A recent fire has highlighted the potential fire risk from the storage of flammable materials.
Examples of such materials include cleaning products, cardboard, plastics, foam, rubber, furniture, loose packaging material, and empty cooking oil containers. Less obvious examples are flour, sugar, dust from wood, grease, and engine oil.
In this case a recently inspected and tested washing machine caught fire with the situation made worse by the proximity of combustible items.
As the tenant of non-domestic premises, in most circumstances, you are responsible for ensuring that the premises which you occupy comply with statutory requirements.
Sources of fire
Electrical hazards are the most common source of accidental fires and represent a risk of injury, damage to equipment and disruption to the use of buildings. Washing machines and tumble dryers are a significant source of fires in buildings. In the UK, the Fire Service attends over 1,000 such fires each year.
Despite electrical equipment being maintained in good condition, with regular inspection and testing, a fault may still occur and ignite surrounding combustible material.
Preventive steps