Category Archives: Apartment Building

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.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, WA – Late night apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Four families are without homes after a fire broke out inside an apartment complex in Vancouver late last Wednesday night.  The Vancouver Fire Department said firefighters were called to the Aurora Apartments in the 8100 block of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard around 11 p.m. Crews said they arrived to see smoke coming from the side of the three-story complex. Firefighters quickly entered the structure and found a sprinkler-controlled fire in a second-floor unit. They were able to knock out the fire within 15 minutes.  All residents made it out of the complex safely and no injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Longview, TX – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

The Longview Fire Department responded to a report of a kitchen fire in Longview, Friday.  The fire occurred at 1501 E. Whaley at the Churchill of Longview Apartments.  The fire reportedly started in the kitchen as a result of unattended cooking.  The department tells KLTV the fire was extinguished by the fire sprinkler system inside the apartment building.  No one was injured. Four occupants were displaced and will be staying with relatives. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Martinsville, VA – Unattended cooking fire at apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system

An accidental fire damaged an apartment complex in Uptown Martinsville late Tuesday night. Martinsville firefighters and EMS were called out to 20 Fayette Street at about 10:35 p.m., after a resident within the building noticed smoke coming from apartment seven. Emergency personnel arrived within three minutes, by which point the complex’s sprinkler system had activated. With the help of Martinsville police, firefighters and EMS personnel got all residents safety out. In addition to the Martinsville department, firefighters from the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department and personnel from the Henry County Department of Public Safety were on scene to help, containing the fire to just the one apartment. The American Red Cross was also on hand to provide assistance. All of the other tenants in the building were able to return to their apartments by 1 a.m and the residents of apartment seven were relocated to another apartment in the building.

According to Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson, it’s believed the fire was accidental, caused by some cooking left unattended. Unattended cooking is listed as the number one cause of accidental fires. “Never leave your kitchen while cooking,” advised Martinsville Deputy Fire Marshal Andy Powers. “If you absolutely have to step out for a second, take something with you like an oven mitt to remind you to return promptly to the kitchen.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Huntington Beach, CA – Sprinkler system prevents early morning apartment fire from spreading

A portable air-conditioning unit sparked a fire in a Huntington Beach apartment Wednesday morning, according to fire officials. Huntington Beach firefighters responded at 5:48 a.m. to a fire at the Huntington Breeze Apartments at 16171 Springdale St. The first crews on the scene reported light smoke coming from the third story. City firefighters knocked down the blaze with help from the Orange County Fire Authority and the Fountain Valley Fire Department, said Capt. Steven Teasdale. A resident of the building was evaluated by paramedics but was not taken to a hospital. The building’s sprinkler system helped prevent the fire from spreading to additional units, Teasdale said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – Early morning fire at mid-rise apartment building held in check by sprinkler system

Conroe Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Mike Legoudes Jr. credits fire sprinklers for saving The Towers Woodland Apartments and it occupants from a potential disaster early Saturday morning in Conroe. The Conroe Fire Department was notified at 5:26 a.m. of an apartment fire at 366 FM 1488. Firefighters arrived at 5:32 a.m. and reported heavy white smoke coming from the parking garage below Building 12.

“The cause of the smoke was found to be a single vehicle on fire,” information from Legoudes stated. “An aggressive offensive attack was initiated and the fire was quickly extinguished.” The fire was declared under control at 5:35 a.m. All occupants of the building were able to escape and were accounted for with no reported injuries to occupants or firefighters. Needham Road Fire/Rescue and The Woodlands Fire Department assisted.

The involved building consists of a ground-level parking garage with four stories of apartments above, for a total of five stories. The garage area and apartments are fully protected by fire sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems.  “A single fire sprinkler head activated keeping the fire under control until arrival of firefighters while the automatic fire alarm system alerted occupants of the fire, allowing them to escape unharmed,” the release stated. “The potential for disaster in a residential building of this size, at the time of day the fire occurred, is great.”

Legoudes stressed in the release that the importance of properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems cannot be overstated. As a result of the fire sprinkler activation, there was no visible damage to the building and no occupants were displaced, he said. “A properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system is the single-most effective way of preventing loss of property or life in the event of a residential fire,” he stated. “In this instance, property was definitely saved while lives were very likely saved.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Reading, PA – Fire in apartment kitchen put out by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire Saturday in a third-floor unit forced the evacuation of Penns Crossing Apartments in Spring Township, officials reported. Fire crews responded at 12:35 p.m. to a report of smoke in an apartment at 1400 W. Wyomissing Court.  Troy Hatt, township deputy fire marshal, said a small kitchen fire was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“The important thing,” Hatt said, “is that the sprinkler system worked.” Occupants of the complex, which has one- and two-bedroom units occupied by tenants 62 years or older, were allowed back into their apartments in late afternoon, Hatt said.  The sprinkler and alarm systems had to be reset before occupants could return to the building off Route 724 between Sinking Spring and Lincoln Park.  There was no significant fire damage, Hatt said, but some apartments sustained water damage. Construction crews were on site Saturday evening.  Township authorities were assisted by fire and rescue units from surrounding municipalities.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mercer Island, WA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Shortly after noon on July 6, Mercer Island and Bellevue Fire Department units responded to the Mercer Apartments in downtown Mercer Island for a fire that started in one of the unit’s kitchens, and was ultimately extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

A fire started on a stove, activating the building’s fire alarm system and initiating the response. The fire extended into the cabinetry above, and produced a large amount of smoke that filled the unit and the adjacent hallway, on the fifth floor of the building. The activated sprinklers caused a heavy water flow into the hallway, adjacent units and through the ceiling of multiple units on the floor below.

Even though the fire was completely extinguished by the automatic sprinklers, a coordinated ventilation and salvage effort was still needed by the multiple fire units that responded. Occupants were displaced for more than two hours while the smoke and water was cleared. Nobody was allowed back into the affected areas of the building until the atmosphere was determined safe through the fire department’s air monitoring equipment. No injuries were reported, and investigations are ongoing.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Richmond, TX (No Media Coverage) – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment cooking fire

***FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE*** On 06/27/2017 Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office was requested to respond to an apartment fire. The Richmond Fire Department was on scene.

Upon arrival we contacted the Incident Commander with Richmond Fire Department. He advised they respond for an fire alarm. Upon arrival they found one sprinkler head had activated in an apartment and had extinguished a kitchen fire on the stove. He also said there was no damage to the kitchen except for water damage. This fire occurred on the second floor.

The resident stated that he was cooking chicken with some cooking oil in a pan. He stated that he went to the bathroom while the chicken was cooking. He stated that while he was in the bathroom, he saw and smelled smoke. The sprinkler system went off and extinguished the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gaithersburg, MD – Residential sprinkler system contains kitchen fire in first floor apartment

Firefighters responded to two fires in Gaithersburg Wednesday, one in a townhouse and another in a three-story apartment building, according to rescue officials.

A teenager suffered nonlife-threatening injuries in an apartment fire on McCausland Place, while there were no injuries in the townhouse fire on Autumn Hill Way, said Pete Piringer, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman.

The Autumn Hill Way fire broke out in a second-floor bedroom at about 9:30 a.m., according to Piringer. About 60 firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished the bulk of the fire by 9:45 a.m. Several adjoining townhouses were evacuated and a few people were displaced. The blaze caused about $80,000 in damage.

At about 2:30 p.m., firefighters came to McCausland Place to investigate smoke coming from an apartment building, Piringer said.

They discovered that there had been a kitchen fire on the first floor and that the residential sprinkler system had helped to control the flames. A teen was transported to the hospital. The fire caused about $10,000 in damage.

The cause of both fires is under investigation, according to Piringer.