Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Hampton, VA – Early morning fire at senior apartment building controlled by single sprinkler; No injuries

Hampton fire officials say several units inside a retirement community were damaged after a fire early Thursday morning. It happened at the Seton Manor Apartments on Marcella Road. No one was hurt.

According to Hampton fire officials, someone was cooking around 6:30 a.m. A pan with grease caught fire and set off the sprinkler.

Bertha Davis said she and her neighbors woke up to fire trucks and sirens. “I heard the alarm go off and then I went to the door. People were in the hallway,” she said. “A lot of people had to come out in their night clothes. The ones that had walkers, they were in the hallway.”

Despite the damage and the inconvenience, officials said the sprinkler system worked. “It did its job. It stopped the fire. That’s the most important part,” Stowers said. Stowers said it should take at least three days to completely clean the damage.

10 On Your Side tried talking to apartment managers about what happened and where the people displaced will go. They refused an interview, but sent a statement to 10 On Your Side late Thursday afternoon. The apartment says all affected residents to family homes or hotels while restorations are being completed.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chester, VA – Sprinkler system keeps apartment fire from spreading; Fire caused by clothes dryer motor malfunction

A fire Wednesday evening at an apartment complex in the Enon area of Chesterfield County has displaced three residents. The Chesterfield County Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded at 5:37 p.m. to the 2300 block of Golden Garden Circle for a dryer on fire inside of an apartment, according to officials. 

Fire crews arrived to find a small amount of fire inside of the dryer. The fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the bulk of the fire, stopping it from spreading throughout the apartment. It took crews approximately 20 minutes to get the fire under control, according to a release. 

The fire started as a result of the dryer motor malfunctioning during operation. Two adults and one child were displaced and are being assisted by apartment management.

Apartment Building, Residential

Norfolk, VA – Early morning apartment fire put out by sprinkler system

Multiple people have been displaced following a fire in a Norfolk apartment building Tuesday morning, officials said. The fire, which began in a kitchen at 3:30 a.m. at 819 West 38th Street, was put out by the complex’s sprinkler system before fire units arrived on the scene. No injuries were reported. Red Cross is assisting the six adults and eight children who were displaced by the incident.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

Nashville, TN – No one hurt in senior high-rise after sprinklers extinguish overnight fire

Emergency crews evacuated a Nashville retirement home early Monday after a resident reportedly fell asleep while smoking and caught a chair on fire, a fire spokesman said. Fire crews responded about 1:15 a.m. to Trevecca Towers at 60 Lester Ave. for a report of smoke at the 16-story building, Nashville Fire Department spokesman Brian Haas said.

Arriving crews evacuated the tower and found several pieces of furniture on fire in a room on the second floor, Haas said. The building’s sprinklers put the fire out shortly after crews arrived, Haas said.

“We have a lot of residents whose families are concerned,” said Tyler Jones, the building’s manager. “Thankfully, the sprinkler system worked as designed, so we’re grateful no one was hurt.”

Nearly two dozen residents were displaced, Haas said, but some of them were able to be housed at vacant units in the same building. The American Red Cross was called in to contact families of the other displaced residents to find temporary homes until their units are repaired. The nonprofit agency also provided cots for a few other displaced residents.

Although the facility may also have to put some displaced residents in hotel rooms, Jones said he wants to assure families that the residents will be taken care of.

 

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Branson, MO – Balcony fire at condominium building contained by sprinkler system

The Branson Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire last Friday morning. According to a press release, reports stated that heavy black smoke was coming from the back side of one of the Vineyard Condominiums located off Missouri 376.

“Upon investigation we discovered a fire had started on the wood deck material and extended up the railing and exterior wall,” Fire Captain Scott Cizek said. “Our crews discovered one fire sprinkler head above the deck had contained the fire.”

The fire sprinkler activated automatically, which initiated the fire alarm where occupants evacuated the building. The probable cause of the fire could have been due to cigarettes not being fully put out according to the press release.

“Upon investigation it was discovered the fire had smoldered for quite some time causing deep charring on part of the wood deck and railing. We could not rule out cigarette smoking material as a possible cause,” Division Chief Randy Fogle said.

The press release stated that “firefighters encourage those using cigarette materials to properly extinguish cigarettes and place them in fire-resistant containers.”

According to Fire Chief Ted Martin, lit cigarette fires often occur on these types of properties.

“Unfortunately in multi-family dwelling properties such as condos and apartments, we see a lot of cigarettes tossed over balcony railings to the ground level, accidentally dropped between the decking materials, or discarded inappropriately in containers as simple as plastic planter pots,” Martin said.

The press release did not mention any injuries or people harmed.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Arcata, CA – Fire in residence hall knocked down by sprinkler system; No injuries

At approximately 7:40 p.m. Friday Humboldt State University police (UPD) received a fire alarm activation at Alder Hall. At the same time Arcata Fire District was dispatched to the same location and for the same alarm. Upon further investigation, a University Police Department officer saw smoke coming from the first floor of Alder Hall and upgraded the alarm to a full fire alarm response.

The first engine on scene reported light-to-moderate white smoke coming from the first floor laundry room of Alder Hall. The fire crew made entry into the laundry room and reported it to be a dryer fire. After further investigation, the crew reported there was no fire; the sprinkler system had activated and knocked down the fire.

“There was heavy smoke in the room but, after we cleared it out, we realized the fire started because of a malfunctioning motor blowing unit inside the dryer” Fire Captain Nate Padula said.

There were no injuries reported and the student housing authorities are currently working on getting the students back into their apartments.

Arcata Fire District responded with two engines, one truck and two chief officers. Blue Lake Volunteer Fire Department responded as automatic aid with one engine and Humboldt Bay Fire Department responded as automatic aid with one engine and one chief officer. The University Police Department responded to the initial alarm and provided logistics after fire crews arrived on scene.

 

Hotel / Motel, Other - Residential

Daytona Beach, FL – Mattress fire at residential building put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters responded to a mattress fire at the Three Oaks Inn at 331 S. Palmetto Ave. about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday. The fire is believed to have started because of someone smoking in bed, Daytona Beach fire spokeswoman Julie Maddux said. The building’s sprinkler system put the fire out. About 35 people were displaced. The displaced residents were assisted by the Red Cross.

Residential, Single Family Home

Chapel Hill, NC – Home cooking-related fire put out by sprinkler system

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A sprinkler system extinguished a cooking-related fire Tuesday at a home in the Southern Village Neighborhood in Chapel Hill. Just before 1 p.m., Chapel Hill fire received a call from an alarm monitoring company reporting a fire at 500 Market Street.

Six trucks responded to the call as a sprinkler system was able to put the fire out. Responding fire fighters worked to ensure the fire was out. Chapel Hill fire officials said the cause of the fire was cooking related. No one was injured in the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Apartment kitchen fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries

A grease fire before 4:30 p.m. Saturday broke out at the Zion Development apartment complex, 1055 E. State St., a Rockford Fire Department incident report said.

Rockford Fire Department firefighters found fire in the kitchen of a fifth-floor apartment contained by the building sprinkler system. Occupants of damaged apartments were relocated to other areas of the apartment building.

Rockford fire investigators listed the fire as accidental. No injuries were reported. Twenty-one firefighters participated in the fire response and cleanup activities.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burnsville, MN – Suspected arson fire at apartment building doused by sprinkler system

Authorities are asking for the public’s help to find suspects of a suspected arson fire in Burnsville over the weekend. Burnsville Police and Fire departments say a fire at the Meridian Point Apartments, 51 McAndrews Road West, has been ruled suspicious. The fire, which happened on Sunday, was contained thanks to a single sprinkler head in the apartment building.

Fire crews arrived on scene to find smoke coming from a stairwell leading from the basement garage to the first floor. The building’s sprinkler system had already been activated and managed to keep the fire damage to a minimum. No building residents were displaced by the fire and no injuries were reported.

An investigation into the fire has led officials to believe it was intentionally set. Assistant Fire Chief Doug Nelson states in a release the cause appears to be suspicious and the circumstances of the fire remain under investigation. They ask any residents with information to call the arson hotline at 1-800-723-2020. A reward of up to $5,000 is available for information leading to the identity of the person or persons responsible.