Category Archives: Other Business

Other Business

Mesa, AZ – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in commercial building fire

Fire damaged a portion of a commercial complex in Mesa on Wednesday morning, Mesa fire officials said. The fire occurred in the 1700 block of West Baseline Road, just east of Dobson Road, said Deputy Chief Forrest Smith of the Mesa Fire and Medical Department.  Two suites in the complex were damaged in the fire, which forced the evacuation of several other businesses, Smith said.  Firefighters had the blaze under control in 22 minutes, Smith said, adding that a sprinkler system helped stop the fire from spreading to other suites.  “These are important and why fire departments advocate for buildings to be sprinklered,” he said. “They certainly can save lives and property.”  Crews from the Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe fire departments also responded.

Other Business

Houston, TX – Sprinkler system suppresses high-rise fire on 25th floor; No injuries

An electrical short in a water cooler sparked a one-alarm fire Sunday morning in a Houston high-rise. Responding fire crews swarmed a tower in the 2000 block of West Loop South just after 9 a.m., according to Houston Fire Department spokesman Ruy Lozano.  But by the time firefighters got up to the 25th floor, the sprinklers had mostly extinguished the blaze and created “cold smoke” clinging to the floor.

“Smoke typically has a high temperature and rises, but because it was cooled by the sprinkler head it hugs the floor,” Lozano explained.  “It is a typical phenomenon to see in high-rise firefighting when sprinklers extinguish fires.”

Firefighters would typically clear out smoke through roof hatches. But given the stormy weather and low smoke, that approach didn’t work Sunday morning so crews were still on scene by noon, trying to find other ways to evacuate the smoke. The building was mostly empty at the time of the fire, although custodial staff and security were evacuated. No one was injured.   Arson investigators are still making an official determination on the cause of the fire, but Lozano said there is no reason to believe it was set intentionally.

Other Business, Other-Government/Military

Wilmington, DE – Fire at Amtrak maintenance building contained to area of origin by sprinkler system

A fire broke out at an Amtrak maintenance building in Wilmington Monday morning but was quickly extinguished, according to officials.  It has been ruled accidental.  Wilmington firefighters were called to 4001 Vandever Ave. just before 7 a.m. for a report of smoke coming from building No. 17, known as the “Powerhouse,” according to a statement on the fire. The building is located within Amtrak’s maintenance facility for the Northeast Corridor.

The fire was placed under control by 7:22 a.m. Prior to the fire department’s arrival, several Amtrak employees attempted to extinguish the fire with portable extinguishers, according to officials. The 120-by-55-feet warehouse-style building sustained both fire and smoke damage, but the building was equipped with an automatic sprinkler system which had activated, confining the fire to the area of origin. Approximately 60 fire and EMS personnel responded.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Sterling, VA – Sprinkler system contains fire at Gold’s Gym following explosion; No injuries reported

Employees of Gold’s Gym in Sterling knew something was wrong when the lights inside the building started flickering on the afternoon of March 21. They evacuated everyone in the building just before there was an explosion and ensuing fire.

The fire was contained by the automatic sprinkler system and no one was injured thanks to gym employees’ quick actions. Still, the explosion and fire left an estimated $500,000 in damages, the Loudoun Fire Marshal’s Office said. The adjacent Marshalls received minor water damage.

The Gold’s facility had been placed on “fire watch” earlier in the day because the gym’s power — including power to the fire alarm system — was down. Knowing the building was having electrical problems is what led staff to recognize the dimming lights as a sign of danger, Gold’s Gym General Manager Daniel Ferrara said in a statement.

An electrical failure of a high voltage line ignited a methane gas leak in the area, which caused the explosion at the gym, said Laura Rinehart of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

Fire and Rescue received the call for the fire at 46262 Cranston Street around 4:30 p.m., and responded with crews from Sterling Park, Cascades, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Leesburg and Kincora, along with multiple command officers after the amount of smoke inside the building prompted first responders to request additional resources.

While inside the gym, firefighters found a small fire at the back and structural damage to the walls, so they exited the building in case it collapsed, Rinehart said. Fire Marshal’s Office and fire and rescue officials verified that the wall was not load-bearing, so firefighters re-entered the building, ensured there were no hotspots in walls and cleared out the smoke, she said.

