
Future Displays: How LED Display Fires Are Driving A Safety Revolution in the Industry
January 29, 2025 by Dave Haynes
This is one of the stories you will find in the new Sixteen:Nine Future Displays report – a free download available to all readers.
The report has in excess of 70 stories, and across almost 250 pages covers everything from profiles or market leaders to topics that don’t get much attention – like this piece about technologies that reduce the risks of big LED displays going up in (toxic) smoke.
You can find the report information and download page here …
Fires breaking out on LED ad displays have surfaced a problem that’s been known among manufacturers, but not really among end-users .., that screens can be fire hazards. They can catch fire and burn intensely, releasing toxic gases an dropping melted plastic in the process.
The core of the problem owes to how these displays are built. Modern LED screens combine thousands of electrical connections, complex cooling systems, and traditionally flammable materials – all packed into increasingly dense configurations.
When something goes wrong, whether through electrical failure or overheating, the results can be catastrophic.

Screenshot
A big LED ad board along a major roadway on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia caught fire last June, trapping nine workers who were eventually rescued. That could maybe be written off by some observers as the sort of thing that can happen off a highway in Asia, but a fire also broke out on the big LED display on the Reuters building in Times Square in New York in 2019.
New multi-layer protection systems are emerging, using advanced materials that resist fire rather than fuel it. These materials, combined with sophisticated thermal management systems, are designed to contain and suppress fires, before they can spread.
Along with rethinking and switching out materials, the way big LED displays are deployed is also being reconsidered – everything from ventilation and drainage to lightning protection is now factored into designs.
There are, already, fire-resistant displays, but they can cost as much as 30% more than traditional systems.
Last fall, for example, the German firm Screen Experts announced what it called the world’s first non-flammable outdoor LED screen, using its patented Screen Fire Protection tech that prevents fire spread and droplets of melted, burned material and minimizes flue gas development.
Higher pricing for fire-safe materials might get met with resistance, but some insurers are now offering reduced premiums for installations that meet fire safety standards.
Cities like Singapore and Dubai are leading the way on LED display safety, already mandating new installations meet requirements that include automated fire detection, emergency power cut-offs, and periodic safety audits.
Sensors are also now being used to monitor and react to potential heat issue – everything from temperature to electrical resistance.
Though better fire protection adds cost, it can also extend the operating lives of systems by using better, more durable materials.
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