Category Archives: Residential

Brockton, MA – Apartment arson fire contained by sprinkler system

… The incident is the second arson fire in the city in a week. On Aug. 19, someone set a fire inside an apartment in a 16-unit apartment building at 119 Newbury St., Williams said.

The apartment was unoccupied, however, there were other people in the building at the time. No one was injured.

The building’s sprinkler activated and helped keep the fire from spreading inside the four-story wood-frame building until firefighters arrived, Williams said.

Anyone with information on these two arson cases is asked to call the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9229. A reward of up to $5,000 has been offered for pertinent information.

Durham, NC – Fire at family shelter extinguished by sprinkler system

A grease fire at a family shelter in Durham caused the shelter and staff offices to be evacuated and displaced two families Friday morning, the development director at Families Moving Forward said.

Fire crews were called to the shelter located in the 300 block of North Queen Street just after 8 a.m. in response to a structure fire. Crews arriving on scene reported a two-story residential structure fire with no flames or smoke visible, officials said.

According to Durham fire officials, the fire occurred in the kitchen was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Two of the shelter’s rooms suffered water damage and the families in those rooms were moved to new rooms, Shana Carignan with FMF said.

Families in the shelter will not have access to the kitchen for the time being and the electricity is off on that side of the building.

At least 12 families no longer have power for their refrigerators and Carignan asked the community to consider making grocery store gift card donations for the families impacted.

The organization said that RISE Biscuits and Donuts, Domino’s Pizza and Urban Ministries of Durham have all donated food to the shelter.  Carignan said they’re still learning the full extent of the damage.

Petersborough, ON, Canada – Garbage chute fire at apartment building kept in check by sprinkler system

A fire in a garbage bin at an apartment building caused $500 damage and prompted an evacuation of the building.

Peterborough Fire service responded quickly to alarm bells ringing at a high-rise building at 909 Clonsilla Ave. this afternoon.

Upon arrival it was determined that a garbage bin  under the building’s garbage chute was on fire. This activated the  sprinkler system which controlled the  fire until fire crews extinguished the fire.

Smoke had spread throughout the  building and crews were able to remove it.

The building tenants had evacuated the  building upon hearing the  alarms ringing.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, said acting platoon chief Lloyd Dozois.

Chesterfield County, VA – Sprinkler system helps put out dryer fire in apartment building

Nearly a dozen residents were forced from their apartments overnight after a dryer fire in Chesterfield County.

The fire happened in a second-floor unit at the Grand Oak Forest apartments.

Firefighters said the sprinkler system helped put out the fire, but there is some water damage to three of those units.

No one was hurt in the fire.

Olympia, WA – No injuries in apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system

Olympia firefighters responded to a fire alarm about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at a west Olympia apartment complex.  When they arrived at the Fern Street Southwest building, they found fire inside one of the second-floor apartments. The small fire was being kept under control by the automatic sprinkler system. Fire crews finished extinguishing the fire and ensured all occupants had gotten out of the building.

Damage was limited to a corner of the living room and was estimated at $45,000.  Olympia Fire Department responded; McLane Fire District 9 provided assistance by responding to an unrelated call for medical aid within the city.  No one was injured. On Thursday, the cause of the fire was undetermined.

Rome, NY – No injuries in overnight apartment fire doused by sprinkler system

No one was injured after a fire in a bedroom at Liberty Gardens shortly before midnight on Saturday.  Officials with the Rome Fire Department said that the fire started in a bedroom at the North Levitt Street apartment complex and was doused by the sprinkler system. Responding fire crews took a hose line to the second floor of the apartment to check for extensions.  Witnesses on the scene said that there were three children in the apartment at the time of the fire but that all three got out of the apartment safely.  Fire officials said that the cause of the bedroom fire remains under investigation.

Bradenton, FL – Fire at senior and assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire has damaged apartments in a Manatee County assisted living facility.  According to the facility management, a guest of a resident at the Westminister Towers & Shores left a basket on a stovetop. The contents inside the basket soon caught fire. The fire was quickly contained and extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system and Bradenton Fire Department.  No one was injured during the fire.  Westminster Towers & Shores will be relocating the three residents whose apartments need to be restored.

North East, MD – Kitchen fire at senior apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system; State troopers rescue elderly residents

Six Maryland state troopers helped rescue several people from a fire at a senior apartment complex.  State police said troopers were called around 11 p.m. Thursday to help North East police and fire crews at a fire at the Victoria Park Apartments in the 500 block of South Main Street.

State police said the troopers entered the burning building without protective gear or breathing apparatus. The troopers carried five residents to safety before returning to the building to search for others.

There were no deaths and only minor injuries were reported.  According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire started in a kitchen and was extinguished by the sprinkler system.  The fire caused about $10,000 in damage to the structure and the contents.

San Francisco, CA – Sprinkler system activates to help control arson fire at apartment

Burglar sets shoe on fire in cooking pot during SF break-in — The burglar caused damage to the apartment Thursday by setting a shoe on fire in a cooking pot and triggering the residence’s sprinkler system to go off, officials said Friday.  The break-in occurred just before 8 p.m. at an apartment in the 1100 block of Laguna Street in the Western Addition.

“They put the shoe in the pot and set it on fire,” said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.  The burglar entered the apartment through a back window, Manfredi said.