Category Archives: Apartment Building

Prescott Valley, AZ – Sprinkler system credited with stopping potentially serious residential fire

A sprinkler system is credited with extinguishing a potentially serious unattended kitchen fire on Friday, May 20, Central Arizona Fire Division Chief Rick Chase said.

The fire started about 11 a.m., when fire crews were called to investigate an active sprinkler system in one unit of a two-story four-plex in the 4000 block of Viewpoint Drive. The residents were not home when the water began flowing but came home to find that it had turned on, Chase said.

“What (firefighters) found was a box on the stove that had a bunch of food, trash and stuff in it and it had caught fire,” Chase said. “The sprinkler put it out.”

Because the flames ignited when no one was home, he said, there was a possibility that a major fire could have resulted.

Home sprinkler systems are a good idea, he added, and they don’t work as some people believe.

“That’s kind of one of the myths that people have,” Chase said, “’I don’t want to flood my whole house,’ (but) only the sprinkler head where the heat activate it and pops that bulb is what activates. This head happened to be in the kitchen, closest to the stove, and was able to put it out.

“The moral was that it prevented the fire from spreading.”

Maitland, FL – Sprinkler system helps put out apartment fire caused by charging drone battery

A drone battery charging inside a Maitland apartment caused a fire to erupt early Sunday morning, according to Maitland Fire Rescue.

The fire happened around 1 a.m. inside one of the units at the Arbors at Maitland Summit apartments.

Fire officials say the woman inside the apartment tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but the fire grew, causing the sprinkler system to go off.

According to fire officials, the drone battery was left unattended while it was charging.

“They put it on the charger, they went to sleep,” said Assistant Fire Chief Van Camp. “Someone woke up from the smell of smoke, went out, saw the batter was on fire, tried to put it out and it kept growing on them.”

Only one building at the apartment complex was evacuated. Those residents have since been allowed back into their apartments.

No injuries were reported.

The unit where the fire started sustained water damage, according to fire officials.

San Rafael, CA – Sprinkler system limits spread of apartment fire

Three apartments sustained water damage in a one-alarm fire Sunday in San Rafael, a San Rafael battalion chief said.  The fire was first reported at 9:24 p.m. at 960 Lincoln Ave.

When firefighters arrived, they found a sprinkler had extinguished the fire in one apartment and firefighters went to work to limit water damage, Battalion Chief Kyle Hamilton said.

The apartment where the fire started is probably uninhabitable, which would displace one person, Hamilton said. The other two units are probably habitable, he said.

Rome, NY – Apartment kitchen fire put out by sprinkler system

No one was injured after food left on a stove resulted in a fire at Liberty Gardens Wednesday morning.  Fire officials said the residents of Apartment 711 accidentally left food unattended on the stove shortly before 8:30 a.m.

The flames spread from the stove top to the oven hood and the upper exhaust hood before the apartment’s sprinkler system put it out, the Rome fire officials added. The fire was out by the time crews arrived on the scene.

The firefighters checked to make sure the fire hadn’t spread further, and helped to clear the water out of the apartment.

 

Evanston, IL – Apartment fire started by careless smoker kept in check by sprinkler system

**NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department reported** The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board reports a successful fire sprinkler activation at the Claridge Apartments in Evanston, Illinois at 3:30 a.m. on Monday, May 9, 2016. According to the report, a careless smoker set a pile of clothing on her bed ablaze. She apparently panicked and threw the pile into the bathtub and ran away. The sprinkler head above the bed extinguished the smoldering mattress. In the bathroom, the shower curtain and towels caught fire. A sprinkler head in the bathroom activated and kept the fire in check until Evanston Fire department arrived.

Kalamazoo, MI – Sprinkler system credited with containing apartment fire to room of origin; No injuries

**NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department Reported**

Friday night May 6, 2016 at 10:09 pm the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a fire in an 11 unit apartment building in the 1000 block of Washington Avenue. A couch fire which was releasing a large amount of black smoke and heat was suppressed by the sprinkler system.  The fire was contained to the room of origin.  No one was hurt and after the suppression system was placed back into service the occupants of 9 of the 11 units were safely back into their homes.  The sprinkler system was praised for preventing further damage to the building

Orono, ME – Sprinkler system knocks down grease fire at apartment building

Crews responded to a fire at an apartment complex in Orono Monday afternoon.

The call came in around 2:30 to the Reserve apartments, formerly known as the Grove.

Officials say a grease fire triggered the sprinkler system in one of the units. As a result the fire was out when crews arrived.

There was significant smoke and water damage, though, leaving the apartment unliveable for now.

“I believe the resident was attempting to deep fry something and it caught on fire, put it in the sink, put water on it, which expanded the grease, caused the sprinkler heads to go off,” said Capt. Joel Sides of the Orono Fire Department.

Fire officials remind you to always use baking soda–not water–to put out a grease fire.

Richmond, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system knocks down apartment fire possibly caused by Molotov cocktail

Richmond RCMP is investigating a suspicious fire late on Sunday evening in City Centre which is thought to have displaced up to eight families.

Shortly after 11 p.m. the Mounties were called to the 5800 block of No. 3 Road  to assist Richmond Fire-Rescue with a fire on the sixth floor of an apartment building.

Fire crews had arrived earlier to find heavy smoke coming from the sixth floor.

The Richmond News understands a Molotov device had been thrown on the floor and the fire was knocked down by the sprinkler system.

Residents of the apartment claim this is the second time in a week that the building has been targeted, adding that a smoke bomb was let off and offensive graffiti was found.

However, according to the RCMP, the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but is being treated as suspicious.

“We are greatly relieved no one was injured,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.

“We are currently reviewing surveillance footage and conducting interviews with witnesses.

“One of our specially trained fire investigators is working with our counterparts from Richmond Fire-Rescue.”

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Cpl. Kevin Lin immediately at 604-278-1212. To leave a tip, email Richmond_Tips@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

No injuries were reported, but several families were unable to return to their homes due to water damage.

Lafayette, LA – Trash compactor fire at apartment complex suppressed by sprinkler system

(Blog Note: Smoke does not cause a sprinkler to activate, but rather only the substantial heat from a fire).
A Friday afternoon fire at a downtown Lafayette apartment complex likely was caused by an improperly trashed lit cigarette, according to the Lafayette Fire Department.

Firefighters arrived at Uptown Lofts at 519 S. Pierce St. around 4 p.m. to find smoke coming from an apartment’s trash compactor, spokesman Alton Trahan said. The smoke caused the room’s sprinkler to activate, suppressing the fire before firefighters could remove the metal trash bin with burning materials inside, Trahan said.

The building did not sustain fire damage, but occupants were evacuated while firefighters investigated the smoke’s origin. Investigators ruled the fire an accident

Manassas, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire caused by clothes left near fireplace

City of Manassas Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to a fire at the Barrington Park Apartments in the early morning hours of April 11. The fire started when a pile of clothing was left near a gas fireplace that was accidentally turned on. Smoke alarms alerted the occupants to the fire.

One person was trapped in an upstairs bedroom because of smoke but fire and rescue personnel were able to evacuate the man who was treated and released at the scene. The fire was extinguished by the apartment’s residential fire sprinkler system that went off properly and suppressed the fire.

The City of Manassas Fire and Rescue department reminds residents that home fire sprinkler systems can control and even extinguish a fire in less time than it takes for the fire department to arrive on scene. By having a fire sprinkler system in the home, the risk of dying from a fire is cut by about about 80 percent. The average property loss per fire is cut by about 70 percent when a fire sprinkler system is in place