A fire in a Fitzrovia underground car park caused when two rickshaws caught light has highlighted the potentially life saving benefits of sprinklers say London Fire Brigade.
The manager of the rickshaw storage area was alerted to the fire on Saturday (9 July ) after smoke was seen in the car park.
The Brigade was called to the scene and when firefighters arrived they found a small fire involving two rickshaws which had already been extinguished by the car park's sprinkler system.
Around 200 people evacuated the 20 storey commercial building above the car park after smoke alarms sounded. Thankfully no injuries were reported and damage from the fire was confined to the rickshaws in the car park.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “This incident highlights the clear benefits of sprinklers to businesses and we would urge all companies and business owners to install them. In this case the sprinklers successfully put the fire out at an early stage, limiting damage to the rickshaws and preventing the people in the building above from being put at risk from any fire.
“As well as limiting fire damage and being potentially life saving devices, sprinklers and other fire suppression systems help with business continuity by minimising disruption and allowing businesses to get back to normal as soon as possible.”
The Brigade was called at 1224 and the fire was under control by 1313. Two fire engines and ten firefighters from Soho fire station attended the incident on Great Russell Street.
The cause of the fire is believed to have been a failure within a battery that was on charge in one of the rickshaws.