All posts by viking210

Pikeville, KY – Fire at residential high-rise for elderly and disabled extinguished by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system quickly extinguished a fire at the Myers Towers apartments on the 700 block of Hambley Boulevard.  The fire started sometime around 1:30 a.m. Friday on the 9th floor of the apartment building.  When the Pikeville Fire Department arrived, they found a small fire in one of the apartments but the sprinkler system had knocked it down.

PFD and Pikeville Police evacuated the apartment building, which houses the elderly and disabled in 200 units, while crews searched for the fire.  There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation

Yuma, AZ – Sprinklers knock down fire at Department of Transportation garage

On Wednesday, just after 8:30 pm, the smell of smoke was reported in the 2100 block of east Gila Ridge Road. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived in the area and began to search for the source. A short time later smoke was found to be coming from a garage in the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) yard at 2165 east Gila Ridge Road.

Firefighters gained access to the locked garage and found an ADOT utility truck on fire inside. The fire had mostly been knocked down by the fire suppression sprinkler system inside the garage. Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire and confirmed it had not spread further. Damage was limited to the vehicle and to sections of the garage directly above the truck. Several other vehicles, as well as additional tools and equipment, were undamaged. Fire investigators believe the fire originated in some equipment on the utility truck. The fire is not considered to have been intentionally set.

Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to personal property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat (155 degrees for a residential sprinkler) activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.

Goodyear, AZ – Fire at Walgreens store put out by single sprinkler

Officials believe a photocopier is to blame for the fire that started at a Walgreens in Goodyear Wednesday morning, according to the Goodyear Fire Department.  Crews were dispatched to a fire at a Walgreens on Indian School and Litchfield roads at about 3:55 a.m. Wednesday, officials say. Firefighters originally reported smoke coming from an office in the back of the store, but a single sprinkler head from the automatic fire sprinkler system managed to put the fire out.

The fire did not extend to any part of the store and was under control by 4:09 a.m., according to officials.  Three employees and three customers were in the store when the fire broke out, but self evacuated after the building’s fire alarm warned them, according to Goodyear firefighters.

No one was hurt. Firefighters believe the fire originated from a photocopier in the office, but investigators are continuing the investigation at this time. Twenty-eight fire personnel responded to the incident, and crews remained on scene for about an hour to help with water and smoke removal, according to officials. It was not immediately clear when the store would reopen.

Cleburne, TX – Sprinklers help extinguish fire caused by welding in paint booth area

A Saturday fire at Greenbrier Rail Services caused minor injury to one worker. Cleburne firefighters responded at about 4 p.m. to the 100 block of Park Street on reports of a structure fire.  Firefighters used about 2,500 gallons of water extinguishing the fire, which was also in part extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

The man on the scissor lift told firefighters the fire spread so fast that he was unable to access the scissor lift’s controls. The man climbed down the side of the scissor lift to escape suffering minor burns in the process. The man was treated on scene and not transported to the hospital.

Another employee standing watch on fire guard told firefighters that the fire spread so quickly that he was unable to extinguish it with an extinguisher.

 

Alexandria, VA – Sprinkler system controls fire at historic Gadsby Tavern Museum

A fire started Monday morning in the attic of Gadsby’s Tavern, according to the City of Alexandria. The City charactered the blaze as a “small fire.” The museum’s sprinkler system discharged and the fire was quickly extinguished by the Alexandria Fire Department and City staff.

The Museum’s 1792 building, including Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant, was affected by the water from the sprinkler system. City staff are following the Museum’s disaster plan to minimize damage to the building and its collection.

The Museum and the Restaurant will open to the public for regular operations on Tuesday, June 30; however, Tuesday evening dance classes at the Museum will be cancelled.

Gadsby’s Tavern is known as a historic treasure. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was the center of social and political life in Alexandria and the new Federal City of Washington. The tavern served as the premier gathering place for residents, including George Washington, and visitors to eat, drink, learn, and influence history. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum is located at 134 N. Royal St. in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.

Stamford, CT – Fire in records room at office building put out by sprinkler system

A fire suppression sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do and quickly put out a small fire in an Atlantic Street office building that broke out after hours. Firefighters were called to 1 Atlantic St. in response to an automatic fire alarm in the building Thursday at about 7 p.m., and found the sprinkler activated and smoke on the fourth floor of the building, according to a statement from Stamford Fire Department.

The fire started in a records room, it was determined, where firefighters found damage from fire, smoke and water, the statement said. They also found that just one sprinkler head of the automatic system had activated, and that it alone was able to control the fire. A total of five engines, one truck, one rescue and the deputy chief responded to the alarm arriving within three minutes. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the City Fire Marshal’s Office.

Murfreesboro, TN – Jail fire quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

A nurse suffered smoke inhalation during a medical office fire Saturday afternoon at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, according to a release from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services paramedics took the nurse to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital for treatment, the release stated.

Sprinklers quickly extinguished the fire confined to the medical director’s office, but smoke filled the first floor of the medical wing and administrative offices, according to the release. Water from the sprinkler flooded the medical hallway, dispatch and the administrative hallways. 

Deputies used fire extinguishers to put out hot spots, official said. Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue firefighters estimated 35 gallons of water per minute dropped from the sprinklers, Sheriff Robert Arnold said in the release. Deputies, the sheriff and inmates mopped water from the hallways. 

The Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue Department and Rutherford County Fire Rescue responded to clear the area of smoke that filled the hallways, officials said. The water and smoke damage did not spread to the inmate housing areas.  

Arnold asked Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue to investigate the cause of the fire with help from sheriff’s arson investigator Detective Randy Groce.  “It’s unfortunate this incident happened,” Arnold said in the release. “Thank God, no one was seriously hurt.”

Arnold thanked Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue, Rutherford Fire Rescue, Sheriff’s Office employees and inmates for their quick response.

Longview, WA – Fire in sauna room at YMCA extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Authorities said the fire started around 8 a.m. at the Longview YMCA when a wooden bucket used to dump water on hot rocks in the club’s second-story dry sauna caught fire. The sauna normally warms up an hour before the club opens, but the bucket was not supposed to be on top of the rocks, Longview Fire said Saturday.

The sprinkler system activated to help control the fire.  The club reopened after the fire was put out, Longview Fire said.  There were no injuries.

Mount Clemens, MI – Fire at shelter for women and children extinguished with help from sprinkler system

*** To help Turning Point Shelter recover quickly from this fire, please consider donating at http://www.gofundme.com/y49hv48 ***
An accidental fire at the new Turning Point shelter in Mount Clemens on Sunday afternoon sent about 40 resident women and children scurrying outside for safety.  Nobody was hurt, as fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze as the sprinkler system had activated.  

Residents will not be allowed back into the 52-bed facility for a couple of days, according to fire officials. “My main concern right now is getting these women and kids out of the heat and finding them some water so they don’t become dehydrated,” said Debbie McPeek, chief programming officer for the shelter. 

Fire crews were called to the three-story, 12,000-square-foot building about 2:30 p.m. after passers-by saw smoke coming from the roof.  Mount Clemens fire Capt. Joseph Stark said responding firefighters tracked the source of the smoke to a dryer fire in the laundry room. 

The interior had “minimal” water and smoke damage, which will take a few days to clean up before residents are allowed back in.  “We’ve notified the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross to try to find these people some temporary housing before they can get back in,” Stark said. 

Mount Clemens firefighters were assisted by crews from Clinton Township, Harrison Township and Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The $3 million shelter opened in 2013 for Turning Point, a Macomb County domestic violence and sexual assault shelter and protective housing facility. The facility typically aids hundreds of local women and children every year.

 McPeek and other shelter workers were busy identifying all of the residents as they sat in a rear parking lot until housing could be found for them. She hoped the damage would be cleaned up in a timely manner.  “It’s a relatively brand new building – go figure,” she said. “We want to get in there and see what happened and how we’re going to address it.”

Turning Point officials said anyone wanting to donate toiletries or other items to assist the women in their short-term stay out of the shelter could call 586-463-4430 or visit turningpointmacomb.org.

Champaign, IL – Sprinklers control fire in campus high-rise apartment building

Nobody was hurt in an apartment fire Sunday night at a campus high-rise.  Champaign Fire Marshal John Koller said firefighters were called to a blaze at the Tower at Third, 302 E. John St. at 9:22 p.m.

By the time firefighters arrived, the sprinkler system was already controlling the fire, which was limited to a single apartment on the third floor. However, smoke had spread throughout the floor. There was moderate smoke in the apartment and light smoke on the rest of the floor.

The residents were evacuated to the lobby on the first floor while firefighters tackled the blaze.  A resident of the apartment told firefighters he had had some problems with a refrigerator in the apartment, but it was too soon to determine a cause on Sunday night. 

Koller said investigators would be looking into the cause late Sunday night and early Monday morning.  Koller said the fire was under control by 9:40 p.m.