2024's Urgent Call: Six Industrial Fires Highlight Need for Enhanced Fire Safety in Mexican Warehouses

Fire safety systems are essential to ensure security and protect lives and property in industrial buildings. Additionally, their presence can influence the quality classification of the buildings and their value in the real estate market. According to data from SiiLA, higher-quality industrial buildings in Mexico are typically equipped with sprinkler systems and hose cabinets.

James Pauley is NFPA's President and CEO. Foto: SiiLA.

By: SiiLA News

04/24/2024

So far, in 2024, at least six industrial building fires in Veracruz, Nuevo Leon, Guadalajara, and the Mexico City metropolitan area have been reported in the news. These incidents highlight the importance of implementing fire protection measures in industrial properties, where hydrants, hose cabinets, sprinklers, and extinguishers are indispensable for preventing and mitigating safety risks.

According to data from SiiLA Market Analytics, approximately 45% of Class A and B industrial buildings have hose cabinets, while 28% have hydrants, and 23% have sprinklers. It's worth noting that these data are not mutually exclusive, as a building can have multiple safety systems, such as extinguishers, which are common in industrial building's warehouse and office areas. It's also important to highlight that fire safety systems usage depends on the industrial buildings' characteristics and purpose, underscoring the need to adapt safety measures to the specific risks of each productive activity. In this sense, SiiLA's data indicate that hose cabinets are widespread in last-mile properties. In contrast, those used for logistics and manufacturing combine cabinets with hydrants and sprinklers.

Fire safety systems reduce the risk of human and material losses, ensuring operational continuity and company safety. Therefore, their inclusion is a determining factor in the quality classification of industrial buildings. Facilities equipped with advanced fire safety systems, such as automatic sprinklers and smoke detectors, usually receive a higher rating that reflects a safer and more resilient environment for tenants and their commercial operations. This classification, in turn, influences market perception and property value.

According to SiiLA, Class A industrial buildings are usually equipped with sprinkler systems and hose cabinets, reflecting high fire protection. In contrast, Class B buildings typically have hydrants and cabinets, offering intermediate security, while Class C buildings are usually limited to extinguishers, indicating a more fundamental level of protection compared to the other buildings.

Regulations and Fire Safety Systems

Fire consumes one of the Kalos San Nicolas industrial park warehouses. Photo: Government of San Nicolas.

In early February 2024, a fire consumed a building in the Kalos San Nicolas industrial park in the Apodaca submarket of Nuevo Leon. The property, which stored plastic, wood, and cardboard, soon turned into a blazing column of smoke that alerted tenants, neighbors, and local authorities. Incidents like this highlight the pressing need to comply with industrial facilities' safety and fire protection regulations.

Nationally, the Mexican Standard NMX-R-046-SCFI-2015 recommends the installation of fire protection networks and hydrants in industrial parks. At the same time, NMX-S-066-SCFI-2015 establishes specifications for automatic sprinkler systems, including design criteria based on fire risk classification and the specific characteristics of the properties.

On the one hand, these standards state that cabinets must be strategically located to ensure that hoses can reach any point within the industrial building and that sprinklers have a discharge density and coverage area calculated according to the fire risks associated with activities within the industrial property. On the other hand, the Official Mexican Standard NOM-002-STPS-2010 regulates the minimum requirements for extinguishers in workplaces, establishing that there must be at least one extinguisher for every 200 or 300 square meters, depending on the degree of fire risk and the maximum travel distance to access any extinguisher.

Internationally, standards like those of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provide additional and complementary guidelines for fire protection in industrial environments. For example, NFPA 24 establishes the requirements for installing and maintaining hydrant systems to ensure an adequate water supply for fire extinguishing. Likewise, NFPA 13 details the specifications for designing and installing automatic sprinkler systems, including the proper distribution and water discharge density needed to control or extinguish a fire. In addition, NFPA 10 includes guidelines for the selection, installation, inspection, and maintenance of portable extinguishers, specifying the types and capacities of extinguishers suitable for different classes of fire. Also, NFPA 14 regulates the piping systems for hydrants and hose cabinets, using criteria for their design, installation, and testing to ensure their operation in case of an emergency.

Fire safety systems in industrial buildings are indispensable for preventing and minimizing risks and increasing the value and competitiveness of properties in the commercial real estate market. Are you looking for a property with hydrants, hose cabinets, sprinklers, and/or extinguishers? With SiiLA SPOT, Mexico's largest and most comprehensive database of available industrial, office, and coworking spaces, you can use advanced filters to find properties with specific safety features according to your business needs. It's easy and completely free!

Enter SiiLA SPOT, select the "Search" button, then "Advanced Search," and choose the criteria of your interest. For more details, please contact us at spot@siila.com.mx.

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