Apartment Building, Residential Oviedo, FL – Overnight fire in three-story apartment building stopped by sprinkler system December 9, 2015 viking210 Firefighters said a burning candle started a fire Tuesday morning at an apartment building in the Oviedo area of unincorporated Seminole County. The Seminole County Fire Department said the fire broke out around 2:09 a.m. in a first floor unit of the three-story building. When firefighters arrived, an audible alarm was going off, and residents had evacuated their apartments safely. Once inside, firefighters determined the sprinkler system stopped the fire. The American Red Cross is providing assistance to one occupant.
Apartment Building, Residential Miami, FL – Sprinklers help stop fire on 10th floor of off-campus apartment building December 2, 2015 viking210 Hundreds of Florida International University students were evacuated from an apartment building near campus early Thursday morning after a fire broke out while someone was cooking. Witnesses told Local 10 News that a grease fire sparked the flames on the 10th floor of 109 Tower along Southwest 109th Avenue at Seventh Street after midnight. Much of the floor was damaged by fire and other parts of the building suffered water damage from the sprinkler system. No one was injured, but many residents stayed up all night searching for a place to sleep. “That’s what I’m doing right now,” one student told Local 10 News. “I’m about to go hike to go sleep on a couch.” Jaime Zapata, who lives in the off-campus housing, told Local 10 News that students were told to pack their bags and plan to be out of the building for two days. Many of them left the building without identification and were worried because they have finals to study for and take. “They’ve had us out here since about 2 or 3 in the morning, telling us that we can’t go back inside because it’s not safe,” student Analee Wharton said. Susan Jennings, vice president of EdR Collegiate Housing, which owns the apartment building, said the majority of students have been allowed to return to their rooms. She said the students who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred and near the apartment have been put up in a hotel by the company. According to Jennings, the sprinkler system was activated for about 20 minutes after the fire broke out. FIU authorities said 109 Tower resumed normal operations Tuesday night.
Apartment Building, Residential Appalachia, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fifth floor apartment fire December 1, 2015 viking210 The Appalachia Fire Department responded to the apartment complex, located at 505 West Main Street, when a fire alarm sounded around 12:24 Saturday afternoon. Fire Chief Robert Anderson Jr. says the fire started in an apartment on the fifth floor due to an occupant smoking while on oxygen. He tells us the sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire. Apartments from the fifth floor to the second floor suffered water and smoke damage. Those residents were evacuated to Appalachia High School gymnasium where they are being assisted by the Red Cross. Anderson told us a contractor was on scene working to clean up the damages.
Apartment Building, Residential Wilmington, NC – No one hurt in Thanksgiving day apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system November 30, 2015 viking210 Fire officials were on the scene of an apartment fire in Wilmington on Thanksgiving Day. It happened on Litchfield Way on Thursday afternoon shortly before 2. Authorities say an apartment on the third floor caught fire while at least one person was home, but no one was hurt. That apartment is a total loss, while other nearby units suffered water damage from the sprinkler system. There is no word yet on what caused the fire.
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system controls apartment fire started by careless disposal of cigarette November 29, 2015 viking210 The careless disposal of smoking materials sparked a trash can fire that caused an estimated $7,500 in damage to a West Side apartment building Thursday, authorities said. Fire crews discovered smoke and water coming from under a closed door to Apartment 346 at The Lofts at Mill West, 195 McGregor St., just before 7 p.m., according to the fire department. Firefighters discovered a fire in a trash can in an unoccupied apartment. The automatic sprinkler system held the fire in check until firefighters extinguished the remaining flames. The resident who lived there was in another section of the building at the time, authorities said. Smoke was beginning to fill the corridors and people were evacuating the building. Brady Sullivan Properties owns the building, which recently had been refurbished into upscale apartments.
Apartment Building, Residential Stoughton, MA – Sprinklers credited with averting potential disaster in fire at 60-unit apartment complex November 26, 2015 viking210 A sprinkler system in a 60-plus unit apartment complex is credited with averting what could have been a disaster, the fire chief said. About noon Monday, firefighters received an alarm for The Lodge at Stoughton, which is an apartment complex on Technology Center Drive near the Randolph line.When firefighters arrived, they found staff helping to evacuate the building and smoke inside the first floor, said interim Fire Chief Gregory Goldberg. When firefighters opened the first-floor unit’s door, there was heavy smoke, but the fire was extinguished by sprinklers in the room, Goldberg said.“It was a grease fire on a stove that got going pretty good,” he said. “But it ended up all right because the sprinkler system kept it at bay.” The four-story building has more than 60 units, Goldberg said.“It could have been a major disaster,” he said. “Fire alarms save lives, and sprinklers save lives and buildings.” The woman who lives in the apartment got out safely with a friend who was inside at the time.She is being assisted by the Red Cross, as her apartment sustained smoke and major water damage. A unit next door sustained minor water damage.“When we got in, it was completely extinguished,” Goldberg said. “The fire didn’t extend through the ceiling. The sprinkler took care of it.”
