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Fire Safety During the COVID-19 Lockdowns: Lessons Learned from a Unique Crisis

How the pandemic both reduced and created new fire safety risks across the UK

Introduction

When the UK Government announced its first national lockdown in March 2020, the immediate focus was understandably on public health. But for fire safety professionals, building managers, and responsible persons, the sudden and dramatic change in how buildings were used — or ceased to be used — created a complex and largely unprecedented set of fire safety challenges. Some risks fell sharply. Others rose significantly. And the period as a whole exposed weaknesses in fire safety management that had previously gone unnoticed.

This article examines both sides of the picture — the ways in which lockdown genuinely reduced certain fire risks, and the new and aggravated risks that the pandemic created.

The Positives: Where Fire Risk Reduced

Fewer people, fewer ignition sources

The most obvious benefit was straightforward: empty buildings have fewer ignition sources. With offices, retail premises, restaurants, schools, and entertainment venues standing largely vacant, the day-to-day fire risks associated with human activity — cooking, electrical equipment in use, smoking, hot works, and accidental ignition — fell significantly. Fire and Rescue Service statistics for 2020-21 showed a notable reduction in accidental fires in non-domestic premises during the periods of strictest lockdown.

Reduced arson in some settings

Whilst arson remained a persistent concern, the dramatic reduction in footfall in town and city centres meant that some opportunistic arson attacks — particularly those targeting commercial bins, outbuildings, and vacant retail units — reduced during the most restricted periods when very few people were on the streets.

Heightened awareness of home fire safety

With the entire population spending far more time at home, there was a genuine increase in public awareness of domestic fire safety. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and individual fire and rescue services ran targeted public safety campaigns encouraging people to test their smoke alarms, avoid leaving cooking unattended, and charge devices safely. Many households engaged with fire safety information for the first time.

Opportunity for building inspections

With commercial premises empty, some forward-thinking building managers and fire safety professionals used the lockdown period as an opportunity to carry out thorough fire risk assessment reviews, compartmentation surveys, fire door inspections, and remedial works that would have been far more disruptive during normal occupation. For some buildings, lockdown provided the rare opportunity of genuinely unoccupied access.

The Negatives: Where Fire Risk Increased

Vacant buildings — a significant and underappreciated risk

Paradoxically, empty buildings carry their own substantial fire safety risks — and these were widely underestimated during the pandemic. Unoccupied premises are more vulnerable to arson, as reduced footfall and security means that unauthorised access goes undetected for longer. Fires in vacant buildings are also far more likely to become serious before they are discovered, precisely because there is no one present to raise the alarm or call 999 in the early stages.

Many responsible persons made the mistake of assuming that an empty building required less fire safety attention. In fact, the opposite is often true. Fire and rescue services reported a number of serious fires in temporarily vacant commercial premises during the lockdown periods.

Fire safety systems neglected

One of the most concerning trends identified by fire safety professionals during and after the lockdowns was the neglect of fire safety system maintenance. With buildings closed and budgets under severe pressure, many organisations suspended or deferred the routine servicing of fire alarm systems, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and dry risers. Some buildings reopened after months of closure with fire safety systems that had not been tested, serviced, or inspected since before the pandemic began.

This was not merely poor practice — in most cases it represented a breach of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which does not contain a pandemic exemption. The duty to maintain fire safety systems does not pause because a building is temporarily empty.

Working from home — new domestic fire risks

The mass migration to home working created a set of domestic fire risks that had rarely been considered at scale before. Millions of homes were suddenly being used as offices, with electrical equipment running for far longer periods than domestic wiring was designed to accommodate. Extension leads and multi-way adaptors were heavily used, often in living rooms and bedrooms rather than purpose-built office environments. Laptop chargers, monitors, printers, and supplementary heating devices all added to the electrical load on domestic circuits. House fires attributed to electrical faults rose during the pandemic period.

Increased cooking fires

With restaurants, cafes, and takeaways closed during the strictest lockdown periods, the nation cooked at home to an unprecedented degree. The results were predictable — cooking-related fires in domestic properties increased significantly. Fire and rescue services reported rises in chip pan fires, unattended cooking incidents, and oven fires, particularly during the earlier lockdown when people were experimenting with home cooking for the first time.

Pressure on fire doors and escape routes in residential buildings

The shift to home working placed enormous pressure on residential buildings, particularly blocks of flats and Houses in Multiple Occupation. With residents present around the clock rather than absent during working hours, fire doors were opened and closed far more frequently, accelerating wear on self-closing devices and seals. Deliveries — already rising sharply due to the closure of physical retail — led to packages being left in communal areas and corridors, obstructing escape routes in direct contravention of fire safety requirements. In many buildings, the volume of cardboard packaging accumulating in bin stores and communal areas created a significant and largely unmanaged fire load.

Reduced fire safety training and drills

With workplaces closed or operating at severely reduced capacity, annual fire safety training and fire drills were widely deferred or cancelled entirely. When buildings eventually reopened — often with significant numbers of new staff who had never set foot in the premises before — many organisations found themselves operating with workforces who had received no recent fire safety instruction and had never participated in a fire drill for that building. This gap in training took considerable time and resource to address after reopening.

Mental health and fire risk

Fire safety professionals and researchers noted with concern the potential link between the mental health crisis that accompanied the pandemic and deliberate fire-setting. The stresses of lockdown — isolation, financial hardship, domestic conflict, and anxiety — are recognised risk factors for both accidental fires (distraction, impaired judgement) and deliberate ignition. Whilst direct causal data is difficult to establish, the correlation between periods of heightened social stress and fire incidents is well documented.

What the Pandemic Taught Us

The COVID-19 lockdowns were, in fire safety terms, a stress test that exposed several important weaknesses in how fire safety is managed in the UK.

First, they demonstrated that fire safety obligations do not have an off switch. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies regardless of whether a building is occupied, partially occupied, or temporarily vacant. Responsible persons who treated lockdown as a reason to suspend fire safety management found themselves with significant compliance gaps to address on reopening.

Second, the pandemic highlighted the importance of dynamic fire risk assessments. The five-step fire risk assessment process is specifically designed to respond to changes in the use, occupancy, and activities of a building. The sudden and dramatic changes brought about by lockdown — vacant premises, changed working patterns, new delivery volumes, altered occupancy — all represented material changes that should have triggered a formal review of the fire risk assessment. Many organisations failed to make that connection.

Third, the rise of home working has permanently changed the fire safety landscape. Even as offices have reopened, hybrid working patterns mean that millions of people continue to use their homes as workplaces for significant portions of the working week. Employers have a duty of care that extends to the home working environment, and domestic electrical safety, device charging, and escape arrangements all deserve attention that most homeworking policies have never addressed.

Finally, the pandemic underscored the value of professional fire safety expertise. Buildings that were managed by organisations with qualified fire safety professionals — or that had commissioned professional fire risk assessments and maintained them properly — fared significantly better in terms of compliance and safety during the pandemic than those that had treated fire safety as an administrative afterthought.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 lockdowns were an extraordinary period that tested every aspect of building management, fire safety included. Whilst the reduction in building occupancy brought some genuine reduction in day-to-day fire risk, the wider picture was one of new and aggravated hazards — vacant buildings, neglected systems, overloaded domestic electrics, blocked escape routes, deferred training, and the quiet erosion of fire safety culture during a period of crisis.

The responsible persons and organisations that emerged from the pandemic in the strongest position were those who understood that fire safety is not an activity to be suspended in difficult times — it is a continuous, legally mandated duty of care to the people who use their buildings.

The Importance of Compartmentation in Buildings: A Fire Safety Essential

Fire safety is built on many layers of protection, but few are as fundamentally important — or as frequently overlooked — as compartmentation. Whether you manage a residential block, a commercial premises, or a multi-use development, understanding compartmentation could be the difference between a contained incident and a catastrophic loss of life.

What Is Compartmentation?

Compartmentation is the division of a building into separate fire-resistant sections, or "compartments," using walls, floors, ceilings, and doors that are specifically designed to resist the passage of fire and smoke for a defined period of time. These barriers are constructed and maintained to meet strict fire resistance ratings, typically ranging from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the building type and use.

The principle is simple: if a fire breaks out in one area, compartmentation contains it there — buying vital time for occupants to evacuate safely and for firefighters to bring the blaze under control before it spreads throughout the structure.

Why Compartmentation Matters

1. Protecting Lives

The primary purpose of compartmentation is life safety. Smoke inhalation is the leading cause of fire-related deaths, and the rapid spread of smoke through a building without compartmentation can prove fatal within minutes. Effective fire compartments create protected escape routes — corridors, stairwells, and lobbies — that allow occupants to evacuate without being overwhelmed by smoke and toxic gases.

