Category Archives: Other – Residential
Gasden, AL – Sprinkler system helps put out kitchen fire at group home; No injuries reported
Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the home, Nick Hill of the RBC Fire Department said in a press release, and while en route, they received an update that a heat/smoke alarm and a sprinkler system at the home had activated.
Rainbow City Dispatch told firefighters a caller said grease had boiled out of a pot onto a stove, starting the fire.
“Upon arriving on scene we found smoke exiting the structure,” Hill said. Crews went to work to locate anyone who might be in the structure and to battle the blaze, he said.
“Search and Rescue crews found that there was a bed-bound subject within the home,” Hill said. That person was safely brought out of the home.
Fire fighting crews found a small fire on the stove in the kitchen, he said, but thanks to the activation of the sprinkler system, there was minimal damage.
“What fire remained was still burning due to the stove hood blocking the water from the sprinkler,” Hill explained. The fire was extinguished with a dry chemical extinguisher, and crews checked for fire extension into the walls and cabinets.
They found no evidence the fire had spread further.
All occupants in the residence were accounted for and safe, Hill said. Property owners and managers were looking into finding a place to move the occupants until the residence was repaired.
The outcome of this incident, Hill said, can be greatly attributed to the working smoke/heat alarms and the properly working sprinkler system.
Rainbow City Fire Rescue has a smoke alarm installation program to install smoke alarms in the homes in Rainbow City at no charge to the residential property owner, he said.
“This is a program provided by anonymous donors at a state level, ‘Get Alarmed Alabama!’ and ‘The Alabama Fire College,’” he explained.
For any questions about the smoke alarm installation program contact Rainbow City Fire Rescue at (256) 442-2511.
Macon, GA – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at Home for Children and Youth; No injuries reported
CEO of the home, Alison Evans, says she got a call around 6:45 p.m. that a golf cart parked under a breezeway to an administration building had caught fire.
The golf cart was battery powered, and something in it malfunctioned, according to the Macon-Bibb Fire Department.
The department says there was no major damage to the breezeway itself other than soot buildup and some water damage inside the building due to a sprinkler.
Evans says the fire was not near any of their children’s homes, and there were no injuries. The home is operating as normal.
They lost a golf cart, but Evans says she’s happy with the fire department’s response.
The Methodist Home for Children and Youth is located off Pierce Avenue.
Grand Forks, ND – Kitchen fire put out by fire sprinklers at group home; No injuries reported
Fire broke out this morning around 9 at 415 N. 51 St.
By the time crews got to the scene, a sprinkler system had put out the bulk of the fire.
Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire.
The kitchen has moderate smoke and fire damage.
No one was hurt.
Fall River, MA – Sprinkler system suppresses fire caused by careless disposal of cigarette; No injuries reported
“It was determined that it was the careless disposal of cigarettes in a trash barrel,” said Fire Department Capt. Neil Furtado.
Furtado said the trash barrel was in a third-floor unit of a rooming house at 515 South Main St.
Fire investigators found a cigarette butt embedded in the melted plastic of the trash barrel “which was a strong indicator that’s where the fire started,” Furtado said.
The building’s sprinkler system suppressed the fire but caused water damage to the 18-unit structure, said Furtado. Investigators pegged the cost of the damage at approximately $15,000.
No injuries were reported to fire personnel or building residents, according to Furtado.
Firefighters responded to the building about 2:15 p.m. Monday. The residence was located along the parade route near where the parade stepped off from Kennedy Park.
The Veterans Day parade was briefly paused so that fire apparatus could approach the scene.
Chesapeake, VA – Sprinkler system controls kitchen fire; No injuries reported
The call came in at 7:46 p.m.
The first unit arrived on scene seven minutes later to find the small kitchen fire being controlled by the sprinkler system.
Firefighters quickly initiated an attack and made sure that the building was clear. The fire was completely extinguished at 8:09 p.m.
No one was hurt, and the residents are being assisted with lodging arrangement.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Wilmington, NC – Third floor balcony fire controlled by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported
Fire crews responded to the call Sunday at 11:46 a.m. at 1119 Matteo Drive, building three.