Apartment Building, Residential Shreveport, LA – Sprinkler system activates in apartment fire caused by cigarette dropped down trash chute November 24, 2015 viking210 Residents of Fairmont Towers in the 700 block of Cotton Street were able to return to their apartments after smoke forced them from the building early Sunday morning. The fire was reported at approximately 8:21 Sunday morning after the sprinkler system in the apartment building went off. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke through the building. Occupants of the downtown Shreveport apartment building were evacuated shortly after firefighters arrived. One person was treated on the scene from smoke inhalation. Firefighters believe the cause of the fire to be a cigarette dropped down the trash chute within the building. This has yet to be confirmed by investigators.
Apartment Building, Residential Peoria, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by single automatic sprinkler; No injuries reported November 23, 2015 viking210 Peoria firefighters said a sprinkler system in an apartment prevented a stove fire from causing more damage than it did. Peoria-Fire Medical crews responded to a fire at approximately 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Rancho Del Sol Apartments. Crews found a home filled with smoke and a stove fire being controlled by a single fire sprinkler head. The fire damaged the stove and microwave with some damage to the cabinets and drywall, officials said, and there was also water damage from the sprinkler head. The homeowner said a pan of oil on the stove was unattended for less than a minute. “This fire . . . could have been significantly worse without the presence of a fire sprinkler system,” Peoria-Fire Medical officials stated in a release. “Flames from a grease fire can quickly spread and engulf a kitchen. In this case, the fire was being controlled by the sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive.” Everyone was able to evacuate safely with no injuries, officials said. According to fire investigator Mike Brune, a similar stove fire in a Peoria apartment complex without sprinklers did significantly more damage and left the apartment Fire crews stayed on scene to clear away the standing water so that the homeowner could get back in the home more quickly. “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is an important reminder that kitchen fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby,” the release stated.
Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise Grand Rapids, MI – Fire at high-rise apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries November 23, 2015 viking210 Emergency crews had to scramble Thursday afternoon in downtown Grand Rapids after fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Weston Apartments. At first, smoke could be seen pouring out a window, quickly followed by water from the fire hoses. Everyone in the building was evacuated, and investigators say the fire was contained to just one apartment. “Our primary concern, right now, is to get 89 families that call this building home into their homes,” said Grand Rapids Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. “Many of them, in the process of leaving, left all their belongings behind — including cell phones. We have a mother that needs diapers.” Fire officials say no one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There isn’t much room in downtown Grand Rapids to grow out, so the only option is up. Those taller buildings and provide more difficult challenges for fire fighters. “All of our companies are trained in high rise operations which includes working off stairs I mean they had to hike up five floors before they even began work today,” says Grand Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. This afternoon, their training allowed them to hold this fire at Weston Apartments to just one unit. Crews learn how to climb stairs quickly and efficiently to get hose and water to the burning apartments, they learn to blow water from inside out to avoid spreading flames on the inside and deeper into the building. Out of the 96 units, only one had fire damage only two water damaged. “We worked off of what is called a stand pipe. There’s a fire protection system in the building our crews hook to that then make their way onto the floor,” says Sehlmeyer. Like any high rise, these buildings come with sprinkler systems, which help.The concrete construction of older buildings, like the Weston, help contain the damage. But time is still the enemy when these apartments are so stacked together. There’s no wiggle room to stop it from spreading. “The faster we can get the water picked up the less damage to the units below so that’s the priority right now,” says Sehlmeyer.
Apartment Building, Residential Victoria, BC, Canada – Late night apartment fire extinguished by single sprinkler November 22, 2015 viking210 The fire, believed to have been caused by oil in a pan on a stove, broke out at 10:45 p.m. in a suite at Quadra Street and Caledonia Avenue. The fire was extinguished by a single sprinkler near the stove. However, four floors directly below were flooded, causing damage, said acting Battalion Chief Lance Mitchell of Victoria Fire. The resident of the suite received second-degree burns to one of his hands while trying to extinguish the blaze. He was taken to hospital by B.C. Ambulance. Several displaced residents will be given assistance with housing through the Victoria Emergency Management Agency, the fire department said. The department’s fire inspector reminds people cooking with oil not to leave the pot or pan unattended and to have a lid nearby in case of fire.
