Category Archives: Single Family Home

Residential, Single Family Home

Taneytown, MD – Fire sprinklers keep fire contained to garage after fire pit ashes are incorrectly discarded

A house fire caused by fire pit ashes displaced two Taneytown residents after their garage caught fire in the 200 block of Colbert Street on Sunday night, according to fire officials.

The homeowner was alone in the house when a smoke detector alerted him to the fire, according to Mike Glass, public information officer for Taneytown fire company. The other resident was away at the time, he said. The Office of the State Fire Marshal identified the owner as Alan Sadowski.

Six fire companies responded after the initial call went out at about 8:54 p.m., Glass said, and those first on scene said there was a large fire in the attached garage. A sprinkler system in the house kept the fire mostly contained to the garage, but flames spread to the second floor of the single-family home where the bedrooms are, he said. Fire apparatus returned from the scene at approximately 11 p.m.

Improperly discarded ashes were the cause of the accidental fire, according to a news release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Residential, Single Family Home

Valley Center, CA – Garage fire limited thanks to fire sprinkler system

The first was an attached garage fire on Nicole’s Vista Wy. This fire was reported at 6:20PM on Saturday May 30. Units from Valley Center Fire, San Pasqual Reservation Fire and Pala Fire responded. The fire started in the garage, and was controlled by the automatic fire sprinkler system. Because of the fire sprinklers, damage was limited to the immediate area of origin, and the family was able to continue to occupy their home.

Residential, Single Family Home

Redding, CA – Fire sprinklers stop garage fire from spreading after batteries catch on fire; No injuries reported

Redding firefighters responded to a residential fire which they later learned was started by a failed RC car battery.

On Thursday, at 7:39 p.m., the Redding Fire Department (RFD) responded to a reported structure fire on Hollow Lane.

When firefighters arrived, they found a mostly extinguished fire within the garage of the home.

RFD says the homeowner and his family saw smoke and flames coming from the garage and reacted quickly with fire extinguishers and water hoses. The home also had an automatic fire sprinkler system which fire investigators say helped in keeping the fire from spreading.

After an investigation, RFD learned the fire was caused by failed rechargeable batteries used in RC cars. They say the battery was being charged when it failed, ignited and spread fire to the surrounding, plastic items on a shelving unit.

RFD says the garage suffered moderate to major fire and smoke damage, but due to the swift actions of the homeowner and the fire sprinkler system, fire was limited to the garage.

Nobody was injured in this incident.

Residential, Single Family Home

Austin, TX – Residential sprinkler system extinguishes fire after candle sets Christmas tree on fire; No injuries reported

A candle too close to a Christmas tree ignited a fire at an East Austin home early Sunday, Austin fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to the fire at the 4500 block of Kocurek Street, near Mueller and Airport boulevards, just before 4 a.m.

A residential sprinkler system extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived to the home and contained it to the area where the tree stood. Firefighters helped mitigate the smoke and water.

Fire and water damage were estimated to be around $30,000, fire investigators said.

“It is past time for dry trees to be removed from your home,” officials said in a tweet Sunday.

No reports of injuries were made.

Residential, Single Family Home

Pigeon Forge, TN – Sprinkler system saves $1.2 million cabin containing fire to single room

Fire sprinklers saved a $1.2 million luxury cabin from going up in smoke according to the Pigeon Forge Fire Department.

The PFFD was dispatched in response to a fire alarm around 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, indicating a water flow alarm in an unoccupied cabin at 4125 Sherwood Heights Way.  Calls from other nearby cabins indicated that smoke and flames were visible from the cabin’s first floor. 

Firefighters arrived to find a three-story, 6,400-square-foot rental cabin with a working fire with flames visible from the rear of the cabin. 

A sprinkler located outside a mechanical room contained the fire to a single room. Shortly thereafter, the fire was completely extinguished by firefighters.  

