Palace of Westminster: Fires
(asked on 6th February 2026) - View Source
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker where in the parliamentary estate each of the 36 fire incidents since 2016 referenced in the Restoration and Renewal Client Board report Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals, published on 5 February, took place; and which of those incidents required an evacuation of the nearby premises.
A total of 36 fire-related or safety ‑related incidents have occurred since 2016 within the Palace of Westminster. We attach the list of incidents within this timescale.
None of the 36 incidents, resulted in either partial or complete evacuation of the Palace of Westminster and all were dealt with by the in-house teams and did not require the assistance of London Fire Brigade.
Date | Location | Incident | Action |
January 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Residue oil in frying pan had ignited | Chefs reminded not to leave pans unattended |
February 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Smouldering smoking bin | Arrangement made for bins to be checked and emptied more regularly |
June 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Plantroom roof – fire damage to flat roof and scaffold boards | Small fire caused by contractor halogen light; halogen lights banned; extinguished by fire section |
August 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Smouldering smoking bin | Burnt tissues found to be cause |
August 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Smoking bin burnt | Additional smoking receptacles provided; emptied more frequently |
August 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Tea point – Burnt foodstuff | Signage placed to remind staff not to leave microwave unattended |
November 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Overheating phone charger | Electrical engineers informed |
November 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Overheated plug into trailing lead | Electrical engineers informed |
November 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Overheated convector heater | Electrical engineers informed |
December 2016 | Palace of Westminster | Smouldering smoking bin | Arrangement made for bins to be checked and emptied more regularly |
February 2017 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt toast | Signage placed to remind staff not to leave toaster unattended |
March 2017 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt toast | Signage placed to remind staff not to leave toaster unattended |
September 2017 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt out plug and socket | Electrical engineers called to investigate |
November 2017 | Palace of Westminster | Plastic tray left in warming oven | Head chef advised to cease practice |
July 2018 | Palace of Westminster | Plant pot containing peat | Unauthorised smoking caused fire; CCTV used to identify culprits |
September 2018 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt out cable reel | Contractors reminded to unwind reel before use |
October 2018 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt out E‑cigarette charger | Occupants advised to PAT test electrical equipment |
December 2018 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt out switch on oil‑filled radiator | Electrical engineers called |
February 2019 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt food | Occupants advised to watch cooking food |
May 2019 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt food | Occupants advised to check cooking times and not leave microwave unattended |
December 2019 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt out floor socket | Engineers fixed water leak affecting sockets |
February 2020 | Palace of Westminster | Smouldering smoking bin | Discarded paper ignited |
March 2021 | Palace of Westminster | Smouldering defective extension cable | Contractors reminded of correct cable management |
August 2021 | Palace of Westminster | Flare fired from outside perimeter | Extinguished by fire section |
Feb 2022 | Palace of Westminster | Overheating charging cable to hydraulic platform | Dealt with by contractors |
Dec-22 | Palace of Westminster | Plant room-drive belt overheating | Plant isolated – follow up assigned to Engineers Control |
Feb-23 | Palace of Westminster | Burnt food in microwave | Extinguished by user - microwave taken out of service |
Mar-23 | Palace of Westminster | Smoke from overheating electrical component | Power isolated and unit allowed to cool – follow up assigned to Engineers Control |
Apr-23 | Palace of Westminster | Food tray on hot surface | Food warmer isolated by electrician on request of Fire Protection Team |
Apr-23 | Palace of Westminster | Visitor Assistance audio device dropped and battery flared | Device battery extinguished without intervention - removed by Engineers Control for disposal |
Oct-23 | Palace of Westminster | Spilt cooking oil ignited on hob | Small amount of oil burnt off immediately - no extinguishing media required. Follow up assigned to Head Chef |
Aug-24 | Palace of Westminster | Unknown person ignited paper in waste bin | Bin had been placed to catch water leak which had extinguished ignited paper |
Sep-24 | Palace of Westminster | Careless disposal of smoking materials | Smouldering waste bin identified - cigarette/tissue removed and stamped out |
Sep-25 | Palace of Westminster | Careless disposal of smoking materials | Cigarette ignited waste bin – Fire Protection Team extinguished fire |
Oct-25 | Palace of Westminster | Smoke from overheating electrical component | Power isolated and unit allowed to cool – follow up assigned to Engineers Control |
Nov-25 | Palace of Westminster | Smoke from overheating electrical component | Power isolated and unit allowed to cool – follow up assigned to Engineers Control |