A method for extinguishing a fire in an enclosed room, wherein the method comprises the following procedural steps i) triggering a visual and/or audible alarm mechanism to warn any persons who might be within the enclosed room; ii) initiating a release of extinguishing agent so as to introduce extinguishing gas into the enclosed room during a pre-flooding phase, wherein the pre-flooding phase corresponds to an interval of time between the time (t 1) at which the release of extinguishing agent starts and a predetermined timepoint (t 2); and iii) monitoring the status of the enclosed room, wherein the enclosed room is flooded during procedural step ii) such that the concentration of extinguishing gas in the enclosed room over the entire pre-flooding phase does not exceed a predefined or predefinable value (a 0) for the extinguishing gas employed which is below the critical NOAEL value for the extinguishing gas as employed, and wherein the predefined timepoint (t 2) is selected such that any persons who might be within the enclosed room can exit said enclosed room during the pre-flooding phase, and preferably selected such that the pre-flooding phase lasts at least 10 seconds, wherein the following procedural step is further provided subsequent to procedural step iii): iv) maintaining the extinguishing gas concentration in the enclosed room at the predefined or predefinable value (a 0) during a first sustained flooding phase, wherein the first sustained flooding phase corresponds to an interval of time between the time (t 2) at which the pre-flooding phase ends and a predefined timepoint (t 2a) or manually definable timepoint (t 2a), wherein procedural step iv) then only ensues when it can be automatically verified in procedural step iii), particularly by means of at least one fire detector, and/or manually verified, particularly by actuation of a corresponding switch, that there is no fire in the enclosed room after the pre-flooding phase ends. i) triggering a visual and/or audible alarm mechanism to warn any persons who might be within the enclosed room; ii) initiating a release of extinguishing agent so as to introduce extinguishing gas into the enclosed room during a pre-flooding phase, wherein the pre-flooding phase corresponds to an interval of time between the time (t 1) at which the release of extinguishing agent starts and a predetermined timepoint (t 2); and iii) monitoring the status of the enclosed room, wherein the enclosed room is flooded during procedural step ii) such that the concentration of extinguishing gas in the enclosed room over the entire pre-flooding phase does not exceed a predefined or predefinable value (a 0) for the extinguishing gas employed which is below the critical NOAEL value for the extinguishing gas as employed, and wherein the predefined timepoint (t 2) is selected such that any persons who might be within the enclosed room can exit said enclosed room during the pre-flooding phase, and preferably selected such that the pre-flooding phase lasts at least 10 seconds, wherein the following procedural step is further provided subsequent to procedural step iii): iv) maintaining the extinguishing gas concentration in the enclosed room at the predefined or predefinable value (a 0) during a first sustained flooding phase, wherein the first sustained flooding phase corresponds to an interval of time between the time (t 2) at which the pre-flooding phase ends and a predefined timepoint (t 2a) or manually definable timepoint (t 2a), wherein procedural step iv) then only ensues when it can be automatically verified in procedural step iii), particularly by means of at least one fire detector, and/or manually verified, particularly by actuation of a corresponding switch, that there is no fire in the enclosed room after the pre-flooding phase ends. iv) maintaining the extinguishing gas concentration in the enclosed room at the predefined or predefinable value (a 0) during a first sustained flooding phase, wherein the first sustained flooding phase corresponds to an interval of time between the time (t 2) at which the pre-flooding phase ends and a predefined timepoint (t 2a) or manually definable timepoint (t 2a), wherein procedural step iv) then only ensues when it can be automatically verified in procedural step iii), particularly by means of at least one fire detector, and/or manually verified, particularly by actuation of a corresponding switch, that there is no fire in the enclosed room after the pre-flooding phase ends.