Fire class · UK/EU
Electrical fires (UK: no letter)
First: raise the alarm, get out, call the fire service
UK: However, if in doubt, employees should not put themselves or anyone else at risk, but simply raise the alarm, leave the premises, and call the fire and rescue service.
HM Government (GOV.UK), A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (accessible version), section ‘Fire extinguishers’
US: If you're unsure about whether it is safe to use a fire extinguisher, and for all other situations, alert others, leave the building, and call 911 from a mobile or neighbor's phone.
US Fire Administration (FEMA), Choosing and Using Fire Extinguishers, ‘Help people decide when to use a fire extinguisher’
Electrical equipment (no letter in the UK).
UK and Europe (BS EN 2 classes)
Electrical Fires - fires involving electrical equipment
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Fire Classes’
Extinguishers the guidance names for Electrical
Extinguishers the guidance says not to use on it
- Water:
Do not use on liquid, electrical or metal fires.
HM Government (GOV.UK), Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (accessible version), Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8 (water) - Water:
It should not be used for kitchen fires, fires caused by flammable gas and liquids as well as fires that involve electrical equipment.
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Water Extinguishers’ - Foam:
Do not use on electrical or metal fires.
HM Government (GOV.UK), Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (accessible version), Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8 (foam) - Foam:
This type of fire extinguisher should not be used for fires caused by flammable metals, kitchen fires and fires that involve electrical equipment.
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Foam Extinguishers’ - Dry powder (ABC):
This type of fire extinguisher should not be used for fires that involve electrical equipment over 1000 volts and cooking oil fires.
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Dry Powder Extinguishers’
Reading the letter
- The UK and European classes run A, B, C, D, F. Electrical fires have no letter of their own: the GOV.UK Table 1 of fire classes stops at F, and UK guidance names electrical fires in words (Surrey Fire and Rescue lists them as a sixth class). The US gives this fire the letter C.
A carbon dioxide extinguisher should also be provided to deal with fires involving electrical equipment.
HM Government (GOV.UK), A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (accessible version), section ‘Fire extinguishers’
Other fire classes
Sources
Official guidance only: UK government, UK fire and rescue services, the Fire Industry Association, NFPA, OSHA and the US Fire Administration. Words in quotation marks are theirs.
- Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service): Extinguishers and fire blankets (reviewed 24 August 2026). Quoted here: ‘Fire Classes’; ‘Water Extinguishers’; ‘Foam Extinguishers’; ‘Dry Powder Extinguishers’. www.surreycc.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- HM Government (GOV.UK): A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (accessible version) (updated 20 January 2025). Quoted here: section ‘Fire extinguishers’. www.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- US Fire Administration (FEMA): Choosing and Using Fire Extinguishers (page last reviewed 1 April 2023). Quoted here: ‘Help people decide when to use a fire extinguisher’. www.usfa.fema.gov Checked 2026-09-29.
- HM Government (GOV.UK): Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (accessible version) (updated 12 September 2023). Quoted here: Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8 (water); Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8 (foam). www.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.