There have been several major fires recently in some of Europe’s capital cities. In each fire the burning building was not fitted with sprinklers.

In Stockholm on 7 November a fire started at 05:00 in a retail, office and residential building that was undergoing renovation. The cultural heritage building was gutted.

London Fire Brigade reports that at 09:13 on 23 November it was called to a warehouse fire in Ponders End. 12 engines and 81 firefighters attended the fire in the Tottenham Hotspur merchandising store. The fire cast a large cloud of smoke and was visible from central London.

Also on 23 November, at about 13:00, a fire started in the Milcamps waffle factory, according to the Brussels Fire Brigade, which reported that the fire began in the cooling system for the ovens. A nearby school and some businesses were evacuated and residents told to keep doors and windows closed. A train line next to the factory was closed, causing huge delays to Charleroi, Mons and Gent. The 4,000 m2 factory was destroyed.