All posts by viking210

Richmond, VA – Cooking fire quickly doused by sprinklers at Shockoe Bottom apartment building

The Atrium Lofts at Cold Storage, located at 500 North 18th Street, was evacuated around 2 a.m. after a small fire started in an apartment on the 5th floor, according to Richmond firefighters. As soon as the fire started,  the sprinkler system kicked-in and put the fire out.

Everyone was allowed back into their apartments by 5:30 a.m. No one was hurt in the fire and no serious damage was reported.

Vallejo, CA – Sprinklers help limit damage in early morning restaurant fire

Vallejo’s Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill will be closed for a week or more after suffering damage from a fire early Sunday that was still under investigation Monday, Vallejo Fire Department officials said.

Firefighters responded to a reported structure fire at the Plaza Drive restaurant at about 5:22 a.m. Sunday and arrived to find the sprinkler system activated, Fire Prevention Manager Vince Sproete said.

“The sprinklers kept the fire contained until crews arrived” and extinguished the small blaze that remained, he said. Fire damage was minimal and water damage, moderate, he said.

All the surrounding establishments — Kaiperm Federal Credit Union, GameStop and Cold Stone Creamery — remain open for business, Sproete said.

The fire’s cause is officially undetermined at this time, and Fire Department officials are working with the Vallejo Police Department on the ongoing investigation, he said.

Riverside, CA – Sprinklers hold flames in check at UC Riverside dormitory

A trash compactor blaze triggered fire sprinklers that held the flames in check at a UC Riverside dormitory.

The sprinkler alarm went off at 3:39 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Lothian Residence Hall, 500 West Big Springs Road.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was billowing from the basement and first floor, and occupants were evacuating, Battalion Chief Thomas Jay said in a written statement.

Crews found the fire in a basement trash compactor.

Fire sprinklers held the blaze in check, and the crews of two fire engines and two ladder trucks soon put out the flames.

Spokane, WA – Fire at paper manufacturer put out with help from sprinkler system

What could have turned into a raging inferno was instead a smoldering mess thanks to the sprinkler system installed at Inland Empire Paper.

Fire crews responded to the paper mill on Argonne just after 2:30 p.m. on April 15 for a fire in the recycling building. Employees were unloading giant bundles of recycled materials that were held together with metal bands, said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.

The metal of one of the bands scraped across the floor, got hot and ignited the bundled paper, Rose said. Crews were able to put out the fire quickly with help from the sprinkler system. The quick response was due in part to the department’s pre-incident planning, Rose said. “We already knew what was in there,” she said.

Crews from Spokane County Fire District 8 assisted at the fire and crews from Spokane County Fire District 9 staffed several Valley Fire stations while crews were at the paper mill.  Inland Empire Paper is owned by Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

Chattanooga, TN – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at non-profit center for disabled individuals

Clean up continues at the Orange Grove Center after a small fire Wednesday afternoon left the facility with smoke and water damage.  The fire happened around 2 p.m. when employees were working to install a new conveyor belt in the Materials Recovery Facility.  Fire officials believe sparks from the torch used to install it started the fire. 

The fire damage was only around the conveyor belt, but fire officials say it will take some time for Orange Grove to clean up after the smoke damage, and water from the sprinkler system. There were no injuries.

The fire happened around 2 p.m. when employees were working to install a new conveyor belt in the Materials Recovery Facility. Fire officials believe sparks from the torch used to install it started the fire.  The Orange Grove Center is a private non-profit organization, serving adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Nearly 225 people were evacuated from the Orange Grove Center, after a conveyor belt caught fire.

“You could see the belt was on fire itself and the material on it was on fire,” said Bruce Garner, Public Information Officer for the Chattanooga Fire Department. “This involved a lot of combustibles with petroleum based products; computers, plastics, things like that. They burn hot and put out a lot of smoke. It’s like burning a tire.”

 

Wapakoneta, OH – Sprinklers assist firefighters in dousing overnight fire at Koneta rubber plant

Operations shut down temporarily at the Koneta rubber plant Tuesday night after a fire forced an evacuation and caused damages.

Wapakoneta Fire Chief Kendall Krites.Second shift workers noticed flames on the ceiling, which is estimated 35 to 40 feet high, above where the presses run in the process of making mud flaps and other rubber products, Krites said. Ignited material dropped onto the floor and caught some of the product on fire, Krites said.  About eight workers had to evacuate the building.

Fire crews arrived and the building’s sprinkler system started to work to put out flames. Krites said dousing the flames created extremely smoky conditions, which created difficult conditions for the firefighters. Krites expected damage assessment and cleanup will take the rest of the week. Mutual aid was provided from Buckland and Uniopolis.  There were no injuries

Fort Myers, FL – Storage room fire at Crestwood Suites hotel contained by sprinkler system

A small fire in a storage room at the Crestwood Suites hotel forced dozens of people to evacuate overnight. That’s located off U.S. 41 just north of Gladiolous Drive.

Salina, KS – Loft apartment fire brought under control with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters had a fire that started in a loft apartment above Laura’s Antiques in the 100 block of South Santa Fe Avenue in downtown Salina under control within about 40 minutes Tuesday night, said Salina Fire Marshal Roger Williams.

Williams said the fire was initially seen in a patio area of the loft apartment above Laura’s Antiques, 109 S. Santa Fe. He said it might have spread into the loft apartment above That 1 Bar, 111 S. Santa Fe, which is protected by an automatic sprinkler system. “It (the sprinkler system) did activate, and that definitely helped our operation,” Williams said.

Williams said there were no people in either loft apartment, and a small number of people in the bar were safely evacuated. There was smoke visible at the scene, but no flames.

The loft above Laura’s Antiques was being renovated. During that work in early March, some plaster was removed from what had been the exterior wall of 111 S. Santa Fe to reveal a sign painted on the wall from Salina’s earliest days.

The black-and-white sign was for “G. Sauer, Boots and Shoes,” a company that opened in 1870 and had closed by 1885. About 20,000 pounds of plaster was removed from the walls during renovation.

Belden, CA – Sprinklers help keep fire from spreading at guest lodge

A fire of unknown origin burned a cabin and mobile home adjacent to Belden Town’s guest lodge Sunday, April 19, crackling to life in the wee hours of the morning.   Quincy Fire Chief Robbie Cassou said a sprinkler system helped to keep the fire contained. He said the owner was also spraying water on the building when fire crews arrived.

Apartments connected to the main lodge also suffered damage.  According to resort manager Richard Folen, guests were evacuated as soon as the fire was discovered.   Folen said there were three rooms with guests in them. He said there were also guests in cabins on the far side of the lodge from the fire, but they were allowed to stay in their rooms.

The fire affected Cabin 8 and the west side of the lodge. It included the master suite, which owner Ivan Coffman calls home.  Firefighters from communities all over the county responded to the fire along with the U.S. Forest Service and a Cal Fire crew from Butte County.