Residential, Residential High Rise St. Petersburg, FL – Sprinkler system saves residents of high-rise residential tower after ninth floor kitchen fire July 30, 2015 viking210 (Blog Editor’s Note – Smoke does not cause sprinklers to activate – Only the substantial heat from a significant fire). A small kitchen fire set off the sprinkler system and forced evacuation of the Burlington Towers in downtown St. Petersburg on Monday night, sending dry residents into the evening showers. The fire in a unit on the 9th floor was put out quickly, but the smoke had activated the alarm system and set off the sprinkler system, officials said. At one point there were two inches of water in the hall of the 9th floor, and water had cascaded down to the seventh floor hall. Some of the responding firefighters, who normally would haul hoses, were instead told to bring squeegees. There were no reports of injuries.
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Henrico, VA – Sprinkler system contains warehouse fire helping to limit damage July 29, 2015 viking210 Firefighters were called out to the 5200 block of Klockner Drive just before 2:00 a.m. for a fire alarm. When crews arrived on scene, they initially did not see the blaze — but began to investigate. That’s when they found rubber foam inside the warehouse had caught on fire. Fortunately, no one was inside when this warehouse caught fire. 16 fire units were called out to the scene to help battle the blaze. With the help of the building’s sprinkler system, firefighters were able to mark the fire under control right around 3:20 a.m. Now, the investigation begins to determine what caused the fire. The Fire Marshall’s Office is on scene.
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Salt Lake City, UT – Warehouse fire contained by sprinkler system; Fire jumped to building from semi-trailer in parking lot July 29, 2015 viking210 The fire started about 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot at 879 S. Gladiola St. (3400 West), catching a semitrailer on fire and then jumping to the building, according to Salt Lake Fire Capt. Mark Bednarik. The fire reached one business, a leather and furniture company, while sprinkler systems in the building kept it from reaching other businesses. As many as 70 firefighters were on the scene Sunday afternoon, Bednarik reported, extinguishing the fire in the warehouse by about 5:15 p.m. Had it spread deeper into the warehouse, crews would have faced “a very different fire,” he said. “The potential is very high (for damage),” the captain said. “They use a lot of foams and a lot of synthetic materials, and once that ignites, there are very toxic fumes and very hot fires that are difficult to extinguish.” The fire caused at least $150,000 in damage to the business, Bednarik said, with the total expected to climb as water damage to the furniture business’ inventory is assessed. “One of the business owners made the comment that if the water soaks up into that foam, they could be throwing away $50,000 to $60,000 in product,” Bednarik said. “That’s probably what they’re going to be facing over the next week or so.” With the warehouse fire extinguished, crews turned their focus to the flames that had burned nearly an acre of vegetation and destroyed other items in the yard, including pallets, trash bins and other machinery. Firefighters remained on scene Sunday evening to manage a number of lingering burning and hot spots. “Once you get those plastics burning, they burn hot and they burn deep through that pile,” Bednarik said. “(Firefighters) are using a front loader from the city to break it apart and open it up.” Crews were also forced to deal with explosions coming from propane tanks and other items inside the building as they battled the blaze. The cause of the initial fire is unknown, though Bednarik said the fire does not appear to be suspicious. Crews closed roads for about a half a block around the building as they fought the fire.
College/University (on campus), School / University Iowa City, IA – Lab fire at University of Iowa contained with help from sprinkler system July 29, 2015 viking210 The Iowa City Fire Department responded to a fire on the University of Iowa campus Friday afternoon. According to a news release, crews were called to the Chemistry Building, 251 N. Capitol St., at 3:47 p.m. Friday for a report of an active fire in one of the labs. Responding crews located a fire in one of the labs, which was partially suppressed by the sprinkler system. The fire was extinguished within eight minutes and crews remained on scene to assist with cleanup and ventilating the building. They were assisted by UI and Iowa City police, the Johnson County Ambulance Service and MidAmerican Energy. While employees were in the lab when the fire began, no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire department and UI public safety.
Department Store, Retail Capitol Heights, MD – Sprinkler system helps extinguish potential arson fire at Family Dollar store July 29, 2015 viking210 Prince George’s County authorities are seeking the community’s assistance in identifying a man they believed started a fire in a local Family Dollar store. The fire occurred at 1:23 p.m. Saturday in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Onlookers say they saw a man set combustible materials on fire to cover up a theft. The fire was quickly contained by a store sprinkler and an employee dispensing a fire extinguisher. The total loss is estimated at $2,500. No injuries were reported.
Government/Military, Prison / Jail Florence, AZ – No injuries after sprinklers douse fire inside prison laundry room July 28, 2015 viking210 A fire broke out at a private prison in Florence Saturday afternoon, according to a town official. According to an official with the town of Florence, a fire broke out a Corrections Corporation of America facility in Florence. CCA said the fire started in a dryer in a laundry room. The fire went up a vent where it caught plastic, that was on the roof, on fire. CCA said the cause of the heavy black smoke was the plastic burning. The fire inside the building was extinguished by the internal sprinkler system, according to CCA, while firefighters extinguished the outside. The fire was not in a living area of the prison, but according to the town of Florence official the fire did cause “serious damage” to the facility. There were no injuries.
Apartment Building, Residential Foster City, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading in attic of apartment building July 28, 2015 viking210 Firefighters responded at 10:46 a.m. last Thursday to an apartment building at 720 Bounty Drive in Foster City and found smoke coming from the attic of a three-story building. Neither firefighters nor civilians were injured, but police and firefighters assisted an occupant with medical needs, fire officials said. Firefighters said they believe the fire started accidentally in the wall of a second floor unit where plumbing repairs were underway. Firefighters said the fire was burning above two third-floor apartments and damaged at least six of the building’s ten apartments. The fire spread up the wall to the attic where a sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading until firefighters extinguished it, fire officials said.
Self-Storage Facility, Storage / Warehouse Contra Costa, CA – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing vehicle fire in storage unit July 28, 2015 viking210 A vehicle caught on fire in a storage unit, causing about $35,000 in damages, a Contra Costa County fire official said. Nobody was injured in the blaze in an unincorporated area near the city of Martinez, said Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. Nearly 20 firefighters responded at 10:18 p.m. Thursday to reports of a fire in a storage facility in the 5700 block of Pacheco Boulevard, near Interstate 680 and Highway 4, Marshall said. Crews arrived and found smoke billowing from one of the units, where a fire sprinkler was spraying water, he said. Firefighters used four engines and a truck to prevent the flames from spreading to other units, Marshall said. They got the one-alarm fire under control within 10 minutes. The cause is under investigation but Marshall said it might have started from oily rags left inside the vehicle. “You need to dispose of rags like that because they can spontaneously combust,” he said. “We don’t know if that’s what happened, but all of the right ingredients were there.”
Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business Newnan, GA – Potential arson fire at pilates studio controlled by sprinkler system July 27, 2015 viking210 Authorities with the Newnan Fire Department and the Newnan Police Department are investigating a suspicious fire that severely damaged a Newnan business early Tuesday. The fire started about 4:20 a.m., shortly after someone was seen banging on the door of The Pilates Loft on Field Street, located in the historic cotton mill, witnesses told detectives. According to Sgt. Brent Blankenship with the police department, witnesses said they saw a Caucasian person carrying a red container, possibly a gasoline can, and they thought they saw the person pour the can around the business. The person then fled in a white vehicle, and flames soon appeared inside the building. The fire inside The Pilates Loft did not last very long because the sprinkler system in the building kicked on quickly from the heat. By the time the Newnan Fire Department arrived, the fire was mostly contained and firefighters were able to quickly control the fire, but the business sustained heat and smoke damage. During the investigation, detectives found one of The Pilates Loft’s windows had been shattered, which is possibly where the suspect poured the can into the building, Blankenship said. Because of this, authorities are treating the fire as an arson investigation. According to Blankenship, witnesses said the person may have been a man, but detectives are not certain of that at this time. Evidence gathered by authorities is also being sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab to determine if an accelerant was used to start the fire, Blankenship said. If so, the crime will be considered arson.
College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Pittsburgh, PA – Residence hall fire at Duquesne University extinguished by sprinkler system July 27, 2015 viking210 A small kitchen fire at a dormitory at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University was quickly extinguished and hurt no one. City firefighters were called to Brottier Hall just before 10 p.m. Wednesday, but the fire was put out by the sprinkler system before they arrived. University spokeswoman Bridget Fare says 500 students live in the building, but most are on vacation or not living there during the summer. Still, 30 apartments were affected by water damage from the building’s sprinkler system. Fare says 15 students who live in those units were temporarily staying elsewhere. The university found alternate housing for 11 students, while four opted to stay with friends. Some apartments were expected to be repaired by Thursday, while others might take a week to fix.
