Category Archives: Residential

Residential, Single Family Home

Hoffman Estates, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at two-story home; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported after fire broke out in a Hoffman Estates home Sunday morning, causing an estimated $400,000 in damage.

Hoffman Estates fire officials said firefighters called at about 10:04 a.m. to the two-story home in the 2100 block of Colchester Avenue arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the garage.

All the home’s occupants had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived and the blaze was under control within about 20 minutes, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home had operating smoke detectors and a residential sprinkler system, although the garage had no coverage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bismarck, ND – Sprinkler system extinguishes stovetop fire at multi-story apartment building; No injuries reported

The Bismarck Fire Department (BFD) was called to the downtown side of the capital city this weekend, as a sprinkler system activated in a multi-story apartment building.

According to a press release from the BFD, at approximately 5:28 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, the group received a call after a report of sprinkler activation at the Heritage Apartments on the 100 block of North 6th Street. Upon arriving on the scene, fire crews noted that the smoke alarm and sprinkler activation came from the fourth floor — and would later detect light smoke in the hallway and water flowing under the door of an apartment.

As they entered, firefighters found that a stovetop fire had been extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system, and that the unit’s occupant evacuated to the ground floor. Following this realization, the water flow from the sprinkler was shut down, and the four floor was ventilated to clear smoke.

No injuries were reported to occupants or firefighters, but three occupants were temporarily displaced due to water damage.

The cause of the fire was determined to be unattended cooking.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condo building; No injuries reported

No one was injured following a fire Monday evening in a Leila North condo building. 

The fire broke out just after 8 p.m. in a four-storey condo building in the 1200 block of Leila Avenue.

The condo’s sprinkler system knocked out most of the fire before crews arrived. Firefighters finished putting out the fire and it was declared under control about an hour later.

Residents took shelter in the lobby while crews put the fire out. No one was injured.

It’s believed the fire was accidental, related to lithium-ion batteries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spring Hill, TN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

The Spring Hill Fire Department responded swiftly and effectively to a morning fire at a third-floor apartment at Worthington Glen Apartments, where they rescued a dog and two cats. Thanks to the rapid response and the assistance of the sprinkler system, the fire was contained, preventing any casualties.

The fire was dispatched at 11:21am Monday morning, fortunately, broke out while no residents were present in the apartment. However, the presence of beloved pets left behind prompted firefighters to take immediate action to ensure their safety. Firefighters managed to locate and safely evacuate the pets, much to the relief of the owners.

The sprinkler system played a crucial role in containing the fire, minimizing its spread to neighboring units. While the third-floor apartment sustained fire damage, the lower apartments experienced water damage as a result of the sprinkler system’s activation. Damage to the building is estimated to be around $150,000. The Fire Marshal determined one of the cats possibly turned the stove on and started the fire.

Worthington Glen is taking proactive measures to assist affected residents. Management is relocating residents to other available apartments within the complex to ensure their comfort and safety while repairs are underway.

Apartment Building, Residential

South Burlington, VT – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment garage; No injuries reported

A car fire inside a South Burlington garage on Monday afternoon closed down a road and forced residents to evacuate an apartment complex.

The call came around 1 p.m. after fire officials were notified the sprinkler and alarm system were activated in the lower level garage at the O’Dell Apartments off Farrell Street.

It’s not clear what started the fire but smoke rose into the upper levels of the building, which forced people out for several hours.

“Obviously, since it’s chilly out, people don’t necessarily want to leave, so it took a little bit of work with help from our police officers to get everyone out of the building,” South Burlington Deputy Fire Chief Chris Corbin said.

Officials say no one was injured and the road has since reopened.

Other - Residential, Residential

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at two-story residential facility

Several dozen people had to be evacuated from a two-story residential facility due to a fire in southwest Fresno Wednesday morning, according to the Fresno Fire Department.

Fire crews say they responded to M.L.K. Jr. Blvd and Annadale Avenue for a small fire on the first floor, which was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system. The facility had extensive water damage and many of the occupants were temporarily displaced.

Fire officials say one person was transported to a local hospital with smoke inhalation. Fire investigators say an oxygen generator may have been the cause of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Sprinkler system activated for two separate residential fires

Early this morning, Monday, March 4, 2024, Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) firefighters were called for two working building fires back to back.

Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the area of 6000 NW 26th Street, just before 6:04 a.m.  Firefighters arrived on scene in just under five minutes and immediately began extinguishing the fire and searching for victims. The 27 firefighters who responded had the fire extinguished within 4 minutes of arrival. Building damage was limited mostly to the apartment of origin. Damage to an adjacent apartment was minimal. No civilian or firefighter injuries resulted from this fire. Two neighbors were displaced. The fire is under investigation.

While firefighters were finishing up at the first fire, a second multi-family residential building fire was reported at 6:23 a.m. near the 3000 block of NE 28th Drive (GRACE Marketplace). Firefighters arrived on scene in six minutes to find the building full of smoke and immediately began efforts to locate the fire and search for victims.

