Category Archives: Other Business

Sprinklers extinguish fire in commercial building (Springfield, IL)

Springfield firefighters were called to a commercial building at 631 E. Adams Street early today after a small fire broke out on the third floor. Firefighters from nearby Station 1 at Ninth Street and Capitol Avenue responded to the alarm in less than three minutes. They arrived about 1 a.m. to find light smoke and water flowing from the sprinklers. The sprinklers had contained the blaze to the closet and extinguished the flames. It appeared that the fire had started in a pile of debris.

Sprinkler system helps to limit damage at historic church (Albany, NY)

The fire was discovered just after 2 a.m. at Willamette Community Church by a pastor who found smoke after he responded to a security alarm.  Albany Fire Marshal Michael Trabue said the damage was limited to the interior of the church. According to Trabue, the building will require some structural repairs, but the damage was not widespread thanks in part to the basement’s fire sprinkler system. There were no injuries. The cause remains under investigation.

Sprinkler system activates to help control parking garage fire below stores, apartments (Berkeley, CA)

Authorities closed the roadway to through-traffic Friday evening on Martin Luther King Jr. Way at University Avenue when a car fire broke out in the parking structure at Trader Joe’s in Berkeley. 
Webb said the single-alarm fire was reported at approximately 5:40 p.m. in the garage of Trader Joe’s.  The grocery store is on the first floor of a five-story building, and apartments are located above it.  Webb said the fire activated the building’s fire sprinkler system as firefighters were arriving.

Sprinklers successful in controlling newspaper press room fire (Youngstown, OH)

An air-handling unit in The Vindicator’s press room caught fire shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The Youngstown Fire Department responded within minutes, but the majority of the fire had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, said Youngstown Fire Chief John O’Neill.
The fire was contained to a small area of the press room. No one was injured, and nearly all company operations returned to normal after an interruption of about an hour.

“The good things are no one was injured, we will print on time and the alarm and sprinkler systems worked as planned. The Youngstown Fire Department was a huge help and we heartily thank them,” said Mark A. Brown, general manager.

Sprinklers limit damage at church fire (Manhattan Beach, CA)

Fire sprinklers put out a fire that began in the storage room of a church the first week of June. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find some charred maintenance supplies in the closet, and investigators believe the fire was started by the large commercial vacuum cleaner that was stored close to some combustible items.

Manhattan Beach Fire Marshal Lou Petroni reported, “This would have been far more damaging if not for the sprinkler system extinguishing the fire. Fire sprinklers in homes and businesses are very effective in extinguishing fires in the early stages of burning.”