Summary
How Automist’s fast, reliable response quickly put out a kitchen fire, safeguarding residents’ lives and property.
Background
Automist was installed to provide fire suppression in the kitchen area of a three-storey end-terrace townhouse, the system was fitted to ensure the property complied with building regulations. The first-storey open-plan kitchen required protection as, in the event of a fire, it was the escape route from the upstairs bedrooms to the ground-floor exit.
Challenge
A fire started in the kitchen after the resident went upstairs having left some oil warming in a pan on the hob.
Early warning
The resident became alerted to the fire when their smoke alarm sounded and, after seeing that Automist had activated, the resident evacuated the house and called the fire brigade.
Rapid response
Once the smoke detector was activated, Automist’s thermal sensors began to scan the room. They detected rapidly rising temperatures around the cooker, jumping from 51.9C to 82.19C, while other areas of the kitchen remained at 23.9C.
Graph Above: Temperature data from Automist's first scan
Graph Above: Data captured by Automist shows rapidly rising temperatures
Automist’s pump activated just 20 seconds after the smoke detector was triggered, pumping water from the mains supply to the system’s wall mounted spray head which targeted watermist at the flames. The blaze was extinguished within five minutes.
Minimising damage
Automist’s fast activation and extinguishment of this fire meant that the resident escaped unharmed and damage to the property from smoke, fire and water was minimal.
Using 90% less water than traditional sprinklers, Automist put out the fire using just 5.6 litres per minute.
“The Automist system performed perfectly, activating extremely quickly. As a result, the resident got out unhurt and the fire was extinguished by the time the resident went back in five minutes later. It also meant there was only very minor damage caused to the property.” – Russell Faulkner, Director of approved Automist installer Fire Mist.
This incident is a perfect example of how just how quickly Automist can activate in the event of a fire, tackling it before it grows and causes damage to property and excessive temperatures within a room that could threaten life.
Find out more
Contact us to learn how Automist can help save lives and protect your home.
