The outcome of two separate fires on separate business parks just a few miles and days apart could not have been more different.
On the 6th October a fire at Orchard Retail Park in Willenhall, Coventry turned into a major inferno that completely destroyed an outlet of Dunelm Mill and an adjoining Dreams Bed store. Other nearby stores suffered smoke and water damage, the nearby Royal Mail sorting office and a school were forced to close and there was major traffic disruption on surrounding roads. 
The fire commenced in the early hours of the morning and initial findings suggested it may have been started deliberately.
After four hours with 80 fire fighters and helped by a thermal imaging helicopter, the fire was brought under control and to further prevent lateral spread, fire fighters remained on the scene for much of the following day.
Jim Sinnot of West Midlands Fire Service commented that had the buildings been fitted with automatic sprinklers, it would (probably) have taken one fire engine with five fire fighters 30 minutes to deal with the fire and disruption if any, would have been negligible.
Well by a quirk of fate just three days later on Sunday 9th October the same fire fighters were called to Middlemarch Business Park also in Coventry after a fire started in the oven system of a factory located on the Park.
Despite the fire crews super fast response they were beaten to the fire by the automatic sprinkler system, which had doused the flames before they arrived. Inevitably there was some minor water damage to the immediate affected area, but the fire had been stopped before it could develop which meant the business could continue operating virtually as normal.
There is no moral point to this tale but it starkly demonstrates the economic and public safety case for legislation to mandate the installation of automatic fire sprinklers in any building where the fire risk could lead to loss of life or livelihoods. The case is just beyond debate. It is commonsense.
