Category Archives: Other Business

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sterling, VA – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire that started in paint booth

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that the Jan. 26 fire at a Sterling commercial facility was accidental.

Just before 7:30 p.m., the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received a call reporting a structure fire in a commercial building in the 45000 block of Elmwood Court in Sterling.

The initial caller reported a fire in an interior paint booth which was followed by a call from the fire alarm company reporting a water flow alarm inside the structure. Fire and rescue crews from Kincora, Sterling, Cascades, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Moorefield, and Fairfax County responded to the incident, Fire and Rescue Public Information Officer Laura Rinehart said.

Upon arrival, firefighters found active fire and smoke conditions coming from the two-story commercial occupancy. Fire crews deployed hoselines to initiate an attack on the fire. The building’s sprinkler system had activated, limiting the fire spread to other portions of the building. One occupant, the initial caller, was located safely outside of the structure upon arrival of fire and rescue units, Rinehart said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire with assistance from the sprinkler system, containing the fire to the area or origin, preventing extension into adjoining areas of the structure.

The Fire Marshal’s investigation determined the fire to be accidental in nature with $25,000 damage to the structure and $75,000 to the contents. There were no injuries to civilians, though one firefighter on the scene was transported to a local area hospital for evaluation after a medical emergency, Rinehart said.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

DeKalb, IL – Sprinkler system activates to help contain recycling center fire

Recycling materials inside Waste Management’s DeKalb facility caught fire recently and caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to the building, according to a DeKalb Fire Department news release. The department responded at 10:17 a.m. Saturday to a reported fire in the facility at 115 Simonds Ave.  DeKalb Fire Chief Eric Hicks said the fire started in the recycling sorting area inside the building. The cause of the fire is not yet known.  The fire was deeply seated in the recycling materials, which take up one-third of the building, according to the release.

“It’s a recycling center, so anything you can think of that’s recyclable is in there, paper, cardboard,” Hicks said. The building’s sprinklers were activated when firefighters arrived, but piles of the recycling materials had to be taken apart and wet down with a hose line for the fire to be extinguished, according to the release.  A special fan from Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 8 was used to remove the dense smoke from the building.  Hicks said the department does not have to use the ventilation fans often, but they are available to departments around the state for warehouse-type fires in larger buildings.  The fire was under control within five hours, and no one was injured. Sycamore, Cortland, Malta, Hinckley, Maple Park, Waterman and Genoa-Kingston fire departments assisted.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Auburn, WA – Hallway fire at casino doused by sprinkler system

Between Jan. 9 and 15, the Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to 291 requests for service, among them the following:  Hallway fire: 5:05 p.m., (south Auburn). Having responded to a report of smoke curling out of a room at the Muckleshoot Casino, crews found in a hallway a small fire that had already been drowned by the automatic sprinkler system. Subsequent investigation determined that the fire had been an accident.

 

Other Business, Place of Worship

Bartlett, IL – Sprinkler system holds fire in check, protecting suburban landmark BAPS Cultural Center

A fire that started in a large commercial dryer at the BAPS Cultural Center in Bartlett last week was held in place by a sprinkler until fire crews arrived, preventing the possible loss of a suburban landmark, authorities say.

Occupants of the building at 1851 S. Route 59 were quickly notified to evacuate by the fire alarm system at 9:39 p.m. Jan. 3, Damage was limited to the dryer and smoke damage to the immediate area around it.”

The building where the fire occurred is very large and unique,” Bartlett Fire Protection District Fire Chief Michael Falese said. “Without a fire sprinkler system, this could have been a very significant fire with millions of dollars of damage and a loss of a landmark facility.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Redmond, OR – Downed power line causes fire at wood products business; Sprinklers contain blaze

A downed power line fell onto a roof at Redmond’s Bright Wood Corp., sparking a fire in an electrical box Sunday morning, officials said. A sprinkler system contained the blaze until power was shut off, but damage and expected repair costs still totaled an estimated $400,000. Redmond fire crews were called out around 10:20 a.m. to the Bright Wood mill at 630 Southeast First Street, said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.  Firefighters arrived to find the downed power lines and a fire in an electrical box in a mill building, Cooper said.  The sprinkler system activated and contained the fire until Pacific Power could shut off electricity to the area, she added.  Fire crews then ventilated the building to remove smoke and ensure the blaze was extinguished.  The fire marshal said the cause of the downed power line was not known, though freezing rain had been reported in the area.

Office Building, Retail

Las Vegas, NV – Restroom fire at mixed-use retail and office center extinguished by sprinkler system

An automatic fire sprinkler put out a small fire in a restroom this afternoon at Tivoli Village, according to a Las Vegas Fire & Rescue news release. Firefighters were called to the complex at 302 S. Rampart Boulevard near Alta Drive just before 5:15 p.m. When they arrived, smoke was coming out an outside restroom. Firefighters found where the fire occurred and confirmed it was already extinguished by the fire sprinkler.  Firefighters assisted with shutting the water off and cleaning up the area.  The only item that burned was the motorized paper towel dispenser. Damage was estimated at $250. The restroom is outside near an outside playground area.  The incident remains under investigation by Las Vegas Arson Investigators. There were no reported injuries during the incident.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Medford, OR – Fire at commercial laundry business contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters battled both fire and ice Thursday night in northwest Medford when they responded at 8:50 to a blaze at Alsco Inc., 980 Ellen Ave. The building, a commercial laundry facility, sustained “moderate smoke damage,” with no visible damage to the structure, according to an agency Facebook post. An investigation showed the fire ignited in a large dryer that had been filled with mop heads and other textiles. The materials were left in the dryer by accident, fire officials said, likely leading them to smolder, ignite, then spread to some nearby linen bags. Alarms in the building began to sound and the facility’s sprinkler system kicked on.  Fire crews initially responded to the scene with four engines, but quickly upgraded the response to a second alarm because of the amount of smoke and the fire’s location deep in the building.

“Second alarm is actually used for resource improvement,” said Medford Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Erin Sawall. “It could be for any myriad of needs.” Six engines from Medford Fire-Rescue and Jackson County Fire District No. 3 responded, tangling with ice outside while they fought the fire inside. Thursday night’s low temperature in Medford dipped to 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, turning the roads outside into a skating rink for firefighters while they prepared hoses.  “It was a very icy scene,” Sawall said. “Crews operated in a pretty dangerous atmosphere.”  Crews deployed salt to help. One firefighter did slip, Sawall said, but he wasn’t seriously injured. No other injuries were reported. Firefighters had the flames extinguished within a half hour, but spent almost three more hours on scene venting the buildup of smoke.  Fire officials said the building’s sprinkler system was a big help in snuffing the flames.  “It had some serious potential,” Sawall said. “Under these conditions, that’s the best we can hope for.”

Office Building, Other Business

Norfolk, VA – Fire at downtown high rise office building doused by sprinkler system

A floor buffer caused a cleaning solvent to catch fire Wednesday in the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Norfolk. Crews were called to the building, located at E. Charlotte Street and Monticello Avenue, for a fire alarm at 7:14 p.m. The call was later upgraded to a fire.  Fire officials say the fire was sparked as crews cleaned the building, when a buffer ignited a cleaning solvent. That activated the building’s sprinkler system. By the time firefighters got to the scene, there was no active fire.  The sprinkler system caused some water to collect in the building’s basement and in the elevator shaft.  Cleanup efforts are now underway.  The operator of the floor buffer was taken to a local hospital with some burns to his hands.  He’s expected to be OK.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Mansfield, OH – Sprinkler system keeps cardboard fire at business development center from spreading

Braintree Business Development Center, 201 E. Fifth St., Mansfield – Firefighters were contacted about an alarm going off early Saturday. They arrived to find heavy white smoke that limited visibility. Cardboard had caught fire in a single room. A sprinkler activated to keep the fire from spreading. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other Business

Bend, OR – Fire at kettle corn business knocked down with help from sprinkler system

Sprinklers and workers wielding fire extinguishers helped limit the damage when spontaneous combustion of soybean oil sparked a fire at a southwest Bend kettle corn business, fire officials said.  Firefighters responded around 3:45 p.m. to the reported structure fire at Suzy Q’s Kettle Corn, located in a small commercial mall on Southwest Division Street, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe.

The first crews to arrive found three sprinkler heads had activated and two people deploying fire extinguishers, Howe said.  Firefighters made a quick knockdown of the fire and performed extensive overhaul and salvage, he said, noting that the fire sprinkler system helped contain the blaze until firefighters arrived on scene.  Losses were estimated at $20,000 to the building and $10,000 worth of contents, both of which were insured, the fire official said.  The fire’s cause was determined to be spontaneous combustion of natural soybean oils in fabric, Howe said.  The fire official reminded the community that many types of natural oils can combust without a source of ignition, if not handled correctly. “Please follow the directions for disposal on all containers of natural oils,” Howe said.