By Eamonn Ryan
The cold chain is uniquely vulnerable to fire – not only because of the risk to life and property, but because a serious incident can cripple capacity for months.
© Cold Link Africa
During his presentation, Andrew Brink of Gas At Site highlighted the often‑overlooked impact of fire and even accidental sprinkler discharge on cold stores and freezer warehouses. “We all know that a cold store… if you have a fire, or if you have an incident where your water nozzles are set off, you could be out of business for six months while you get your freezer cold store back into operation.”
In many cold-chain businesses, margins depend on high utilisation of very capital‑intensive infrastructure. A long outage doesn’t just mean repair costs; it can mean:
- Large‑scale product losses,
- Contract penalties and lost customers,
- Emergency outsourcing of storage and distribution, often at higher cost and higher emissions,
- Delayed projects and shelved expansion plans.
This is where hypoxic fire prevention fits in as a resilience tool. By preventing fires from starting in the first place – particularly in the core storage envelope where goods and automation are concentrated – operators can sharply reduce the probability of a catastrophic, long‑duration event.
Brink pointed to automated warehouses as especially strong candidates:
- Very high, dense racking makes traditional sprinklers and nozzles less effective, as water or gas doesn’t always reach into all voids.
- Automated systems tend to be high value and sensitive to heat and contamination.
Once installed, these warehouses are expected to run for years with minimal unplanned downtime.
“An automated warehouse is a fantastic application, because you may have a conveyor belt come in and out, but normal warehouses can also be used for this very successfully,” said Brink. Hypoxic prevention also supports broader efforts to decarbonise the cold chain. A large‑scale fire can negate years of efficiency gains by forcing rebuilds and intense remedial work. Preventing the fire avoids the emissions tied to reconstruction, wasted product and emergency operations.
In Part 4, we open the ‘black box’ of the technology, looking at how nitrogen is generated and managed, how leakage and doors affect energy use, and how advanced oxygen sensing keeps conditions safe and stable.