Category Archives: Apartment Building

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains apartment fire caused by cooking illegal drugs

Cooking illegal drugs led to an explosion in a unit at a downtown Chilliwack apartment building Sunday evening.

The two occupants of the suite escaped without injury, but at least two units in the New Mark are damaged after the incident just after 7 p.m.

“We are just fortunate that nobody was injured,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail said Monday.

The Chilliwack Fire Department (CFD) and Mounties were called to the scene after the report of an explosion in the Yale building of the New Mark condo complex.

Fire Chief Ian Josephson said that upon arrival they found a sprinkler head had activated extinguishing the fire.

“[The] majority of the damage in the unit was related to the vapour explosion with minor fire, smoke and water damage contained to the kitchen,” according to a CFD press release.

And while some residents on social media reported a drug lab exploded, or the incident was caused by a methamphetamine operation, Rail said it was a minor incident and not a meth lab.

Rail said an investigation is underway but no one was arrested Sunday evening.

The CFD said the fire was caused by the cooking of illegal drugs on the stove using a flammable gas.

Many of the residents of the New Mark were forced out on the street Sunday night, and some said there was a bad smell coming from the unit.

One resident who attended the unit after the explosion said the “kitchen was blown apart and there’s a huge hole in the wall.”

A photo posted on Facebook shows exposed beams of a wall inside one unit in the apartment.

A resident who said she lives below the unit in question said much of her property is seriously damaged by water after the fire was put out.

Speculation on social media quickly went towards the fire’s cause coming from illegal drug cooking of some kind in the apartment.

“[It’s] definitely really suspicious as the guy in the unit was saying something was on the stove and then the explosion happened but the female from the unit said they were just cooking spaghetti,” one neighbour said.

 

Bremerton, WA – Overnight arson fire at apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

Bremerton police have arrested a 45-year-old Gig Harbor man who they say was a person of interest in a Monday arson. Police said the man called detectives and later agreed to come to the police station for an interview. At the end of the interview, the man was arrested and booked into the Kitsap County Jail for the crimes of burglary, theft of a firearm and arson. The Bremerton Police Department said it is waiting to release the suspect’s name pending the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charging decision.

Our earlier report from Jan. 2, 2018:
Bremerton police are asking the public’s help in identifying a man who they say is a person of interest in an arson on Monday. The fire happened Monday at about 2:15 a.m. Bremerton firefighters responded to a report of a fire at the Spyglass Hill Apartments in the 600 block of Highland Ave. The building was evacuated, and hundreds were forced outside in the cold according to Fire Marshals who are now investigating the incident as arson. Bremerton Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Prichard said the building’s sprinkler system managed to extinguish the fire. He also said the building is only a few blocks from the firehouse on Park Ave so the response went relatively smoothly.

“We identified a person that didn’t belong in the building didn’t know who he was so he’s a person of interest we want to find this guy and chat with him.”

Bremerton Police shared the man’s photo on social media, and even said they believed they knew who he was.

Fire investigators wouldn’t identify him by name but said the surveillance cameras at the apartment complex helped them start the arson investigation.

Resident Andrew Feliciano said that both he and his dog Roosevelt escaped when the fire broke out. They live adjacent to the unit where the fire happened. He was surprised that authorities said a man who didn’t live there managed to get in, “this place is like Fort Knox, it’s very secure. I’m not sure how that guy got in.”

Fire investigators said nobody was hurt in the fire, and it didn’t spread to any other buildings, in fact there never appeared to be a danger of that happening. They said roughly a dozen residents may have been displaced by the fire.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 360-473-5228.

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system helps prevent damage, injuries in apartment fire

A sprinkler system helped avoid fire damage to an apartment at the San Carlos Hotel Monday night. Yuma Fire Department arrived at the San Carlos Hotel shortly after midnight Monday where a fire was reported on the 5th floor of the hotel. An investigation revealed the fire had happened in one of the apartments where the fire suppression sprinkler head had activated. Firefighters confirmed the fire was put out. Fire investigators determined the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette. The fire began and only caused damage to a pile of clothing.

Besides the apartment where the fire happened, some apartments were affected by the water flow of the sprinkler system. The American Red Cross was called to the scene providing assistance to residents waiting to reoccupy their homes and later provided temporary lodging for the 6 individuals who were not able to return to their apartments until further clean-up could occur. This is just the latest of 9 sprinkler saves over the last year in Yuma and the second at the San Carlos Hotel. The previous fire was on July 28th.

Milwaukee, WI – Apartment fire contained to one unit by sprinkler system

Firefighters were dispatched to a report of a fire at the Hawley Ridge Apartments on N. Hawley Rd. just north of Wells St. on Friday, December 29th.  Officials say the fire happened in a unit on the third floor of the complex. A sprinkler system helped contain the fire to that unit.  One person was taken to Froedtert Hospital as a result of this incident. Officials say between 30 and 40 people were displaced.  The American Red Cross is helping those in need.

Norfolk, VA – Sprinkler system controls second floor apartment fire

One person was taken to the hospital and three residents were displaced after a fire at the Cromwell House Apartments.

On Monday morning, crews found a small fire on the second floor. The fire was controlled by a sprinkler head activation.

The person on the second floor was taken to the hospital. The extent of the person’s injuries is unknown.

Firefighters ventilated the smoke and sprinkler water from the building. One apartment has fire damage and two apartments have some water damage.

The Red Cross has been contacted to help the three people displaced.

Prior Lake, MN – Sprinkler system stops fire at senior apartment building; No injuries reported

The Prior Lake Fire Department responded to a cooking fire at the Grainwood Apartments building Tuesday night. With temperatures dipping below zero degrees around 7:15 p.m., when firefighters responded to the scene, 5119 Gateway St. SE, Fire Chief Rick Steinhaus said he was happy that a sprinkler system within the building extinguished the fire almost immediately.

“It did what it was supposed to do,” he said.

The building was evacuated due to the fire and three units were displaced due to “extensive water damage” from the sprinkler system, Steinhaus said. There was very little fire damage, the chief said. Steinhaus said Tuesday night’s fire is a good example of why the state of Minnesota has been fighting for sprinkler systems in all commercial buildings. “It’s considered a sprinkler save,” he said of the fire.

The Grainwood Apartment complex held its grand opening in August. The building includes 168 living units plus community areas, which include a kitchen, craft room, salon, fitness area, theater and underground heated parking. The building is for adults age 55 and up.

Burton, SC – Apartment kitchen fire caused by unattended cooking extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Just after 6 p.m. Thursday, Burton and MCAS firefighters responded to an alarm activation at Magnolia Park Apartments on Laurel Bay Road. When they got there, they found the residents evacuating and smoke was coming from a second-floor apartment. Upon investigation, crews learned the resident fell asleep while cooking. The unattended food ignited, and the growing flames spread to the cabinets activating the fire alarm as well as a single fire sprinkler head which extingui9shed the fire before the first firetruck arrived. That sprinkler system saved Christmas for 16 families in the apartment complex. No injuries were reported.

Fire crews say cooking is the leading cause of fires, and with the holidays approaching, Burton Fire officials are urging citizens to be extra careful when at the stove, and to place fire extinguishers where they can be seen, quickly accessed, and used.

Sioux Falls, SD – Sprinkler system prevents apartment fire from spreading

A sprinkler system liked prevented more widespread fire damage to a downtown Sioux Falls apartment building. Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the Huey Apartment Building at 112 N. Phillips Avenue Thursday night. When they went inside, they found water coming from an upper floor and found smoke on the third floor. They found heavy smoke in one apartment, but the fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system. No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire.

Crews evacuated the building and took some displaced residents to the downtown Holiday Inn to keep them out of the cold. There is light smoke damage on the floor of the fire, as well as water damage in the apartment below. Six apartments in the building have damage. Sioux Falls Fire Rescue’s Fire Prevention division is investigating the cause of the fire.

Duluth, MN – Apartment fire mostly extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

One person was being treated for smoke inhalation after a fire at Duluth’s Esmond building last Wednesday morning.  The fire was reported just after 7:30 a.m. in the apartment complex at 2001 W. Superior St., according to the Duluth Fire Department. The building, formerly known as the Seaway Hotel, sustained some damage, but no residents were displaced.  The fire department reported that the fire started in the kitchen of a third-floor apartment. The tenant was assisted out of the building before fire crews arrived, but was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Officials said the fire was mostly extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system, but smoke filled the third-floor hallway. The building was evacuated, and all residents were accounted for before being allowed to return to their rooms.  The fire department said five other units sustained water damage, which was estimated at $25,000 to the structure and $4,000 to contents. The American Red Cross was assisting affected residents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire marshal.

Auburn, ME – No one hurt as sprinkler system helps control apartment fire

Two families were displaced by a fire that damaged two units at the Auburn Mall Apartments at 75 University St. late Saturday afternoon.

The Auburn Fire Department said the 5 p.m. fire started on a kitchen stove in one of the units at the 12-unit building.

No one was hurt.

It took the department about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze.