In 2019, Sandra and Andy Mackenzie-Hawe from Aberdeenshire came home from their honeymoon to find their family home destroyed by fire. Their local fire brigade, a retained station, took 29 minutes to arrive. Three of their beloved pets didn’t survive. Their children escaped through an upstairs window.
When they rebuilt, they made one decision differently. They installed an iMist™ fire suppression system. Sandra says it helps her sleep at night.
No family should have to learn that lesson the hard way.
Their story is not unique. In the year ending September 2025, fire and rescue services across England attended 26,184 dwelling fires — around 72 every single day. Tragically, there were 196 deaths in dwelling fires, accounting for 72% of all fire-related fatalities in England that year.
Dwelling fires in England
Deaths in dwelling fires
Avg. response time to a dwelling fire
Legislation is moving in the right direction. The Building Safety Act 2022 now mandates fire suppression systems in new residential buildings above 11 metres. But there’s a risk that fire suppression becomes just another box to tick, a requirement to satisfy building control rather than something that genuinely protects lives. That misses the point entirely, and it doesn’t account for the vast number of homes and smaller dwellings that fall outside this legislation.
Fire suppression is about so much more than compliance. It’s about protecting the irreplaceable: your home, your belongings, and most importantly, your loved ones.
Where Is This Growing Risk Coming From?
The nature of fire risk in UK homes is changing. One of the biggest emerging threats is quietly charging in most living rooms, hallways, and garages.
Lithium-ion battery fires in the UK have risen by 93% between 2022 and 2024, according to Freedom of Information data from insurer QBE. Fire services now attend at least three lithium battery fires every single day — including the fatal fire near Old Kent Road station earlier this year.
E-bikes, e-scooters, electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops, power tools — they’re everywhere, and so is the risk. These fires often start in residential properties and are notoriously difficult to extinguish using conventional methods.
This is a fire risk that didn’t exist a decade ago. It’s growing rapidly — and of course, you never think it will be your home, until it is.
The Cost of Waiting
The average response time to a dwelling fire in England is now 8 minutes and 13 seconds; in Scotland, it is 8 minutes and 20 seconds; in Wales, between 8 and 10 minutes, all rising year on year for a decade. When Sandra and Andy’s home caught fire in 2019, the brigade took 29 minutes to arrive. In that time, the house was lost. That gap between when a fire starts and when help arrives is exactly where a suppression system saves lives. An iMist system doesn’t wait. It activates as soon as the nozzles reach their operational temperature.
Regulations set the minimum standard, not the maximum safety. Fires typically double in size every minute, and by the time firefighters arrive, the damage can be catastrophic – causing financial loss and emotional distress that no insurance policy can fully repair.
Fire Suppression as an Investment, Not an Expense
The approximate cost of an iMist™ system as a proportion of a £300,000 home — around £6,000
An iMist system uses up to 80% less water than traditional sprinklers, so it protects your home without flooding it in the process. It can be retrofitted into existing properties just as easily as it can be specified into new builds – no major works, no upheaval.
Installing one isn’t just about meeting legal obligations. It’s about protecting your assets, your peace of mind, and the memories and valuables that make a house a home.
Real Families. Real Fires. Real Protection.
Behind every fire statistic is a real story. Here are two that show what a difference the right decision can make.
The Mackenzie-Hawe Family · Aberdeenshire · 2019
“Possessions can be replaced — but we adored those animals. Their loss is what we grieve the most.”
Sandra and Andy lost their family home while on honeymoon. The brigade took 29 minutes. When they rebuilt, they chose iMist™ — and Sandra says it finally lets her sleep at night.
Child’s Bedroom Fire · Scotland · August 2025
“The fire was already out when the brigade arrived.”
An electrical fault ignited a child’s bed within moments. The iMist™ system activated immediately, containing the fire to one room and giving the family time to escape safely.
The question for developers, housing associations, architects, and homeowners alike is simple: are you installing fire suppression because you have to — or because the people inside deserve it?
Find out how iMist can protect your property
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