SHOCKING footage of a fire engulfing a Glasgow flat was being screened today in the city centre.

Thousands of shoppers were able to watch a live burn' demonstration of how sprinkler systems could save dozens of lives every year.

Earlier this month, fire crews torched two rooms in a derelict flat in Nitshill, with identical furniture, but only one was fitted with hi-tech water jets.

The sprinklers confined the blaze to a small section of the room and extinguished the flames in three minutes.

But the fire swept through the room without the jets in minutes, destroying the ground floor of the property.

Big screens were showing the DVD in George Square, Buchanan Street and Renfield Street today as part of the latest phase of the FireSafe Housing for Glasgow campaign, which aims to have sprinklers fitted in every new home in the city.

Glasgow has the highest fire casualty rate of any UK city. In 2006, nine people died and 273 were injured in house fires.

Housebuilders, developers, housing associations and MSPs will be told how sprinklers save lives at a conference at the City Chambers this afternoon.

The video scenes hammer home the message - and the facts speak for themselves.

In Scottsdale in Arizona, and Vancouver in Canada, sprinklers have been 100% effective in tackling fire deaths in new-build homes.

Deputy council leader Jim Coleman, chairman of Glasgow Community and Safety Services, said: "Housebuilders should install sprinklers in their new developments. They could mean the difference between life and death for occupants."

The live burn' in Newfield Square was part of a campaign to slash fire deaths in west Scotland. It was watched by 100 guests, including councillors, developers and representatives from major house builders.

The Evening Times, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Housing Association, sprinkler contractor Vipond and the European Sprinkler Network are backing FireSafe Housing for Glasgow.