The Fire Marshal has determined that the fire was accidental.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Ventura, CA – Sprinkler system holds flames in check after vehicle crashes into building and starts fire

Rescuers responded to a building that caught fire in Ventura early Friday after a vehicle crashed into it.

Firefighters received a report at 1:11 a.m. that a truck had slammed into and gone inside a two-story building in the 5700 block of Moon Drive, just north of Highway 101 and about a block west of South Victoria Avenue. The vehicle and the building both apparently caught fire.

Crews at the scene discovered one victim and requested an ambulance.

One man was taken to a local trauma center at 1:35 a.m. for injuries, just as the vehicle fire was reported knocked down. The structure fire was being held in check by a sprinkler system, firefighters said.

Officials said the fire was controlled within 23 minutes of firefighters arrival and put out an hour later.

Two other victims apparently left the scene, authorities reported to dispatchers.

In addition to Ventura City Fire, firefighters from Ventura County, Oxnard and Santa Paula fire departments as well as Ventura police also responded.

Other Business

Barrie, ON, Canada – Fire at UPS facility extinguished by single sprinkler

A single sprinkler did the trick, putting out a fire that started in a delivery truck inside the UPS building on Welham Road in Barrie, around four this morning. The fire department was called after employees failed to extinguish the flames.  By the time fire crews got there, the sprinkler had done its job, preventing what could have been a much larger blaze.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Woburn, MA – Fire in multi-tenant commercial building controlled with help from sprinkler system

The cause of a 2-alarm fire on Sunday that resulted in extensive damage to a building on Green Street in the South End remains under investigation, Woburn Fire Chief Timothy Ring said this morning. The fire broke out in an office in a multi-tenant commercial building at 3 Green St., shortly after noon yesterday, while Blessed of the Lord Church was in session. Congregants apparently notified the Woburn Fire Dept. of the fire.  There were no injuries reported. Everyone managed to exit the church without incident, according to Ring.

The two other businesses in the building are RSK Marble & Granite and Woburn Bottle & Can recycling facility. Areas of the building sustained significant damage, Ring said.

“The fire got up into the roof, so we had to peel back the roof to get at it,” said Ring. “The fire also set off the sprinkler system, so there was a lot of water damage, as well as smoke and fire damage.”

Departments from Winchester, Stoneham, Medford and Arlington provided mutual aid at the scene. The fire was brought under control within about two hours, and crews cleared the scene by 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The State Fire Marshal’s office and the Woburn Fire Cause Determination Unit are conducting the investigation. Traffic along Green Street was disrupted while crews fought the fire.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Atlanta, GA – Fire in suite area of Georgia Dome during Monster Truck rally extinguished by sprinkler system

A small grease fire in a kitchen at the Georgia Dome forced a brief evacuation during Saturday’s Monster Truck rally, according to the Atlanta Fire Department. The fire occurred in the kitchen on one of the suite levels. The evacuation happened because of the smoke.   By the time firefighters arrived, the fire was out.  The sprinkler system put out the blaze.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Fairfax, VA – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in controlling recycling center fire

Firefighters from Fire Station 30 in Fairfax County responded to the report of a fire early Sunday morning, at the Merrifield Recycling Center, according to the Fairfax County Fire & Police Department. 

Units arrived to find water and smoke coming out of the indoor recycling facility, prompting a request for a second alarm. Additional units from Fairfax and the Arlington County Fire Department arrived soon after. 

No injuries were reported from the scene. Fire damage was limited to recyclable materials. The fire sprinkler system and use of firefighting foam limited the damage to $1,000.

Investigators determined the fire started from an exothermic reaction in one of the recyclable material piles, which caused the materials to catch on fire.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Elmont, NY – Barn fire at Belmont Park race track extinguished by sprinkler system; No horses or people injured

As reported on ESPN.com,  there were no injuries to horses or humans reported as a result of a small fire in a tack room in Barn 61 at Belmont Park on Thursday night. Michelle Nevin has most of the horses stabled in that barn. According to Glen Kozak, the New York Racing Association’s vice president of facilities/racing surfaces, some equipment was placed too close to an electric heater in a tack room, sparking the fire. The sprinkler system in the barn went off and doused the fire before the Elmont Fire Department arrived.  “No horses were moved, no horses were hurt,” Kozak said. “We were lucky, it was a very minor event with minimal damage.” Kozak estimated the damage to be $2,500 and mostly to a wall in the tack room.