The effectiveness of sprinkler systems in domestic properties was effectively demonstrated by the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service yesterday.

Two houses in Hazel Crescent, Pulrose, due to be demolished in the next few weeks, were deliberately set on fire in a controlled experiment.

The living room of the one in which the system was turned off while the blaze became established suffered devastating damage, while the other, in which it was allowed to come on when a certain temperature was reached, was virtually unscathed.

These local residents, among the large crowd which gathered to watch the houses set on fire, were stunned by the scale of the destruction: