All posts by viking210

Knoxville, TN – Sprinkler contains apartment fire to stovetop area

Knoxville Fire Department responded to an apartment on fire at the Lyons Den Apartments off of Valley View Road in North Knoxville. When firefighters arrived, they found that a ceiling sprinkler had gone off and contained the damage to the stovetop area where the fire started.  Firefighters plugged and replaced the sprinkler head.

The fire department tweeted today from its official account that a sprinkler had done its job and saved them a lot of work.

A sprinkler head does its job, contains fire

Savannah, GA – Sprinklers keep parking garage fire from spreading

According to Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police, Whitaker Street was closed at Bay Street for about an hour on Friday night, while Savannah Fire worked a vehicle fire in the Whitaker Street Parking Garage. According to Savannah Fire’s Public Information Officer, Mark Keller, an SUV caught fire on the lower level of the garage, triggering the garage sprinkler system, which prevented the fire from spreading. One nearby vehicle may have received minor damage.

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fire at plastics recycling plant; Fire crews extinguish blaze

Calgary Fire Department crews were called to plastic recycling plant Carpenter Canada Co. in the 5880 block of 36th Street S.E. just before 2 a.m. last Friday. When they arrived, firefighters found smoke pouring from the building.

They managed to extinguish the fire, and credit an in-building sprinkler system for keeping the blaze in check before they arrived. Once the fire was extinguished, crews still had concerns about whether air quality would be impacted, as burning plastic can release toxic gases. However, fire officials say the air gradually cleared up.

Norfolk, VA – Sprinkler system activates after fire at senior high-rise living center

The Red Cross is helping nearly 150 people after a fire at a high rise senior living center in Norfolk. Investigators say the fire started in a sixth floor kitchen at Braywood Manor,  a high rise senior living center in Norfolk, at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Electrical service will remain off in areas of the building where the sprinkler system went off until repairs are made, said Battalion Chief Julian Williamson. 

Firefighters found moderate smoke in the hallway and found one apartment filled with smoke. The fire remains under investigation.  Four residents were evaluated at the scene and two were taken to the hospital with medical conditions unrelated to the fire, added Williamson. In all, the Red Cross says it’s supporting 142 people, 52 of whom needed lodging assistance.

 “Our team provided the displaced residents a safe place to stay, snacks and comfort items,” said Red Cross Communications Officer Jonathan McNamara. “We are currently working with fire officials, apartment management and the families to determine next steps so we can continue to aid the residents in their recovery.

Louisville, KY – Sprinklers help minimize damage in fire at GE facility

No one was injured in a fire at GE Appliances, located in the 4000 block of Buechel Bank Road. The fire started at 8 p.m. Firefighters said the sprinkler system activated. The fire was in the Global Customer Center, it’s also known as Building 35, and was contained in 25 minutes. The Okolona fire chief said no production was impacted and damage was in a small area of the GE Appliance Park building.

The Global Customer Center houses research and technology and also serves as a place for big GE customers to view the latest appliances in a showroom. Four fire departments responded to the fire. They include: Okolona, Buechel, Camp Taylor and Highview.

Southbury, CT – Electrical fire at self-storage facility extinguished by sprinkler system

The operators of Store-Haus, a self-storage facility at 82 Poverty Road, cleaned up damage Thursday from a small fire the night before in the front office. Owner Dave Polmon said a chair in the office ignited after a wire overheated. The heat triggered the office’s sprinkler system, which put out the fire.

Firefighters were dispatched to the building at 8:40 p.m. after dispatchers were alerted by an alarm. Polmon said the business remains open despite the damage. He said plastic bowls five feet from the fire-damaged chair melted in the heat, but a container of chocolate-covered rains about 10 feet away did not melt.

Store-Haus opened in 1988 in the former location of a manufacturing firm called Dav-Matic Inc., which closed due to the decline of manufacturing in Connecticut.

Minneapolis, MN – Overnight fire in high school chemistry lab contained by sprinkler system

Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis is expected to open again Friday after a fire early Thursday morning caused damage to parts of the building. The fire broke out just after 2 a.m. in a chemistry lab. School district officials say no injuries were reported.

With help from the sprinkler system, the fire was contained to one classroom. The closure affects all Patrick Henry events, including community education classes, athletic events and extracurricular activities. All other district schools will remain open. Officials also asked Patrick Henry staff members not to report to work Thursday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Roanoke, VA – Sprinklers activate to help contain chemical drum fire

(Blog Note – Smoke does not cause sprinklers to activate – Only the heat from a substantial fire)  A smoking chemical drum caused a precautionary evacuation at AkzoNobel in Roanoke on Wednesday. The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of Roanoke Avenue. Fire officials say when crews arrived smoke was coming from one of the buildings. Investigators say it was coming from a chemical drum.

The sprinkler system went off. Firefighters were able to remove the drum from the building. They were decontaminated by a Hazardous Materials Team. Investigators say the odor coming from the drum isn’t harmful unless you are in close proximity. According to officials, a contractor will be coming to help mitigate the situation. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management was also on the scene and are working with AkzoNobel.

The City of Roanoke sent out a reverse 911 call to 77 nearby homes and businesses to let them know what was going on. Officials hope more people will sign up for the citizen notification service.

Here’s a statement from AkzoNobel:

A drum of materials began smoking at approximately 12:30 pm today inside an auxiliary building at the AkzoNobel plant in Roanoke, Virginia. The smoke activated the fire alarm and sprinkler systems, and triggered a precautionary evacuation of all production workers. The incident was contained to a small building on the site, and there were no injuries or environmental releases.

The incident appears to have been caused when a single drum of material used to make coatings for kitchen cabinetry exceeded the optimum temperature. Three employees were working in this particular building at the time of the incident. The Roanoke Fire Department arrived on the scene a short time later and removed the drum of material from the building.

Production has been suspended, and is expected to resume tomorrow morning. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.

Rockingham, NC – Cotton mill fire held in check by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system at Wade Manufacturing kept a fire from spreading at the facility Wednesday afternoon. Rockingham Fire Chief Harold Isler said the department responded to the fire after receiving a commercial alarm call around 3:48 p.m. When crews arrived at the cotton fabric mill, smoke was showing from a door on the right side of the building on River Road, he said.

Once inside, firefighters discovered two bales of debris — swept up from the floor of the facility — on fire with open flames and heavy smoke. Isler said the bales “looked just like cotton.” “What kept it in check was the sprinkler system,” Isler said, which kept the fire dampened until fire crews could arrive.

 Using 300 feet of 1 ¾-inch hose, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames. All damage was confined to the bales and there was no structural damage, nor were there any injuries to factory workers or firemen, according to the chief.

 The cause of the fire is still under investigation. “One of the biggest issues we had was getting the smoke out,” Isler said. In addition to the building’s exhaust fans, firefighters set up fans inside the building to help ventilate the facility. Cordova Fire and Rescue was called for mutual aid to make sure there were enough people on the scene, Isler said. Although some commercial calls turn out to be false alarms, Isler said, “You can’t take any of them lightly.”

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system douses overnight fire at downtown bar

An automatic sprinkler helped prevent an overnight fire from spreading at a downtown bar, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials said. Fire dispatchers were notified at 3:16 a.m. today that the water-flow alarm for the fire sprinkler system activated at Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 Fremont St., fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Firefighters forced their way into the three-story building and found clothing and other items too close to a water heater had caught fire, he said. The sprinkler had already doused the fire, he said. Damage was estimated at $5,000, but the blaze could have done substantial damage without the sprinkler system, Szymanski said.