Category Archives: Residential

Fire sprinklers prove worth in multiple house fire (Carolina Forest, SC)

A fire that destroyed 26 buildings on Saturday was not able to demolish a couple of buildings that had fire sprinklers installed in them. The factors contributing to the enormity of the fire were the pine straw that surrounded all of the buildings and the high winds that evening.

Horry County Fire Chief Fred Crosby stated, “There were two buildings that had sprinklers. They were built after the fire code had changed and required it. The other buildings were built before it was required. And those two buildings are left standing.”

No injuries were reported.

Two structural fires are controlled by fire sprinklers (McKinney, TX)

Two fires that occurred recently had two items in common — fire sprinklers were in place and minimal structural damage occurred. The first fire, which took place in an apartment kitchen, was contained by a single fire sprinkler. A dry cleaning store sustained the other fire after business hours, and two fire sprinklers helped to control the fire until fire crews came. Fire Marshall Andrew Barr further emphasized fire sprinklers value when he said, “These two successful sprinkler saves demonstrate the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinkler systems in two very different environments – an apartment complex and a commercial building. Had a sprinkler system, or automatic fire suppression system, not been present in either building, the outcome may have been very different.”

Sprinkler system helped college students evacuate from resident hall fire (Philadelphia, PA)

205 students and 5 RAs of Race Street Hall were evacuated from the building around 1:30 a.m. due to a fire on the sixth floor. It is unclear at this time what caused the fire. Heasley and Subir Sahu, assistant dean of Residential Living, wrote in an email to campus residents, “A fire occurred in Race Street Hall, causing fire sprinkler systems to activate. There were no injuries, and all fire suppression systems operated correctly.”*** Blog Editor’s Note – Please let us know what you think of the coverage by The Triangle and journalist Ainslie Rhoads, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system. ***

Apartment saved thanks to fire sprinklers (Concord, CA)

Fire crews who responded to a mid-day apartment fire found it largely extinguished thanks to the unit’s fire sprinklers. The fire, which started in the apartment’s kitchen, was deemed under control within fifteen minutes, and no injuries were reported in connection with the fire. “Fire sprinklers saved lives and property today.” the Contra Costa Fire Protection’s Twitter feed stated.

Sprinkler system makes the difference in apartment fire (Colorado Springs, CO)

A neighbor called 911 after hearing children crying and seeing smoke coming from the apartment unit. Firefighters say a neighbor was able to safety evacuate two children from the home. It’s unclear where the parents/guardians were at the time of the fire. The fire sprinkler system in the apartment contributed to the safe outcome of this fire, authorities said. The cause of the fire is not known at this time.

Fire sprinklers limit fire damage at apartment building (Madison, WI)

A late night fire that began in the garage of an apartment building was quickly contained by two sprinkler heads located within a few feet of the car in which the fire began. According to Madison Fire Department spokesman Eric Dahl, “This contained the fire and kept it from spreading until firefighters arrived to finish extinguishing the fire.”
No injuries were reported, and once conditions were safe, all of the residents were allowed to return to their appartments.