All posts by viking210

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Summerside, PE, Canada – Fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system; Classes resume next day

Most classes at Elm Street Elementary School in Summerside, P.E.I., will resume on Tuesday after a small fire forced the cancellation of all classes on Monday. The fire started near a ventilation fan in the computer server room at about 4:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

Summerside fire Chief Jim Peters said the sprinkler system had put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived. “It was just a matter of us, the firefighters, shutting down the sprinkler system and clearing some smoke,” said Peters.

Shutting down the sprinklers, however, took about 30 minutes, said English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet. The water soaked through the floor and ran into classrooms below, including the kindergarten.

Because of the water damage, kindergarten will be cancelled again Tuesday. All other classes will go ahead Tuesday as usual. Kindergarten classes will resume Wednesday, with changes for one classroom.

“Tomorrow, we will have teachers with workers from the school board move furniture and materials back into two classrooms, and a third classroom will be relocated into the breakfast area,” Fleet said.

“So that is why the breakfast program will not be in operation for the remainder of the week.”

Communications at the school will be by telephone only until the computer system is restored.

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

North Adams, MA – Cooking fire in 7th floor apartment quickly put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters evacuated some residents from the high rise on Friday afternoon after a small cooking fire broke out on the 7th floor. Fire Director Stephen Meranti said the fire was quickly put out by the sprinkler system.

“Right now we are evacuating because of smoke and water. We do have water all the way from the seventh floor all the way down,” Meranti said. “We are checking apartments as we go down through, but the sprinkler system did its job.”  Meranti said no one was injured.

The Fire Department was alerted to the situation at about 12:30 p.m., when an alarm was activated in a unit at the Ashland Park Apartments. Scanner reports indicated water was “pouring down the hallways” in the Housing Authority building.

Residents clustered in the community room on the ground floor until being allowed back into their homes. Executive Director Jennifer Hohn said a few units below the seventh-floor apartment were affected.

“A significant amount of water from the sprinklers has entered the units directly below on all floors,” she said. “As a result of water seeping into electrical panels, power to these affected units has been shut off.”

Hohn said the Holiday Inn was gracious to offer accommodations and a meal for those residents affected by the fire and its containment.

 

“There is a chance the power will not be restored by the evening so I have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn for anybody needing accommodations,” she said. “I will update the board when a further assessment of the damage is concluded.

 

“The important thing is nobody was injured.”

 

Police and North Adams Ambulance Service also responded; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Police assisted with traffic control as Ashland Street was restricted to one lane.

 

The incident is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sun Prairie, WI – Sprinkler system activates; Assists firefighters in fire at aluminum die cast manufacturer

Smoke could be seen from outside the building, and managers told firefighters there was a fire located in an indoor foundry furnace, officials said. The sprinkler system activated before crews arrived, according to the release.

Power was disconnected to all equipment inside, and firefighters put out the fire, officials said. Crews had to overhaul ceiling tiles above the furnace afterwords due to the damage. The fire’s cause and damage estimates are still under investigation.

Madison-Kipp Corporation (“MKC”) is a major producer of precision machined components and system subassemblies for customers in the transportation, industrial, lawn & garden, and leisure-end markets.

 

Office Building, Other Business

Washington, NJ – Fire in records storage area at corporate building contained by sprinkler system

The cause of a fire in a storage area of the Albea Americas Corp. in Washington on Sunday remains under investigation, a fire official said. The blaze broke out around 6:15 a.m Sunday at 191 Route 31 in what the company refers to as its “tech area” on the building’s main floor, said Washington Fire Chief Bob Cammarota. He said the room mostly contained a storage area of paper records.

Once the sprinkler system went off, it helped keep the fire contained to the single area, Cammarota said. “It was a fire that could have been much worse,” he said. “The sprinkler system helped out a lot.”

About 20 employees on the overnight crew were evacuated safely and eventually were allowed back in the building, Cammarota said. He said they could work inside, but were told by fire officials to avoid entering the storage area.

Cammarota said the Warren County Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate.  An Albea Americas spokesman did not immediately return an email request for information. Albea is a global leader in personal care and cosmetic packaging, according to the company’s website.

