Category Archives: 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.”

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.

Greenville, OH – Sprinkler system keeps flames from spreading in retirement home fire

Authorities say a sprinkler system helped prevent flames from reaching the living quarters during a garage fire at the Brethren Retirement Community’s Chestnut Village Monday night.

The fire departments from Greenville City, Greenville Township and New Madison responded to the structure fire 9:20 p.m. at 888 Chestnut Circle after neighbors saw flames coming from the attached one-car garage.

According to the Greenville Fire Department, the fire was contained to the garage and did not have a chance to damage the inside of the unit or the joining unit to the north.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The contents of the garage including a vehicle were destroyed by flames and water. The homeowner was alerted to the fire by a neighbor. No injuries were reported.

Greenville Township Rescue and the Greenville Police Department also responded to the scene.

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.”

Bradenton, FL – Overnight fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinklers; No injuries reported

City of Bradenton Fire Department responded to a structure fire started by a dryer early Tuesday morning. Around 1:27 a.m., the fire department arrived to the scene of a multi-residential assisted living facility in the 1000 block of 7th Avenue E.  Heavy smoke was coming from the north wing and main hallways. Thankfully, a sprinkler head was controlling the dryer fire in the laundry room, according to firefighters.  By 1:37 a.m., the fire was extinguished.  Damage is estimated to be about $6,000 and no injuries were reported.  The Bradenton Fire Department is investigating the incident.

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.

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.

 

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.

Nashua, NH – Middle of night nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system

A fire at the Courville Nursing Home early Sunday sent one person to the hospital and forced more than 50 patients to be relocated to another facility, authorities said. One person was taken to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for evaluation and possible smoke inhalation, according to the fire department. Fire crews responded to 22 Hunt St. just before 2 a.m. and found a fire in one of the patient rooms on the second floor. Staff already had removed two patients from that room. The fire was contained by the activated sprinkler heads. Fire crews put out the remaining fire.

Second-floor patients were removed from the fire area and sheltered in a safe location until areas could be ventilated and water removal efforts completed, according to the fire department.  “Due to smoke and water damage to several wings of the facility, a coordinated effort of Nashua Fire Rescue, Courville Nursing Home and various ambulance providers, 50-plus patients were relocated to Greenbrier Nursing Home until repairs and cleanup in areas of the facility can be completed,” the fire department said.

The cause remains under investigation. “Sprinklers in this case quickly contained the fire until the arrival of the fire department,” authorities said.

Columbia, MO – Hallway fire at senior living center suppressed by sprinkler system

The Columbia Fire Department responded to a report of a fire alarm with smoke in a hallway at 3700 Lenoir St (Lenoir Senior Services) on Thursday.  The fire started on the stove of an unoccupied apartment had been extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system when crews got to the apartment. There were no reported injuries and damage was limited to the one apartment. Smoke and water damages are estimated at $15,000.  According to the official release, Assistant Fire Marshal Kyle Edwards investigated the fire and has ruled the fire accidental. The cause was a stove being inadvertently turned on, igniting combustibles being used to pack items for a move. No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire.