Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Greenwood Village, CO – Sprinkler system helps control arson fire at apartment building

A man was arrested and taken to the hospital Saturday afternoon after police said he was linked to multiple fires in their jurisdiction. Joe Bradley, Patrol Commander for Greenwood Village Police, said officers and firefighters responded to a fire in an apartment at Timber Creek. When firefighters and police arrived on scene, they located an active fire. South Metro Fire spokesman Eric Hurst told CBS4’s Dillon Thomas the sprinkler system in the unit had engaged the fire.

As firefighters cleared the building, police were warned of an unaccounted for person in the apartment. Shortly after, a different 911 call reported a separate fire along Yosemite. When police arrived to investigate the fire at Stoney Brook Apartments, they located an adult male allegedly attempting to set a bush on fire. Police said they attempted to contact the adult male who fled on foot. Police would later tackle the suspect and arrest him. Police then identified the suspect as the same person who was listed as missing in the apartment fire. Police said there was no threat to the community following the arrest.

Apartment Building, Residential

Seattle, WA – Fire in common kitchen area at apartment building is contained by sprinkler system

10:30 AM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to 5949 California SW. This is an apartment building that’s had multiple fire alarms in recent days, including one earlier this morning. More to come.

10:35 AM: SFD says it’s reported as a kitchen fire, and that the building’s sprinkler system “contained” it.

10:44 AM: Our crew on scene confirms that no smoke is visible, no reports of any injuries; fire alarms inside the building can still be heard from outside. We’ll be asking about the previous alarms; the most recent one was at 7 am today, and there were three yesterday afternoon. Right now, please avoid California SW in the area – it’s blocked by the emergency responders.

10:52 AM: SFD confirms it’s a kitchen fire and it’s out. They’re not commenting on the other recent calls there. They expect California SW to reopen within about 45 minutes.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke, VA – Downtown apartment fire kept from spreading with help from sprinkler system

An apartment fire has been contained, according to the Roanoke Fire Department Thursday.  The call came in around 3:45 p.m. to the West Station Apartments in Downtown Roanoke.  Units were on scene for about an hour and crews say that the smoke damage mostly remained in one apartment where it started. Water damage from the sprinkler system affected the apartment adjacent, the rooms below, as well as the community room.  Crews are still determining what the cause of the fire was, but believe it to be accidental.

Apartment Building, Residential

Enterprise, AL – Kitchen fire at apartment complex suppressed by sprinkler system

The Enterprise Fire Department went out on fire calls last Monday night and Tuesday morning, with none of the calls resulting in injuries.  A fire Tuesday morning in Enterprise forced the temporary relocation of several occupants of an apartment complex.  According to Enterprise Fire Chief Byron Herring, a stove fire started in an upstairs apartment at a complex in the 300 block of Heron Cove Drive. The unit’s sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.  Water ran down into a lower-level apartment, causing an adult and four children in that apartment to be temporarily relocated while the electrical system was checked for safety, Herring said.

Apartment Building, Residential, School / University

Evanston, IL – Sprinkler system controls off-campus residential fire near Northwestern University

Evanston Fire Department extinguished a fire that broke out in a residence on the 700 block of Emerson Street on Monday. EFD responded to reports of a fire at the house around 9:08 p.m. Firefighters arrived on the scene and found an activated sprinkler head, which had controlled the flames until EFD arrived on the scene to finish putting it out, according to a Tuesday news release.

Firefighters heard audible alarms and saw five residents evacuating the two-and-a-half story residence when they arrived on the premises, according to the release. Nine Northwestern students live in the building. City ordinance mandates that a single-family building converted to a multi-family residence have an audible alarm and sprinkler protection system.

“The fire alarm and sprinkler system worked exactly as designed, saving both lives and property,” Fire Chief Brian Scott said in the release.