Apartment Building, Residential

Florence, SC – Early morning apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

An apartment fire in Florence was contained early Saturday morning when the built-in sprinkler system activated and extinguished the flames. According to a release from Florence Fire Department Battalion Chief Ken Carr, the fire occurred around 6 a.m. Saturday morning at 2802 Kinloch Court in Somersett Acres.

The fire also activated the apartment building’s fire alarm system, alerting its residents, who evacuated the building. When FFD firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had already been put out. After removing some water from the apartment, firefighters were able to leave the scene.

There was no fire damage and very little smoke damage to the apartment, as well as no reported injuries. The fire was caused by unattended cooking.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

St. Marys, OH – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer AAP put out with help from sprinkler system

The St. Marys Fire Department was called to AAP in St. Marys at about 11:20 this morning due to a ceiling fire in the plant. The department responded with two engines and a ladder track. The department also called in crews from the St. Marys Township Fire Department for assistance. In total, 16 firefighters responded.

Chief Ayres says the fire was put out in about an hour thanks in part to a sprinkler system at AAP. So far, no cause has been determined. Chief Ayres says the department is investigating if this fire is related to a fire at AAP earlier this month that resulted in heavy black smoke and flames shooting from the roof.

 

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

South Lake Tahoe, CA – Fire at refuse center confined to garbage truck by sprinkler system

Fire agencies responded to a fire at South Tahoe Refuse on Ruth Avenue earlier Tuesday  evening.  According to South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston, the fire started at approximately 6:30 p.m.

The city called in assistance from Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District, Lake Valley Fire Protection District, Fallen Leaf Fire Department and CalFire.

“The fire was controlled by fire suppression sprinkler system and we were able to confine it to the garbage truck itself,” Meston said.

The department suspects the fire was caused an accumulation of materials between the truck’s cab and body.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Sprinklers knock down apartment kitchen fire; No injuries and only minor damage reported

Sprinklers knocked down and contained a kitchen fire that broke out in an apartment located in the 10-unit Riverside Apartments building at 3701 Trilling Ave. A resident in a first-floor apartment fell asleep while cooking. Food caught fire on the stove, activating smoke detectors and a sprinkler system, Rockford Fire Department District Chief Charles Barnes said.

“The sprinklers stopped it fast,” Barnes said. Heavy smoke, fire and the sprinkler apparently forced the resident to climb out his window which overlooks the parking lot of the apartment building.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported, Barnes said. “There was minor damage,” Barnes said. “The water damage from the sprinkler head, the sprinkler took out the fire so we didn’t have any fire extension. The maintenance people here are going to get it all back in service.”

Office Building, Other Business

Madison, WI – Overnight fire at downtown office building extinguished by sprinkler system

The building that houses the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development (WHEDA) is closed Wednesday due to a fire that broke out overnight according to a release from WHEDA. Madison Fire Department said they were called to the Tommy Thompson Commerce Center around 1:06 a.m. for an activated alarm.

Fire officials said when firefighters arrived the fire was out. They say a high-voltage power supply to the building shorted and caused sparks to shower down on some plastic materials underneath. A small fire ignited, and the automatic sprinkler system in the room caught the fire early.

A representative from WHEDA says there is no power in the building, and it’s completely closed at this time. Power is not expected to be restored until Thursday. Employees have been told not to report to work until they are notified.

Fire officials say there’s limited fire damage to the room and a small amount of smoke damage in the area where the fire took place.

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), the Educational Approval Board, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Tourism also have offices located in the Tommy Thompson Commerce Center.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sunset Beach, NC – Fire Chief credits sprinkler system for extinguishing overnight apartment fire

The cause of a fire that broke out early last Saturday at a Calabash apartment complex is still under investigation. Firefighters were called to the 7136 building at The Tides at Calabash on Town Center Road off Old Georgetown Road at 2:35 a.m. Oct. 17.

Damage was confirmed to a third-floor breezeway wall and ceiling, according to apartment management. Calabash Fire Chief Randy Bork lauded the complex’s external sprinkler system for quickly extinguishing the fire and preventing it from spreading.