyed.”
While losses of around £20m may have occurred it has to be remembered that the building is back in operation three days after the fire and all the racking, conveyors and other infrastructure are operational allowing ASOS to resume retail operations. Fires in warehouses storing garments are always going to result in significant losses as even a small amount of smoke or water damage will render clothing and fashion items unwearable.
