Abstract: A fire suppression system for an enclosed space, such as a cargo hold of an aircraft includes a fire detector, a container for storing a non-combustible, non-reactive gas which will not support combustion, a valve for releasing the non-combustible gas from the container, the valve being actuated by the fire detector, nozzles disposed within the space for distributing the non-combustible gas released from the container in the enclosed space, and an operable gas purging door disposed so to permit the exhausting of air other than the non-combustible gas from the enclosed space. A second container for storing a fire extinguishing mixture including a fire extinguishing agent and a non-combustible, non-reactive gas which will not support combustion is included. The fire extinguishing mixture is introduced into the enclosed space after the air has been expelled from the enclosed space.

Abstract: A self-contained automatic fire extinguishing device includes a container having container walls defining a container chamber for storage of a fire extinguishing agent therein. The container has at least one aperture through its container walls. The fire extinguishing device also includes a vessel having vessel walls defining a vessel chamber. The vessel is coupled to the container such that the container chamber is in fluid communication with the vessel chamber via the at least one aperture. The vessel also has at least one opening therethrough. A heat responsive closure/actuating element is coupled to the container for substantially selectably sealing the at least one aperture of the container to alternately prevent and permit fluid communication between the container chamber and the vessel chamber.