Incident at Shirley Towers in Southampton

Firefighters were called shortly before 12:00pm today (22 February 2026) to Shirley Towers in Southampton following reports of a fire alarm sounding and smoke in a 13th-floor corridor.

On arrival, crews carried out a thorough investigation. No fire was found, the building’s sprinkler system did not activate, and there were no reports of any injuries.

As a precaution, a number of fire crews attended the scene. It is standard practice to mobilise additional resources to high-rise buildings to ensure appropriate support is available should it be required.

The alarm is believed to have been caused by contaminants from smoking materials within one of the flats. The smoke reported in the corridor was traced to a faulty light fitting.

The incident has now been handed over to Southampton County Council.