Assistant Chief of Operations Thomas Robinson says Wilmington and New Hanover Crews arrived to find a sprinkler controlled balcony fire on the third floor. Units left the scene of the fire by 1 p.m.
Investigators determined the cause was discarded “smoking material” in a flower pot. The home’s vinyl siding was damaged as well as some outdoor furnitues, but the damage was minor.
There were no injuries reported to the family or fire crews.
Bloomfield Hills, MI – Fire sprinkler systems controls fire in attic until crews arrived; No injuries reported
According to Sgt. Steve Splan, of the Bloomfield Hills Public Safety Department, an alarm at the retreat’s main house, 1390 Quarton Road, was activated at 5:44 a.m. July 31. Upon arrival, first responders said they could smell smoke, and they circled the unoccupied building to find the source.
“We repositioned to the north side of the building and we could see smoke coming from what appeared to be the attic area,” Splan said.
The attic of the facility had been undergoing renovations and reportedly hadn’t been used in some time. With the help of firefighters from Bloomfield Township and Troy, the flames were extinguished from the attic — a space Splan said is notoriously tough for firefighters — and the damage was contained to an about 20-by-20-foot space.
“The sprinkler system did a fantastic job. It did exactly what it was supposed to do and hold the fire back until our crews were able to fully extinguish it,” he said. “It was lucky for the sprinklers — actually, probably not lucky: good preparation.”
Splan said that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but as of now there is “zero suspicion of foul play.” There were no injuries.
The Eagle could not reach anyone at Manresa for comment before press time. The phone lines were disconnected, likely due to the department cutting off power to one of the buildings as a precaution, Splan said.
Just a little over three months ago, public safety personnel responded to another fire at the facility, on April 10, when a fire broke out in a large historical barn on the property. While the barn, one of three, was burned down completely, there were no injuries, and at that time, Steve Raymond, the associate director of Manresa, said the incident wouldn’t affect daily activities.
The cause of that fire has yet to be released by investigators.
Spring Valley, CA – Sprinkler system puts out house fire ignited by lamp; No injuries reported
At around 2:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a resident’s report of a fire at home in the 9800 block of Avenida Ricardo.
Responding fire crews entered the structure as the home’s built-in sprinkler system was active and putting out much of the flames.
However, crews saw that the water from the system had soaked two guinea pigs and flooded their cage.
Crews rescued the two guinea pigs and helped safely remove two dogs from the home. The pets’ owners were not home at the time of the blaze.
Fire officials believe a lamp fell near the guinea pigs’ enclosure and ignited some hay next to it.
No animals or humans were injured in the fire, but the home suffered extensive water damage from the sprinkler system.
Visalia, CA – Dryer fire at homeless shelter stopped by fire sprinkler activation; No injuries reported
Thankfully the damage was minimal but Visalia Rescue Mission (VRM) will be in the market for a new dryer and possibly a fresh coat of paint.
At 1:07 a.m., firefighters responded to a reported fire at the rescue mission, located at 322 Northeast First Avenue. The fire was reported in a laundry room toward the back of the men’s facility.
VRM offers meals and laundry services to many Visalia families and residents.
When the first crew arrived, they didn’t see smoke coming from the building. Eventually, fire crews found the fire coming from a dryer in the laundry room, according to Battalion Chief Darrin Hughes.
The fire was contained to the laundry room. The fire caused a sprinkler to activate which stop the spread of flames, Hughes said.
Mission staff and Visalia police helped evacuate those who were in the building. It’s unknown how many people were inside the building when the fire was reported.
No injuries were reported, firefighters said.
Utilities to the facility were left on so the mission could operate normally, Hughes said.
The cause was “undetermined,” Hughes added. The fire caused more than $5,000 in damage to the dryer. Water damage was minimal.
The property is worth approximately $350,000.
Finance Director Shon Baldwin encouraged anyone looking to support the mission in light of Tuesday morning’s fire to donate through the nonprofit’s website.