2. Limiting Fire Spread

An uncontrolled fire can double in size every minute. Without compartmentation, a fire starting in a basement storeroom or a kitchen on the third floor can rapidly engulf an entire building. Fire-resistant compartments act as a physical barrier, slowing — and often stopping — the spread of flames and heat to other areas of the structure.

3. Supporting Firefighting Operations

When firefighters arrive at a scene, compartmentation gives them a clearer picture of where the fire is and a safer environment in which to operate. Contained fires are easier and safer to tackle than those that have spread through multiple floors and sections. Compartmentation is therefore not just a passive measure — it actively supports emergency response.

4. Reducing Property Damage

Beyond the human cost, fire damage is enormously expensive. Effective compartmentation can limit destruction to a single zone of a building, protecting the rest of the structure, its contents, and the livelihoods that depend on it. For businesses and landlords, this can be the difference between a temporary closure and a total loss.

5. Legal and Regulatory Compliance

In the UK, compartmentation requirements are set out in statutory guidance including Approved Document B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations, as well as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Building owners and responsible persons have a legal duty to ensure that compartmentation is correctly installed and maintained. Failure to comply can result in enforcement action, prohibition notices, and in serious cases, criminal prosecution.

Common Threats to Compartmentation Integrity

Even the best-designed compartmentation can be compromised over time. Common breaches include:

• Service penetrations — Pipes, cables, and ducts passing through fire-resistant walls or floors create gaps that must be sealed with approved intumescent materials. These are frequently left unsealed during building works.
• Damaged or missing fire doors — Fire doors are a critical component of any compartmentation strategy. Propped-open doors, damaged seals, or missing cold smoke strips can render them useless in an emergency.
• Alterations and renovations — Refurbishments often involve cutting through compartment walls without adequate reinstatement of fire stopping, unknowingly creating pathways for fire and smoke.
• Poor maintenance — Intumescent seals, fire door closers, and cavity barriers all require regular inspection and upkeep to function as intended.

The Role of Fire Compartmentation Surveys

A professional fire compartmentation survey is the most reliable way to identify breaches and weaknesses in a building's passive fire protection. Carried out by a qualified specialist, these surveys examine fire doors, walls, floors, ceiling voids, and service penetrations throughout a building, providing a detailed report of findings and recommended remedial action.

For building owners and managers, a compartmentation survey is not just best practice — in many cases it is a legal requirement under the fire risk assessment process.

Conclusion

Compartmentation is one of the most powerful tools we have in fire safety. It is silent, passive, and — when properly installed and maintained — remarkably effective. But it only works when it is taken seriously: designed correctly from the outset, protected during building works, and inspected and maintained on a regular basis.

If you are unsure about the compartmentation integrity of your building, don't wait for an incident to find out. Contact a qualified fire safety professional today to arrange a compartmentation survey and ensure your building is as safe as it can be.

Lithium Battery Fire Safety: What Every UK Household Needs to Know

Published May 2026

UK fire services are now responding to a lithium-ion battery fire once every five hours — nearly five incidents every single day. According to new research from insurer QBE, fire brigades attended 1,760 battery-related fires in 2025 alone, a staggering 147% increase compared to 2022. Five people have lost their lives to lithium-ion battery fires in the UK over the past three years.

These aren't fires confined to factories or warehouses. Almost half (46%) of all lithium-ion battery fires in 2025 started inside people's homes — in the same rooms where families sleep, eat, and live. If you own a smartphone, laptop, e-bike, e-scooter, electric toothbrush, vape, or toy, you have a lithium-ion battery in your home. This is a risk that affects almost everyone.

Why Are Lithium-Ion Battery Fires So Dangerous?

Lithium-ion batteries can fail through a process called thermal runaway — a self-sustaining chemical reaction triggered by impact damage, overcharging, overheating, or manufacturing defects. Once it begins, it is extremely difficult to stop.

What makes these fires uniquely hazardous:

• They spread with terrifying speed. Thermal runaway causes temperatures to escalate rapidly and can jump from cell to cell within a battery pack in seconds.
• They require enormous amounts of water to extinguish — up to ten times more than a conventional fire, according to QBE risk manager Adrian Simmonds.
• They can reignite. Even after appearing to be out, lithium-ion batteries can re-ignite hours later.
• They produce toxic gases. Burning lithium-ion cells release a cocktail of hazardous fumes that are dangerous to inhale.

Professor Guillermo Rein of Imperial College London has warned that lithium-ion battery fires “breach most of the layers of protection that we know,” describing the technology as an unintended new hazard that keeps him awake at night.

The Biggest Culprits

E-Bikes

E-bikes were linked to 520 fires in 2025 — more than triple the 149 recorded in 2022, and close to a third of all lithium-ion battery incidents nationally. Retrofitted e-bikes with aftermarket battery kits were involved in significantly more incidents than factory-built models with original battery packs. Cheap, uncertified replacement batteries are a major risk factor.

Electric Scooters

London firefighters now respond to an e-bike or e-scooter fire every other day — a frequency that officials describe as unthinkable just a few years ago.

Electric Vehicles

EV-related fires increased by 133% between 2022 and 2025, though it is worth noting that EV ownership tripled over the same period, meaning EVs are not disproportionately more dangerous per vehicle than before.

Everyday Devices

Smartphones, laptops, vapes, toys, and power banks are all potential sources of fire if the battery is damaged, counterfeit, or improperly charged.

How to Stay Safe: Practical Steps for Your Home

Charging Safety

• Never leave devices charging overnight or when you leave the house — most battery fires start while charging.
• Use only the official charger supplied with your device, or a certified replacement. Cheap third-party chargers are a leading cause of battery failure.
• Charge on hard, flat, non-flammable surfaces — never on beds, sofas, or carpets, which can trap heat and ignite if the battery fails.
• Stop charging once the battery is full. Prolonged overcharging degrades the battery and raises fire risk.
• Do not charge in hallways or near exits. If a fire breaks out, a burning battery in a hallway can block your only escape route.

Storage and Handling

• Inspect batteries and devices regularly for swelling, bulging, discolouration, or unusual heat — these are warning signs of a failing battery.
• Never use a visibly damaged battery. A cracked, swollen, or dented battery should be treated as a fire risk.
• Store e-bikes and e-scooters outside the home where possible, or in a garage — never in a hallway or living area.
• Keep batteries cool and dry. Avoid storing devices in direct sunlight or very hot environments.

Buying Safely

• Buy from reputable retailers and look for the UKCA or CE mark, which indicate the product meets recognised safety standards.
• Avoid cheap, unbranded batteries and chargers from unknown online sellers. Counterfeit and substandard products are a significant factor in fire incidents.
• Be cautious with second-hand e-bikes. Retrofitted models with aftermarket batteries carry a much higher fire risk than certified factory models.

Disposal

• Never put lithium-ion batteries in your household bin or recycling bin. Batteries crushed in refuse vehicles are a major cause of fires in waste trucks — the sector reports an average of 15 vehicle fires per month.
• Take old batteries to a designated battery recycling point. Many supermarkets, DIY stores, and council recycling centres accept them.

What to Do If a Battery Catches Fire

1. Get everyone out immediately. Do not attempt to move a burning battery — toxic gases and the risk of explosion make this extremely dangerous.
2. Call 999. Do not assume a small fire will stay small. Lithium-ion fires escalate with extraordinary speed.
3. Close doors behind you to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
4. Do not re-enter the building under any circumstances.
5. Tell firefighters it is a lithium-ion battery fire so they can bring the right equipment and quantity of water.

The Bigger Picture

Industry bodies estimate the financial cost of lithium-ion battery fires in the UK now exceeds £1 billion annually, not including the human cost of five deaths and many more injuries over the past three years.

Fire chiefs and safety experts are calling for stronger regulation — including restrictions on counterfeit and substandard batteries — but in the meantime, the most powerful protection available is public awareness.

Lithium-ion batteries are a remarkable technology that power our modern lives. Used carefully and responsibly, they are safe. The dramatic rise in fires is driven not by the technology itself, but by damaged batteries, poor-quality chargers, unsafe charging habits, and uncertified products entering the market.

A few simple changes to how you charge, store, and dispose of batteries could genuinely save your life.

As a large fire has broken out across residential flats in West London, it is worth reiterating the importance of fire risk assessment for these types of buildings.

The Importance of Fire Risk Assessments in the Communal Areas of Flats

Communal areas — corridors, stairwells, lobbies, entrance halls, meter cupboards and shared storage spaces — are critical parts of a residential building’s fire-safety strategy. These are the routes residents rely on to escape and the areas firefighters depend on to access the building. A thorough fire risk assessment ensures these spaces remain safe, compliant, and fit for purpose.

Why Fire Risk Assessments Matter

1. They Are a Legal Requirement

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, responsible persons must assess and manage fire risks in the common parts of residential buildings. Updated guidance from the Home Office confirms that this includes the building’s structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced further duties, especially for buildings over 11m and high-rise blocks, including checks on fire doors, firefighting equipment, signage, and information sharing with fire and rescue services.

Failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment can lead to enforcement action, prosecution, and significant financial penalties.

2. They Keep Escape Routes Safe

Communal areas must remain clear, protected, and smoke-free for as long as possible during a fire. Government guidance for small blocks of flats emphasises that responsible persons must ensure these areas are assessed and maintained to support safe evacuation.

A proper assessment identifies:

Obstructions in escape routes

Combustible items stored in corridors

Faulty or missing fire doors

Damaged compartmentation

Even small fires in communal areas can spread rapidly, endangering residents and blocking escape routes. London Fire Brigade data shows 281 fires in communal areas in 2022 alone, highlighting the ongoing risk.

3. They Reduce the Risk of Serious Incidents

Fire risk assessments help prevent the most common causes of fires in shared spaces, including:

Charging or storing e-bikes and scooters

Accumulation of rubbish or furniture

Faulty lighting or electrical installations

Arson risks in unsecured areas

The London Fire Brigade warns that even small fires in communal areas can cause major damage, mass displacement, and high financial costs for landlords and insurers.

4. They Protect Residents — Especially the Most Vulnerable

Communal areas are used by everyone, including children, elderly residents, and people with mobility issues. Updated government guidance for purpose-built flats stresses the need for responsible persons to identify risks specific to their building and occupants.

A good fire risk assessment ensures:

Escape routes are accessible

Fire doors close and latch properly

Signage is clear and visible

Lighting supports safe evacuation

5. They Support Firefighters During an Emergency

High-rise and multi-occupied buildings now require:

Floor plans

External wall information

Wayfinding signage

Checks on firefighting lifts and equipment

These measures, introduced through the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, help firefighters navigate the building quickly and safely.

A fire risk assessment ensures these requirements are met and maintained.

6. They Protect Property and Reduce Costs

The economic impact of a communal-area fire can be severe. The average cost of a domestic fire in London was estimated at over £48,000 — and this figure is likely conservative when factoring in inflation, displacement, and repairs.

A proactive assessment reduces the likelihood of:

Major structural damage

Insurance claims and premium increases

Rehousing costs

Legal action from residents

7. They Demonstrate Professionalism and Compliance

For landlords, managing agents, and housing providers, a well-documented fire risk assessment shows:

Compliance with UK fire-safety law

Commitment to resident safety

Proper management of communal areas

A proactive approach to risk reduction

This is essential for reputation, accountability, and long-term building safety.

Conclusion

A fire risk assessment in the communal areas of flats is not just a legal obligation — it is a vital safeguard that protects lives, property, and the integrity of the building. With updated legislation and increasing risks such as e-bike fires, regular assessments are more important than ever.

Reviewing your fire risk assessment every year isn’t just a box-ticking exercise—it’s essential for keeping people safe, staying compliant with the law, and making sure your precautions actually work in real life.

First, things change more than people realise. The layout of a building might be altered, new equipment could be installed, or storage areas might gradually fill up with combustible materials. Even small changes—like rearranging furniture or adding electrical devices—can introduce new fire hazards or block escape routes. An annual review helps catch those risks before they turn into real problems.

Second, people change. Staff turnover means new employees may not be familiar with fire procedures, evacuation routes, or how to use equipment like extinguishers. A review ensures training is up to date and that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

There’s also the legal side. In the UK, fire safety is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This law requires the “responsible person” (like an employer or building owner) to keep the fire risk assessment up to date. While it doesn’t strictly say “every 12 months,” it does require reviews whenever necessary—and an annual review is widely accepted as good practice to demonstrate compliance.

Another key reason is that fire safety measures can degrade over time. Fire alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting, and signage all need to be checked regularly. An annual review helps confirm everything is still in working order and positioned correctly.

Finally, it’s about being prepared. In an emergency, there’s no time to figure things out. A current, accurate fire risk assessment ensures evacuation plans are realistic, escape routes are clear, and risks have already been considered.

In short, an annual review keeps your fire safety measures aligned with reality—not just what was true a year ago. If you want, I can walk you through what should actually be checked during a review.