Middleton blaze highlights ongoing risk for self storage units

A massive overnight fire at a two-storey, unsprinklered self-storage warehouse and rental office complex in Manchester required dozens of firefighters to tackle and contain the blaze. This incident adds to a growing list of unprotected self-storage facilities that have been destroyed by fire.

Six fire engines, an aerial ladder platform and over forty firefighters, with many wearing gas masks, responded to the blaze at the 4000m² Storage World facility in Middleton on the 18^th June. The fire brought disruption to the local area, with residents forced to shut all windows due to smoke which could be seen several miles away.

While thankfully no lives were lost, the wider impact to the hundreds of people who had rented units, temporary offices and lost stored goods will be felt long after the fire was extinguished by the fire and rescue service. Storage World customers include Cold Hands Warm Hearts, a charity that supports homeless people who reports losing all of their equipment and clothing donations, and a nail tech business which lost all of its stock and tools. In a twist of bitter irony, a fire safety company which had recently moved into an office unit within the building also saw its premises completely gutted by the blaze.

Fires in self-storage warehouse are challenging to contain due to the large quantity of combustible items and often unknown materials which are normally tightly-packed into facilities of this type. There is also light separation between the storage units. These incidents create large fires that burn hard for a long time, creating a lot of smoke, which in the case is suspected to have involved lithium-ion batteries. A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) spokesperson said that crews worked hard overnight to contain the fire. Four days later, the GMFRS decided to demolish the building for safety reasons.

This latest self-storage facility fire follows a troubling pattern of similar fires including the Shurgard fire in 2018 and the Twinwoods Business Park fire in 2019 through to the Armadillo fire in 2022 and Access Storage Fire in 2023. The Shurgard Self Storage fire in Croydon, which also had no sprinklers, destroyed every one of its 1198 storage units. The cause of the blaze was filed as undetermined. Shurgard’s new replacement four-storey facility opened in 2020 with the owners making the decision to include sprinklers in the rebuild despite not being required by building regulations. Armadillo’s owner Orbit Investments has also committed to sprinkler protection in a planned new replacement facility.

Sprinklers are a proven method of controlling fires and mitigating property damage. They are part of guidance in England since 2006 (Approved Document B) for compartments larger than 2,000m² in such buildings. Early consideration of sprinklers is a key part of a building’s fire strategy and can significantly reduce risk, helping to protect lives and businesses whilst supporting safer firefighting conditions.

For more information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance visit www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org