“The cabin, with an estimated worth of $1.2 million and the capacity to sleep 48 guests, incurred approximately $15,000 in damages,” PFFD Chief Tony Watson said. “We have no doubt that the sprinkler system prevented the loss of this cabin and minimized damages. This event further demonstrates the value of sprinkler systems in all properties.”

Residential, Single Family Home

Middle River, MD – House fire contained by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Crews are on the scene of a Monday night house fire in Middle River.

The fire was reported at around 10 p.m. in the 900-block of Manorgreen Road (21220).

Arriving units found that a fire had begun in the kitchen of the house.

The home’s sprinkler system had mostly extinguished the blaze by the time firefighters arrived on scene.

No injuries have been reported at this time.

Residential, Single Family Home

North Vancouver, BC, Canada – In-home sprinkler system saves home from fire; no injuries reported

The North Vancouver City Fire Department is crediting an in-home sprinkler system with saving a Grand Boulevard area house from fire Wednesday morning.

A Canada Post employee on his route noticed smoke and water coming from inside the house on the 1500 block of Ridgeway Avenue and called 911.

When crews arrived, the smoke detectors could be heard but there wasn’t much to see from the outside.

“The reason for that was it was a newer build house and it had sprinklers,” said assistant chief Greg Schalk. “Essentially at that point in time, the fire was out.”

The residents were not home at the time. They will receive temporary accommodations from Emergency Social Services, Schalk said, but they will have to look to their insurers for something over the longer term.

“They’ll be out for a while. Obviously, they’re going to have to get a restoration company in to start managing the fallout,” he said.

“In the end, the majority of the damage was caused by the water, not the fire. But [the sprinkler] probably saved the house.

“They seemed grateful and understood the fact that if there weren’t sprinklers in the house, the story would have been completely different.”

There is no requirement for sprinklers in single-family homes, but Schalk said he recommends them for any new build.

The exact cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet but investigators feel they have it narrowed down, Schalk said.

“It definitely started in the laundry room and it looked like it had something to do with either the washer or the dryer,” he said.

Residential, Single Family Home

Mechanicsville, MD – Fire sprinkler system allows homeowner and pet to escape after lightning sets home on fire; No injuries reported

Lightning is to blame for a fire that severely damaged a home on Dixie Lyon Road in Mechanicsville on Tuesday evening.

Just after 5 p.m., a lightning strike to the exterior of the home started a fire. A passerby reported the fire.

Fortunately, both the smoke alarm and the sprinkler system went off and the homeowner and a family pet were able to escape without injuries. The occupant is currently being helped by the Red Cross.

Thirty firefighters from the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department were able to get the fire extinguished within 30 minutes.

The two-story home suffered $75,000 in damage and an estimated $25,000 in contents were lost.

Residential, Single Family Home

Livermore, CA – Fire sprinkler system helps contain residential fire to bedroom; No injuries reported

 Firefighters quickly extinguished a residential fire in Livermore early Wednesday morning. The blaze was reported in the 100 block of E. Stanley Boulevard at 2:13 a.m.

Smoke was visible from the back of the residence, according to Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department officials.

“With the help of the sprinkler system, LPFD personnel were able to quickly contain the fire to the second story bedroom and exterior siding,” Deputy Chief Aaron Lacey told Patch.

Lacey said the home sustained “major water damage.”

“Large fencing, a narrow driveway, and a distant local fire hydrant made initial operations and access into the property difficult,” Lacey said.

No one was injured during the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Residential, Single Family Home

Apopka, FL – Overnight garage fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A family of three is lucky to be alive after a fire broke out in their garage.

Orange County firefighters were called to the home in the 700 block of Tortoise Ct. in Apopka. They say they got to the scene just in time to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the house.

Battalion 1 fought this house fire in the 7000 block of Tortoise Ct. Crews credit residential sprinkler system AND working smoke alarms from preventing what could have been worse. Most damage contained to garage. Two residents and pets escaped without harm.