A fire in a Newport high-rise block was quickly put out by sprinklers before firefighters arrived. Newport City Homes fitted the sprinklers to Hillview, an 11-storey building in the Gaer, in 2019.
An alarm directly linked to emergency response was activated at around 8.30am on Saturday 7 August. The blaze was in a bin underneath the block.
Lela Pirouet, Fire Safety Officer from Newport City Homes, said: “Our sprinkler system did its job of being activated and extinguishing the fire before it could spread. There is a sprinkler unit in the bin area and it was set off by the heat and smoke going up the chute.
“Sprinklers save lives and we are proud to have started a programme to fit these devices in 2,500 flats and communal areas over the next three years.
“We believe it was caused by a discarded lit cigarette and that this incident could have been avoided if someone had been more careful.
“There are 82 flats in Hillview. When the alarm went off residents from all, except for the two flats who were close to the smoke, stayed in their homes and followed the fire safety arrangements for this building.
“I would like thank the residents for their support during this incident.”