Apartment Building, Residential

Everett, WA – Sprinkler system knocks down early morning apartment fire

Sprinklers and alarms did their job this morning after a fire broke out inside a unit at the NorthStar Apartments in the 3300 block of Lombard in Everett, Washington.  Shortly before 6 AM fire alarms were sounding and as the first Everett Fire engine arrived people were evacuating and reporting smoke and sprinkler activation on the first floor.  One person was removed from a ground floor unit by firefighters. He was taken by aid car to Providence Regional Medical Center to be checked as a precaution.  The sprinklers knocked down the fire and crews finished putting it out.  The fire was contained to the one unit.  An Everett Fire inspector is on scene now looking into the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Fire Department reports

Units from the McKinney Fire Department (MFD) and its’ investigators were called to an apartment building at 6150 Alma Rd. on Tuesday for a water flow alarm. A kitchen fire had broken out in a second floor unit. Fortunately, the fire had already been extinguished by the apartment’s Fire Sprinkler System. The cause of the fire was determined to be a stove burner that the occupant had left on, which caused a plastic bowl to ignite.  “Never leave cooking food unattended and double check that stoves and ovens have been turned off,” said McKinney Fire Marshal Michael Smith. “This case shows how sprinklers save lives and property – avoiding millions in damage and repair costs.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Normal, IL – Fire at student apartment building kept from spreading by automatic sprinkler system

The Normal Fire Department reports an automatic sprinkler kept a fire from spreading in a student apartment on Willow Street Wednesday afternoon.  The department received the call after 1 p.m. for the fire in a third floor bedroom at The Lodge on Willow. Firefighters discovered that the sprinkler in the bedroom was putting water on the fire. Firefighters ventilated the room and made sure the fire was out. “This is a perfect example of a fire sprinkler system getting water on an early stage fire fast and knocking the fire down before it got out of control,” Normal Fire Chief Mick Humer said in a release. Moderate smoke and heat damage was reported to the bedroom with water damage to the room’s contents. Damage was confined to the bedroom.  The occupant was not home. No injuries were reported.  No damage estimate is yet available as investigators try to determine the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dover, NH – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire at a Grove Street apartment Sunday was much different from one that occurred there nearly 16 years ago because of the sprinkler system that was installed, said the city’s fire chief.  At around 5:25 p.m. Sunday, the department was dispatched to the apartment building on 71 Grove St. And by the time the firefighters got the hose up to the second floor for the cooking fire, it was extinguished by the sprinkler system. The sprinkler system was added when the building was rehabilitated after the fire because of changes in the city’s fire code, Hagman said.

The fire on April 1, 2002, started in a second-floor apartment, like the one on Sunday. However, unlike Sunday’s fire, the 2002 one required rescuing two people from the apartment, said Chief Eric Hagman. Current Assistant Fire Chief Paul Haas was a firefighter then and a part of that rescue, he said.  The fire began in the kitchen where residents were getting ready to fry food when the oil got too hot and ignited, Hagman said. The fire spread to the kitchen cabinets but when the heat sensing sprinkler system activated, the fire was soon extinguished, Hagman said.

He said the residents, while they could have stayed at the apartment last night, went elsewhere for the night. The apartment below experienced some water damage. However, Hagman said that is much different than having to relocate all the residents in the building because of a fire, which occurred in the 2002 fire.

“That’s the benefit of having a code required sprinkler system,” he said. “There was no need for rescues and people got to stay in their apartments. It was a real good outcome.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Chesapeake, VA – Apartment fire caused by malfunctioning heater extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

An apartment building in Chesapeake caught fire Sunday night. Firefighters were called to the 2800 block of Parkside Drive around 8:35 p.m., and arrived 6 minutes later. Smoke was coming from the two-story building. As fire crews entered the building they found that a fire in a first floor apartment unit had been extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system. Water from the sprinkler system caused damage to three adjoining units. Officials said the cause of the fire was from a malfunctioning heater located in the fire damaged apartment. No injuries and the Red Cross has been contacted to assist the displaced occupants.