All posts by viking210

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Brick, NJ – Single sprinkler head contains laundry fire at nursing home

Laundry ignited inside a nursing home early Wednesday morning, but one sprinkler kept the fire from spreading, Brick Fire Safety Chief Kevin Batzel said.

Brick police and firefighters were called to the Meridian Nursing and Rehabilitation center on Jack Martin Boulevard at 4:40 a.m. where they found smoke in the facility’s basement, Batzel said.

The fire was inside a large, industrial-sized laundry cart filled with towels that had been pulled from a dryer, he said.

“It was being contained by a single fire sprinkler head, which had activated and caused an alarm in the building,” the fire safety chief said. “What could have been a potential catastrophe was prevented.”

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

San Leandro, CA – Room fire at mental health hospital controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

The Villa Fairmont Mental Health Rehabilitation Center remained fully functional after a room caught fire Tuesday night. Fire crews responded to a report of a fire at 7:01 p.m. at the center located in the 15000 block of Foothill Boulevard in unincorporated San Leandro, according to the Alameda County Fire Department. The blaze was confined to a room near a fire sprinkler and firefighters quickly extinguished it. There were no reports of injuries. The cause of fire was still under investigation as of Tuesday night. One room suffered moderate smoke and water damage.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Gorham, ME – Machinery fire at tool company held in check by sprinkler system

A tool company in Gorham had to evacuate Tuesday morning after a fire broke out inside the building. It happened at Irwin Tools on Bartlett Road just after 7 a.m. Crews from several different departments assisted Gorham in fighting the flames

Gorham’s fire chief says employees were inside working at the time. No one was hurt. The chief says the building’s sprinkler system kept the fire under control until crews arrived. “No question, the sprinkler system kept the fire in check inside until the crews could get in and get it knocked down,” Chief Robert Lefebvre, Gorham Fire Department, said. “There’s metal filings from machines that make tools and such, at this point not sure what machines in the area that caused it. We’ll be looking into that down the road.”

Chief Lefebvre says it appears the fire started near the ceiling level. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Loudon, TN – Fire at ceramics plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire Monday afternoon at a ceramic tile plant in Loudon started when a motor began burning and then ignited hydraulic fluid, fire officials said. The Loudon Fire Department was alerted about 1:15 p.m. Monday to the blaze at the Del Conca USA Plant.

According to Mike Brubaker, chief of the Loudon Fire Department, the fire started in a machine that presses and forms the ceramic tiles. The fire grew in intensity and seriousness once the hydraulic fluid caught fire, according to Brubaker. No injuries were reported.

The plant’s sprinkler system activated, which helped to suppress the fire. It took crews about 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, according to Brubaker.  The Lenoir City Fire Department worked with the Loudon Fire Department to fight the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Westboro, MA – Fire in trash chute of high rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

Fountainhead Apartments residents who were displaced Friday night after sprinklers were set off by a fire in a trash chute will be allowed back into their units starting Saturday afternoon, according to management.

Danielle DeHart, regional property manager at the Fountainhead Apartments, said most of the displaced residents will be allowed back into their units, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday. “At 2 o’clock, we’ll start letting the building in slowly with the assistance of local police,” Ms. DeHart said.

Ms. DeHart said “well over 200 residents” from about 170 apartments were affected. She said the Fountainhead is asking the tenants of 11 units to allow additional drying time. “We were very fortunate that nobody was hurt and everybody responded very quickly from the management team and also the local police and fire personnel,” Ms. DeHart said. “It was the smoke, of course, that triggered that the sprinkler system. It wasn’t the fire itself.”

Ms. DeHart said the lesson to learn here is to be conscientious about what you throw away. She said estimates on the damages is not available yet.  “Right now, our focus is on the residents and getting everybody where they need to be, certainly, cold January time, so that’s our priority No. 1, and then we’re worry about the building after that.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Naperville, IL – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing fire in storage room at business

The contents of a Naperville business in the 2000 block of Aurora Avenue suffered more damage than the structure following a Saturday afternoon fire, according to a release from the Naperville Fire Department. Firefighters received a call from an employee at 1:05 p.m. stating the fire alarm was sounding and there was smoke coming from a rear storage room, but no flames seen, the release said.

The first arriving fire unit reported nothing showing from three sides of the business, the release said. Upon entry, they found heavy smoke, at which time the alarm was upgraded by the shift commander, bringing more equipment and firefighters.

Extinguishing the fire was difficult due to the size of the structure, however after the deployment of several hose lines and coordinated operations, including the building’s sprinkler system, the fire was extinguished 46 minutes after the initial dispatch, according to the release.

Damage to the structure was moderate, however damage to contents within the structure was extensive due to smoke, fire, and water, the release said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and there were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

The Naperville Fire Department was assisted on the scene by departments from Aurora and Plainfield. Units from Downers Grove and Bolingbrook as well as the Warrenville and Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection Districts provided station coverage for the city during the incident.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Lawrence, NJ – Laundry fire at condominium complex doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Police are investigating a fire that broke out early Saturday in the laundry room of a condominium complex, according to the fire department.   Firefighters responded to the complex on Town Court South around 1:30 a.m. Saturday after getting a call about a fire in the laundry room, Lawrence Fire Chief Gary Wasko said.

When they arrived they found that everyone had evacuated the room and that the sprinkler system had extinguished much of the fire. They had the rest of the fire under control almost immediately and worked to deal with the smoke removal for a long time after that, Wasko said.  

The investigation into how the fire started was turned over to Lawrence police, who were not immediately available for contact Saturday evening.

Apartment Building, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – No injuries in New Year’s Eve apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system

Residents of a Grand Forks apartment complex rang in the new year in the cold because a fire broke out inside a second floor unit on Garden View Drive shortly after 11:00. About two dozen people were inside at the time.  However, people living in the unit where the fire started were not home.

The fire was contained to the single unit, but several other units and the hallway sustained smoke and water damage. Everyone was allowed to return to their apartments last night except for the one where the fire started.

“The fire was pretty much extinguished by the sprinkler system, or at least contained by the sprinkler system, so there would have been minimal fire as I understand it by the fire crews that responded,” Grand Forks Fire Capt. Bob Kramer said. The fire marshall said the fire is accidental because of unattended cooking on the stove.

Apartment Building, Residential

Encinitas, CA – Sprinkler system contains early morning apartment fire to room of origin; No injuries reported

The spread of a fire that broke out Thursday morning in an Encinitas apartment building was stopped by a fire sprinkler system, a city fire official said. A fire alarm was triggered just after 5 a.m. as the apartment’s sprinkler system was activated, alerting the Encinitas Fire Department to respond to the building in the 3000 block of Manchester Avenue in Cardiff, according to Senior Deputy Fire Marshal Kerri Berberet.

“The resident smelled smoke and attempted to extinguish a fire caused by a candle,” Berberet said. “During the process, a single fire sprinkler activated due to the heat produced by the fire.” Two engine crews were dispatched to the scene.  “The fire was out upon arrival of the initial fire crew; a second unit was requested for assistance,” Berberet said.

No injuries were reported, and other residents and apartments were unscathed. “With the activation of the fire sprinkler system and quick response by firefighters, the fire was contained to the room of origin,” she said.

Berberet pointed out that according to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half, while an automatic fire sprinkler system cuts the risk of dying by about 80 percent, according to the association.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Winston-Salem, NC – Overnight condominium fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Unattended cooking identified as cause

A stove fire Tuesday displaced five people in three condominium units at Ivy Glen Court in the southwestern part of the city, the Winston-Salem Fire Department said. A water flow alarm was received Tuesday from 333 Ivy Glen Court at about 11:30 p.m. On the way, firefighters learned that a fire on the stove had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

On arrival, firefighters discovered minor damage amounting to $1,200 to the structure and $600 to contents. The sprinkler system was shut off to prevent further damage. Power to three units affected by the water from the sprinkler was cut off. The fire department said those displaced are staying with friends and relatives.  The cause of the fire was unattended cooking, the fire department said