All posts by viking210

Vacaville, CA – Apartment fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

A one-alarm fire Saturday in Vacaville resulted in the activation of an indoor sprinkler system. The fire, which occurred at an apartment in the 100 block of Burton Drive, was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m.  The fire warranted a full response from the Vacaville Fire Department.   However, units were canceled after the small fire was quickly extinguished.  According to Vacaville Fire Battalion Chief Matt Lage, the fire was started by a household appliance in the apartment’s master bedroom.   No one was injured in the incident.

Rome, GA – Overnight restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Damage minimized

Even though passersby saw smoke and flames at Ryan’s Restaurant, 2305 Shorter Ave., early Saturday morning, a fire official said that when his first engine company arrived, they got inside and saw that the sprinkler system had activated and the fire was out. According to Rome-Floyd County Fire Department Battalion Chief Roger Haggard:

The call came in just before 3 a.m. Saturday. The caller said they could see smoke and flames coming from the roof of the building. The investigation, he said, tentatively points to something sparking flames in the ductwork.  “It burned off dust and some of the ductwork and plastic grills in the ceiling,” Haggard said.  What triggered the fire could not be pinpointed.  “It smoked the building up pretty good,” Haggard said. “Some ceiling tiles did fall to the floor.”  Estimated damages to the structure itself were minimal.  A sign on the door of the restaurant simply indicates the restaurant will be closed indefinitely.

Rochester, NY – Electrical panel fire at hospital contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters say a major short in a power box is responsible for sparking a fire at Monroe Community Hospital early New Year’s Day.  Firefighters say an electric panel on the fourth floor caught fire around 2:30 a.m.   Crews got in quickly extinguished the fire.  The sprinkler system caused some water damage, but contained the fire was contained to the utility room.  Firefighters say no one occupies the section of the building where the fire started, however there was a power outage to part of the building.

Red Wing, MN – Sprinkler system douses third floor apartment fire; No injuries

The Red Wing Fire Department responded to an early-morning structure fire Friday, Dec. 30 at at 325 Plum St.

Firefighter/paramedics arrived at the scene within two minutes of receiving a call about a fire/water flow alarm and found smoke in the building.

Firefighters forcible entered the apartments and found a small fire on the third floor, which had been extinguished by the sprinkler system prior to the department’s arrival.

All residents were evacuated from the building. All but three residents were allowed back into their apartments. The local Red Cross was on scene to provide housing assistance to tenants displaced due to damage.

Apartments on the third and second floor as well as the church on the ground floor sustained moderate water damage. The third-floor apartment also suffered minor fire and smoke damage.There were no injuries.

The Red Wing Fire Department, Red Wing police, Red Wing public works responded to the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Butte, MT – Sprinkler system praised for minimizing fire damage at off-campus housing

A sprinkler activation system successfully limited the damage after an early-morning house fire broke out at off-campus Montana Tech student housing at 1038 Missoula Ave. on Friday.

At 5:42 a.m. Friday, firefighters quickly extinguished the fire in apartment 1032 and kept it from spreading to the interior of the apartment and adjoining apartments.

The fire originated in an exterior barbecue used the previous evening, according to Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department responders.

One of three male occupants suffered from smoke inhalation and was treated, and A-1 Ambulance transported him to the hospital, according to a county press release.

The fire damaged exterior siding, two large exterior windows, the front door, and an overhead awning. It resulted in water damage, but the sprinkler system confined the fire to the exterior and kept it from engulfing the entire residential complex, saving lives and limiting property damage, according to the report.

Fire crews cleared the scene after 7 a.m. Responders included the BSB police and the Big Butte Fire Department.

“We thank Montana Tech for having a properly installed and maintained automatic fire sprinkler system,” said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Doherty.

Total cost damages to the involved structure were minimal, he said. A-1 Ambulance transported the injured civilian to the emergency room. His condition is unknown.“

This is a great sprinkler success story. The facilities sprinkler and alarm systems did their jobs,” said Doherty.

“There were no fatalities, minimal amounts of property damage, and after some minor clean-up, this apartment should be back up and running quickly. This is a great example of how sprinklers save lives; they are efficient, effective, and essential in protecting both lives and property.”

Friday afternoon, cleaners from Dayspring Restoration were tearing out damaged carpets and cleaning up smoke damage. Workers Matt Popham and Patrick Hennessey estimated the cleanup would take two weeks to a month. 

Geneva, OH – Sprinkler system contains nursing home fire; No injuries reported

Emergency workers were beginning to evacuate an undetermined number of patients from the Rae-Ann Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 839 W. Main St., late Thursday night after a dryer fire caused smoke to spread throughout the building, said Bob Russell, Geneva Fire Department public information officer.

