Category Archives: Residential

Gibsons, BC, Canada – Early morning fire at assisted living complex doused by sprinkler system

Eighty-five residents of Christenson Village in Gibsons had to be evacuated early Saturday morning after a fire in one of the units.

The Gibsons and District Fire Department said a toaster was left on a stove top, which was accidentally turned on. Fire officials said the building’s sprinkler system kicked in and quickly doused the fire.

Julie Williams of the Good Samaritan Society, which runs Christenson Village, said the damage is still being assessed and they can’t say when the person who lives in the unit where the fire broke out will be able to return.

Williams adds that the Society is thankful for the quick actions of its staff and the local fire department in dealing with the incident.

Honolulu, HI – Sprinkler system suppresses fire on 15th floor of 42-story high rise; No injuries reported

More than 40 firefighters responded on Tuesday afternoon to a two-alarm fire at a high-rise building in Kakaako, the Honolulu Fire Department said.

Officials said the fire broke out around 4:30 p.m. at a 42-story building located at 425 South St. Firefighters arrived to find smoke emanating from the 15th floor. However, the fire had already been extinguished by a sprinkler and a bystander who used a cabinet fire hose.  Firefighters remained on scene to ensure complete extinguishment and removal of excess water.

No one was reported in the unit at the time of the fire.  Damage is estimated at $21,000. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Daly City, CA – Residential sprinkler system helps firefighters extinguish townhouse fire

Three residents were displaced by a structure fire reported in Daly City Tuesday afternoon.

Emergency crews were dispatched to a townhouse in the 300 block of Michelle Lane to find flames coming from the rear deck.

As they entered the home they determined that the fire had spread into the family room and attic.

Their efforts to extinguish the fire were aided by the home’s fire sprinkler system as well, firefighters said.

Crews remained on scene for an additional two hours to overhaul the structure.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Maple Valley, WA – Residential garage fire extinguished by single sprinkler

On Thursday June 30, 2016 just before 7:00 am in the 25600 block of SE 224th Street; Maple Valley firefighters responded to a residential garage fire. Upon arrival crews found light smoke coming from the garage door. Firefighters entered the structure and found the interior mostly clear. The building was equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system and a single sprinkler head had extinguished the fire. Fire damage was limited to the point of origin and there was minimal water damage. Loss was estimated at $1,000. The cause of the fire was accidental.

 

Campbell River, BC, Canada – Storage locker fire at apartment building knocked down with help from sprinkler system

No injuries were reported, but there is smoke and water damage in a storage locker room and adjacent living units after a fire in a multi-unit apartment building in the 300 block of Dogwood St. on Tuesday.

“At 9:45 a.m., Campbell River fire crews responded to a report of alarms ringing and fire inside a multi-unit apartment building, and they arrived to find a smoke-filled hallway on the first floor with an active fire inside a storage locker room at the end of that hallway,” deputy fire chief Chris Vrabel said in a press release. “A water sprinkler suppression system had activated and prevented a much more serious situation, which enabled the entry crew to quickly knock down the remaining fire.”

The majority of residents were allowed back into the building by 11:30 a.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

Battle Creek, MI – Early morning arson fire in home is extinguished by sprinkler system

Battle Creek firefighters and Battle Creek police are investigating a break-in and arson at a home. Firefighters were called to 141 Green St. at 6:21 a.m. Wednesday, according to Fire Marshal Quincy Jones. Jones said it appeared someone forced open a back door and set a fire in the kitchen in the rear of the two-story, wood-frame home. Jones said a home sprinkler system extinguished the fire and damage from the fire and water was minimal. A fire alarm alerted neighbors and they called 911, Jones said. The rental home was vacant at the time of the fire. Both fire officials and detectives from the Battle Creek Police Department are investigating.

Pontiac, MI – Apartment fire started by child playing with lighter is put out by sprinkler system

At 1 p.m. Tuesday, a fire was reported on Center Street near Cottage Street at a four-story apartment building in Pontiac.  All residents were evacuated, and the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before crews arrived.

Later, investigators learned the fire may have started due to a child playing with a lighter. There was minor fire damage to the apartment building, but significant smoke and water damage following the sprinkler system activation, Lyman said.

“It’s important to keep flammables away from children,” said Lyman. “(The residents) were lucky they were able to get out” of the building.

Sioux City, IA – Apartment bedroom fire extinguished by single sprinkler

An apartment sprinkler was able to extinguish a small fire in a Sioux City apartment complex Friday night prior to the arrival of firefighters, officials say. According to a Sioux City Fire Rescue news release, firefighters responded to an alarm at Prestwick Apartments, 4230 Hickory Lane, shortly before 10 p.m. Friday.

After investigating, firefighters located a single sprinkler head spraying water in a bedroom in one of the apartments.  Firefighters stopped the water and found remains of a small fire that had occurred on the dresser, the release said.  The occupant of the apartment was not home.

Upon investigation, the firefighters traced the source of the fire to an unattended candle. Damage was limited to the top of the dresser and a television near the candle, the release said.  Officials say sprinklers in buildings significantly reduce fire loss and deaths.

Somers, CT – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire at senior housing complex

Five occupants were injured early Sunday morning as a result of a fire that broke out in a woman’s apartment at the Woodcrest Senior Housing complex at 75 Battle St., a fire official said.

The fire was contained to the living room of a second-floor apartment, Fire Chief John Roache said today. The elderly woman who lived in the apartment was rescued by firefighters and bystanders and taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, he said.

Another elderly woman from a different apartment suffered minor back injuries during the evacuation of the building and was transported to Johnson Memorial Hospital, Roache said.

Both women have been released from the hospital, he said. Three additional occupants suffered smoke inhalation but refused to be taken to the hospital and were treated at the scene, he said.

The Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at the apartment complex just after 1 a.m. Sunday, Roache said. Firefighters extinguished the fire “in seconds” and the building’s sprinkler system was instrumental in keeping the situation from escalating, he said.

“Smoke detectors and automatic sprinklers stopped this from being much worse,” Roache said.

He said a lamp cord that ran along a couch in the living room of the apartment where the fire started appears to have caused the blaze. The cord had likely sustained damage over time due to being placed in the couch’s reclining section, Roache said. This damage appears to have caused a short, he added.

The tenant of the apartment where the fire started is currently staying with family members while her residence is repaired, Roache said. He did not have the names of those who were injured.

Chicago, IL – Kitchen fire in downtown residential high-rise smothered by sprinkler system

** FIRE DEPT REPORTED *** Chicago Fire Department – Fire in a High Rise – 30 S Jefferson St Chicago, IL

A minor kitchen fire was put out by a sprinkler system at 10:54 am. BC3 reports smoke conditions in a high-rise building and requests a fill out to a “Still in a High-Rise.” Aerial Tower 1 checking the East Stairwell Fire Attack Stairwell. T1 assigned west stairwell.