Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Killeen, TX – Dryer vent fire at substance abuse center extinguished by sprinkler system

The Killeen Fire Department responded to a small structure fire on the corner of Avenue B and Gray Street just after 8 a.m. today. The fire started in the laundry room of the Word of Life building in downtown Killeen, according to Battalion Chief Clay Brooks, most likely caused by lent in the dryer vent.

“Lent accumulates, and it’s very combustible,” Brooks said.  Brooks said the facility’s sprinklers put out most of the flames. “The sprinkler head did its job,” he said.  No one in the building was injured, and there is no permanent damage to the structure.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Holdrege, NE – Electrical fire at hospital suppressed by sprinkler system

Phelps Memorial Health Center rang in the New Year with fire alarms Thursday night, when a malfunctioning electrical panel caused a small fire in the lower level of the hospital.  Though the sprinkler system and fire alarms were set off, patient care was not interrupted by the fire, and no one was evacuated, Phelps Memorial Director of Public Relations Keri Berry said.

At 9:31 p.m., the Holdrege Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire call at the hospital because of smoke in a maintenance room at the hospital. Fifteen firefighters responded to the call and were on scene for about 30 minutes, Fire Chief Jim Wagner said.

“No patients were affected by the fire. No one was moved from their rooms,” she said. “Everyone worked really well to make the process smooth.”  The hospital is investigating the fire and did not have a damage estimate available.  No injuries were reported.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Grand Junction, CO – Sprinkler system saves hospital services building from further fire damage

A fire alarm went off at the Omni Hospital Services building on 475 28 1/4 Road in Grand Junction just before 8:30 PM on Christmas night dispatching the Grand Junction Fire Department to the area.

According to the fire department, smoke was in the building setting off the sprinkler system.  (Blog Editor’s Note – Smoke cannot activate a sprinkler system.  Only the substantial heat from a significant fire)

When crews got to the building they extinguished the fire. A laundry bin in the structure is what is being looked at as the cause of the fire. Fire crews stayed to clean up and help the business get back in service.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Norman, OK – Intentionally set fire at mental health clinic controlled by sprinklers

Cleveland County sheriff’s deputies arrested a teenager in connection with a Thursday night fire at the Southern Plains Treatment Services, 310 12th Avenue NE.  The 17-year-old was charged Friday as a youthful offender with a felony count of first-degree arson in Cleveland County District Court.

Firefighters were notified of the blaze in a bathroom and laundry room at 9:13 p.m. When deputies questioned the juvenile suspect about the blaze, she admitted to starting the fire, according to an affidavit filed with the charge.

The girl told deputies she started the fire by piling a large group of towels next to the laundry room wall and setting it on fire. She said she acted alone and started the fire because she was “tired of being there and tired of the employees,” the affidavit said.

Video footage also shows the girl walking out of the laundry room after the fire was set, the document states.  There was fire damage limited to one wall in the room. The fire caused the sprinkler system and fire alarm to activate, the affidavit said.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Sprinkler system prevents major damage at vision center (Washington, MO)

A sprinkler system prevented extensive damage following a Sunday evening fire. Washington Fire Crews responded to a fire alarm at Advanced Sight Center in the office building at 1351 Jefferson just after 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Skornia said the fire could have been a lot worse had the sprinkler system not worked to perfection. Skornia said when crews arrived on the scene they noticed heavy smoke inside the building. Crews made entry and saw fire in the ceiling.

Fortunately for the fire crews, the sprinkler system had knocked down much of the fire. Skornia said the fire was smoldering and Washington crews were able to quickly extinguish the problem. Crews then shut down the sprinkler system to prevent further water damage. Once everything was under control, Franklin County Arson Investigator Jim Schuhmacher investigated the situation. Skornia said Schuhmacher found nothing suspicious about the fire. Skornia said it’s believed the fire started in the wiring of a fan. The fan was in an equipment closest, malfunctioned, and caught fire. There were no injuries reported.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Sprinkler activates in fire at adult group home (East Providence, RI)

A fire forced the evacuation of an adult group home Thursday night.

The fire at 803 Willett Avenue began shortly before 8 p.m. in a second-floor closet, setting off the sprinkler system, the city’s fire marshal, Capt. Kenneth P. Botelho, said. Thirteen occupants – 11 residents and two staffers – had safely evacuated the building by the time firefighters arrived, he said.

The occupants were relocated to another group home in Warren. The building is temporarily uninhabitable due to water damage from the sprinkler, Botelho said, but there was no structural damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Sprinklers control fire at drug treatment facility until firefighters arrive (Yakima, WA)

A man suspected of setting a fire in the bathroom of a drug treatment facility has been arrested, according to Yakima police. The man, who was not identified, was arrested Friday morning in connection with the Oct. 28 fire at Connections Treatment Center. Police say a fire set in the bathroom of an apartment unit on the first floor was contained by an automatic sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive and extinguish it. Damage was described as minimal and the facility’s more than 40 occupants evacuated without injury.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Sprinklers suppress fire at critical care facility for the elderly and disabled (Toms River, NJ)

A sprinkler system suppressed a fire at Dover Woods Health Care Center Monday night, according to officials. No injuries were reported, according to a Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention statement.  Dover Woods, which has 232 rooms, is home to elderly and disabled residents, people recovering from alcohol and drug addictions, homeless people, and patients discharged from state psychiatric facilities.  Fire sprinklers were installed in the building after its use was changed from residential to institutional, following the 2005 fatal fire, according to the Toms River statement.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Arson fire at hospital extinguished by automatic fire sprinkler system (Juneau, AK)

Juneau police say a 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a fire at Bartlett Regional Hospital. Police say a 911 call from the hospital earlier Sunday reported that smoke, ashes and water were coming from a locked bathroom near the main lobby on the second floor. Police say the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire.