Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Myrtle Beach, SC – Sprinkler system keeps apartment fire from spreading; Fire contained to room of origin

Myrtle Beach Fire Department crews responded to 1075 Mr. Joe White Avenue, the Alliance Inn, Friday morning for the report of an apartment fire, according to Lt. Jon Evans with MBFD.  Evans stated that all occupants were out of the building when crews arrived, and that most of the fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system in the room the fire started in.  The fire did not extend to any further rooms.  The fire is still under investigation at this time, check back with WMBF News for more information.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Fire department credits single sprinkler for minimizing damage in apartment fire

McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to an incident Sept. 4 at The Mansions McKinney Apartments, 6600 McKinney Ranch Pkwy. First responders quickly discovered the fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the grease fire in the apartment kitchen. A single sprinkler head is credited for the minimal damage and reinforced the value of fire sprinkler systems. Approximately 31 MFD personnel responded to the fire and no injuries were reported.

“Another successful sprinkler save sprinkler demonstrates the effectiveness of an automatic fire sprinkler systems in an apartment building environment. Had the sprinkler system not been present, the outcome could have been very different,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Andrew Barr. “Further, this reinforces the recommendation to not leave the kitchen area while cooking at any time.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), kitchen fires account for 49 percent of all home fires and fire injuries, with unattended cooking being a factor in 33 percent of all kitchen fires.

For additional information on fire protection systems, code requirements or other fire prevention topics, visit www.mckinneyfire.org or call 972-547-2862.

Apartment Building, Residential

Woodland, WA – Fire chief credits sprinkler system in saving occupant in apartment fire

A Woodland man is alive thanks to a sprinkler head in the kitchen of his apartment, fire officials said.  Firefighters were called to the La Casa De San Juan Diego Apartments, 125 S. Pekin Road, in Woodland at about 9:20 a.m. on Sunday for a fire alarm, Clark County Fire & Rescue division chief Tim Dawdy said.

A man had come home from work, put some grease on the stove to start cooking and fell asleep in the living room when the fire broke out, Dawdy said.  By the time crews arrived, however, the sprinkler had put out the fire, stopping it from spreading further than the kitchen, he said.  Firefighters helped clean up the mess when they got there.  Dawdy said that fires like this one have resulted in injury and even become deadly, but that thanks to this sprinkler head, the man in the residence wasn’t even displaced.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lynn, MA – Sprinkler system helps firefighters hold apartment fire in check; No injuries reported

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Lynn firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire at 77 Green St., a large 27-apartment building at 8:20 p.m. Saturday, Lynn District Fire Chief Stephen Archer said.  Archer said the call initially came in as a routine alarm activation, but when crews arrived, they found heavy smoke in the basement. The fire, which appeared to have started in there, was inside the walls and went up into a first floor apartment.  A sprinkler system activated, which aided firefighters in holding the fire in check, Archer said.

There were no injuries, but there was heavy smoke and water damage throughout the basement and first floor, and some fire damage in a first floor apartment, Archer said.  Archer said the building was declared uninhabitable by the city’s Inspectional Services Department — there has to be some work done on the building before residents can return. A figure for how many residents lived there and were displaced was not available, but Red Cross responded and placed 11 families.  The blaze is under investigation by the state fire marshal’s office.

Apartment Building, Residential

Elkridge, MD – Single sprinkler helps prevent apartment balcony fire from spreading inside

Howard County fire department’s Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of an apartment fire Aug. 21 at Penniman Park in Elkridge. A top-floor apartment fire last Monday afternoon in Elkridge ended after 65 firefighters and paramedics from Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes.

First responders were called to the 6200 block of Greenfield Road around noon, Howard fire officials said, where they found flames engulfing a fourth-floor balcony at the Penniman Park apartments. The fire extended from the apartment’s exterior into its interior and roof, but was under control by 12:15 p.m. Other apartments were affected by residual smoke; however, fire officials said residents evacuated the building before they arrived. No resident or firefighter injuries were reported.

Fire officials said the sprinkler head between the balcony and apartment’s living area was activated and limited the damage. Howard County fire department’s Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the origin and cause of Monday’s fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gwinnett, GA – Apartment sprinkler system puts out intentionally-set fire before fire department arrives

A Duluth woman is in jail after officials said she intentionally set her bed on fire in what is believed to be a domestic-related incident, fire officials said.

Eunok Yu, 38, was found lying “intoxicated” in the middle of Satellite Boulevard by a Gwinnett County battalion chief during the investigation, fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. She had soot on her clothes and hands.

Yu was booked into the Gwinnett County jail on a pedestrian under the influence in the roadway charge. She was later charged with first degree arson once investigators discovered she’d set her bed on fire, Rutledge said. She also has an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.

Authorities arrived to the Bridgewater Apartments in the 1500 block of Ridge Brook Trail about 11:20 a.m. Thursday after a call about an apartment fire in Building 400. No one was inside the unit at the time of the fire.

The sprinkler system put out the fire by the time authorities arrived, Rutledge said.

Officials were asked to remain on the scene due to the suspicious nature of the blaze.That’s when fire officials found Yu in the middle of the street and arrested her near the apartment complex. Police later determined Yu lived at the apartment with her husband, who was not home when she allegedly set the fire.

Yu admitted she set the same bed on fire in the same apartment a month ago, but Rutledge said fire investigators found no record of responding to the incident. They are investigating the claims.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Nanaimo, BC, Canada – Arson fire at apartment building knocked down by sprinkler system

A suspicious fire in a Nanaimo apartment building forced about 50 tenants to evacuate on Tuesday (Aug. 8). Firefighters responded to the alarm at Parkside Manor apartments at 645 Townsite Rd. at about 3:30 p.m. Emergency personnel at the scene said the fire started in a storage room on the first floor of the building and was knocked down by the structure’s automatic sprinkler system. Firefighters ensured the fire was fully extinguished and used a large fan to force fresh air through the building.

Alan Millbank, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer, confirmed Wednesday the fire was suspicious and the investigation had been turned over to Nanaimo RCMP. “Somebody deliberately set it alight,” Millbank said.

Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said police were called in shortly after firefighters arrived on scene. “[Firefighters] found a wad of paper balled up in one of the storage lockers and it had been set on fire,” O’Brien said. “The fire extended up some wooden pallets to the ceiling at which point the sprinklers activated and put the fire out.”

No one was injured, but residents had to remain evacuated from the building for more than an hour while smoke fully cleared from the structure. Nanaimo RCMP are continuing to investigate the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Ithaca, NY – Sprinkler system puts out apartment fire before fire department arrives

At around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Ithaca Fire Department was dispatched to a reported fire at 217 S. Cayuga Street “The Loft” apartment building.

Firefighters arrived on the scene minutes later to find the building’s sprinkler system flowing. They were told by a maintenance worker that there was a fire in the bedroom on the second floor. Crews immediately headed up to search for occupants and to confirm that the fire was out. Other firefighters worked to shut down the sprinkler system and ventilate smoke from the building.

Ithaca firefighters worked alongside building maintenance personnel to minimize the water damage to the fire apartment and those directly below. Occupants were displaced for about 45 minutes before they were allowed to return.

The Ithaca Police Department and Bangs Ambulance assisted at the scene. There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters.

The fire was determined to be caused when a combustible object made contact with a halogen lamp in the apartment. The Ithaca Fire Department reminds everyone that light bulbs, especially halogen bulbs, can get extremely hot. Always exercise caution when using them and keep flammable objects a safe distance away.

Apartment Building, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – No injuries in apartment blaze put out by sprinkler system

The Grand Forks Fire Department was dispatched to 8½ S. Third St. for a fire alarm at 9:09 a.m. last Wednesday, according to Battalion Chief Mike Sandry. A fire marshal was working to determine the cause of the fire Wednesday morning. Sandry said it appeared there had been a fire that was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system in an apartment on the third floor.

Water had been coming through the floors in the building, dripping from third-floor apartments to second-floor apartments and into Trojan Promotions and True Colors, two businesses on the ground floor. By 9:45 a.m., the situation was under control and firefighters were mopping up water with squeegees. “We’ll see what the extent of the damage is and go from there,” Sandry said.

Duane Bundy lives on the third floor and said he heard the fire alarm shortly before 9 a.m. At first, he paid the noise little mind, but when it didn’t stop he went out to investigate. Water was flowing from the third to the second floor of the building, he said. Bundy decided to not go back to his apartment for his phone and was heading to a local business to call the fire department when he saw a police officer pull up, followed shortly by three fire engines. A four-year resident of the building, Bundy said he was concerned by not seeing any of his neighbors vacate their units. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

Stamford, CT – High rise apartment fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The occupants of four apartments at 66 Summer St. were displaced Sunday by a small fire that broke out in the kitchen of a sixth-floor unit of the 14-story building, according to the Stamford Fire Department. No one was reported injured in the fire shortly after 2:30 p.m., which drew a major response from the fire department. At 2:39 p.m. the Stamford fire department received an automatic alarm notification for the building, followed by reports of smoke on the sixth floor, according to Deputy Fire Chief Pat Tripodi.

The fire was quickly doused by the sprinkler system of the building, but firefighters sounded a second alarm, bringing a total of five engines, two trucks, a heavy-rescue vehicle and a deputy chief to the scene based on finding smoke on the sixth floor, according to the fire department. The sprinkler system contained the fire to the kitchen area where it started, Tripodi said. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the city’s Fire Marshal’s Office. The occupants of the four apartments were being relocated, according to the fire department.