Prior to the arrival of firefighters, the building’s fire sprinkler system controlled fire growth, allowing occupants time to escape and limiting building damage. The 27 firefighters who responded completed extinguishing the fire within 10 minutes of arrival. The fire caused minimal damage to the building. One civilian suffered a very minor injury, and no firefighter injuries were reported. Ten neighbors were displaced.

The fire appears to have been caused by several charging battery packs.  Fires caused by batteries and battery chargers are a growing problem. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you avoid charging a device under a pillow, on a bed, or on a couch, and do not keep charging the device or battery once it is fully charged.

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

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire on university campus

The Madison Fire Department reported an automatic sprinkler prevented further damage to a building on UW-Madison’s campus overnight.

Spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said firefighters were dispatched to 30 East Campus Mall at 12:33 a.m. for a fire alarm activation. Schuster said no one was around to report the fire to 911.

Upon arrival, firefighters were met by members of the UW-Madison Police Department and UW Security.

The crew entered the building and noticed an odor of smoke. The odor was followed to a wood workshop, where the crew found the room full of smoke and an automatic fire sprinkler activated.

Beneath the active sprinkler was a burned-up garbage can and its contents on the floor. Just one sprinkler head activated, but it extinguished the fire and prevented the fire from spreading, according to Schuster.

Damage from the fire is estimated at about $2,000. Damage was contained to some paint cans, a portable electric sander, cabinets and other items.

Firefighters moved the burned items outside, ventilated the area, and turned off the fire sprinkler system.

With the sprinkler systems temporarily shut down, UW Security provided fire watch until a responsible party returned to the building.

Other - Residential, Residential

Berkeley, CA – Sprinkler system activated for lithium-ion battery fire at supportive housing facility

A fire broke out at the Hope Center in downtown Berkeley when a lithium-ion battery overheated Monday night, authorities report.

Battalion Chief Brian Harryman of the Berkeley Fire Department credited the Hope Center’s fire sprinkler system with putting out the blaze before it spread.

“It probably saved the whole building,” he said.

The Hope Center, which opened in 2022 on the site of a former city parking lot, has 53 supportive housing units while Berkeley Way Apartments, part of the same complex, has 89 affordable units and services for low-income families.

Firefighters were dispatched to the Hope Center, at 2012 Berkeley Way, just before 8:30 p.m. Monday for a report of smoke on the third floor.

“We’re getting reports of somebody blowing up their room, unknown what that means,” a dispatcher told the Berkeley Fire Department as the call came in.

Thanks to proximity, Berkeley firefighters arrived at the Hope Center in under a minute, Harryman said: BFD’s Station 2 is just across the street about 100 feet away.

Inside the apartment, firefighters found scooters and lithium-ion batteries that had been charging unattended.

The fire was out quickly thanks to the sprinkler system, but the water caused “considerable damage” to the apartment where the batteries were charging.

Several adjacent units saw minimal damage due to water that got in beneath the doors.

Firefighters had to manually turn off the sprinklers to control the flow.

“There’s a considerable amount of water damage,” a firefighter said over the radio just before 8:40 p.m., adding: “We’re going to need squeegees and manpower.”

All of the residents were able to return to their rooms aside from the unit where the fire happened.

Fortunately, Harryman said, a friend in the building offered that resident a place to stay.

“We checked around and all the shelters were full. All the hotels were full,” he said. “We really didn’t have a place to send him.”

Harryman noted that some of the scooter rental companies pay people to charge lithium-ion batteries for them. But he said he did not know if that had been the case on Berkeley Way.

BFD strongly discourages anyone from charging lithium-ion batteries inside their homes, he added. Even outside, they should not be left unattended.

“Don’t plug them in and leave for the day or leave them for the weekend,” he said. “These things are overcharging, heating up and causing fires. If you are going to charge it, remain home with it and don’t charge it inside.”

Last year, the city of Berkeley announced in June that six recent fires had been caused by unattended lithium battery charging.

“These local battery fires — involving e-skateboards, e-scooters, and at least one e-bike — have also been seen around the region and nation,” the city wrote.

The city also noted that fires could “occur spontaneously while charging” and advised anyone noticing signs of fire, such as smoke, gas and sparks, to evacuate the area and immediately call 911.

Lithium battery safety tips from the city of Berkeley:

  • Only use the original manufacturers’ chargers, batteries and replacements
  • Charge only until the battery is full, then disconnect
  • Keep the battery away from heat, cold and flammable items while charging and storing
  • Discard distressed batteries (those that are swollen, dented or otherwise damaged) at a drop-off site — not in your garbage can

Learn more from the city of Berkeley about fire risks related to lithium-ion batteries.

Other - Residential, Residential

Elyria, OH – Sprinkler system activated for fire at group home

A working sprinkler system prevented a group home from being severely damaged in a weekend fire, according to Elyria firefighters.

When crews arrived on Academy Court Saturday, they said the main body of the fire had already been extinguished.

Firefighters helped get the smoke from the building and also assisted with water removal, which eliminated further damage, said firefighters.

The cause remains under investigation.

Simple Share Buttons