“We had a dryer fire in the basement that actually started the sprinkler system,” Russell said.

The fire call came about 8:40 p.m. and when firefighters arrived they had some “mop-up” work to do but the fire was almost extinguished, he said. However, some areas of the nursing home were not immediately fit for patients to return.

Patients were moved to secure areas as firefighters ventilated the building and worked on plans for moving those in areas that were deemed unable to be used for the night, Russell said.

A long line of emergency vehicles blocked Route 20 as they awaited instructions on the evacuation to different sites. At about 10 p.m. some of the vehicles were moved into position to take patients away. At that time, firefighters did not know where residents were being taken or how many would be transported, Russell said.”

As far as I know there were no injuries,” Russell said.Ambulances and engines from multiple departments were used, including Jefferson, Saybrook Township, Madison Fire District, Geneva, Ashtabula, Ashtabula Township, Perry, Harpersfield Township, Geneva-on-the-Lake as well as South Central Ambulance District and Northwest Ambulance District.

Kenosha, WI – Cooking fire at care center put out with help from sprinkler system

Residents of a care center displaced by water damage from a sprinkler system were able to move back into the facility Tuesday evening.

According to a spokesman from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, residents of the Kenosha Care Center I, 6024 18th Ave., were housed at the Dayton Care Center, 521 59th St., during the day on Tuesday.

They were allowed to move back into their residence after 7 p.m. on Tuesday.Operators of the Care Center could not be reached for comment.

According to the Kenosha Fire Department, a kitchen stove was being used for heat in the facility, and that set off the sprinkler system at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The fire department estimated that about 15 people were temporarily displaced. Some reportedly made temporary use of a bus provided while firefighters dealt with the initial fire call in order to stay out of the weather.

According to state records, the facility, which appears from the street to be a typical two-story home. It is licensed to care for up to 21 residents, and to care for people who are developmentally or physically disabled, terminally ill, mentally ill, suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or people in transition from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system activates in response to apartment balcony fire

A small balcony fire at a Duluth complex led to damage in three apartments on Friday.

Gwinnett County firefighters were called to the Bridgewater Apartments complex, at 1500 Ridge Brook Trail, at 2:16 p.m. on a report of an apartment fire. When they got to the complex, smoke led to the balcony of a third-floor apartment where they found a smoldering fire in a charcoal meat smoker.“

The fire was contained to the outer-decking material of the balcony and sent heat and smoke inside the apartment unit,” Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. “A sprinkler activated inside the apartment due to radiant heat.”

No one was injured by the fire, but the balcony had minor damage and the sprinkler caused residual water damage in the apartment, as well as two other apartments directly beneath it, Rutledge said. He said the complex’s maintenance personnel tried to put out the fire with portable fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived.

Firefighters found the fire and got it under control by 2:34 p.m., about 11 minutes after they arrived.

Wilmington, NC – Habitat for Humanity home protected from extensive fire damage by residential sprinkler system

Wilmington Fire Department units responded to a house fire Saturday evening at 1406 Corbett Street.

According to Wilmington Fire Department PIO David Hines, the call came in around 7 p.m. It was caused by a grease fire that had flared up out of control. The fire then activated the residential fire sprinkler system that extinguished the fire. Once units arrived on scene, the fire had already been put out by the sprinkler system.

When the firefighters arrived on scene, they shut off the water to the house to stop the flow from the activated head and performed ventilation procedures to remove smoke from the resident.

The home where this fire occurred was a home that was built by Habitat for Humanity in 2011. Due to the residential sprinkler system in the home, fire and smoke damage was minimal, estimated at $350.00. The damages were contained to the area immediately surrounding the flare-up.

Hines said there were no injuries reported and the occupants of the home were not displaced. He said even with the occupants at home, these types of fires without sprinkler systems, normally result in much more damage and/or injuries.

Rockford, IL – Beauty supply store fire caused by unattended incense put out by sprinkler system

No one was injured this morning when a fire broke out inside a Rockford beauty supply store, a fire investigator said.

Rockford firefighters were called at 9:18 a.m. to the fire at State Beauty Supply, 4010 E. State St., according to the fire department.

Arson investigator Mike Schnaper said the fire began in the back of the shop. It was accidental, he said. Fire Division Chief Matt Knott said the fire was caused by incense left burning.

The fire was extinguished by the store’s sprinkler system and smoke and water damage is estimated at $10,000, according to the fire department.”

The damage was very well controlled by the sprinklers,” Schnaper said, but the shop isn’t usable at this time.