Category Archives: Townhouse / Condominium

Sprinklers make the difference in a condo fire on the 17th floor (Grand Rapids, MI)

Fire sprinkler system quickly extinguished a cooking fire on the 17th floor of the River House Condos on Tuesday. A grease fire on the stovetop spread to kitchen cabinets in a condo about 4:30 pm. The sprinkler system put out the flames. Firefighters had to reach the 17th floor to shut off the water, said Grand Rapids Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Sehlmeyer.

***Blog Editor’s Note – Please let us know what you think of the coverage by MLive, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system ***

Sprinkler system douses townhouse kitchen fire (Langley, BC)

Langley Township firefighters were called in at about 4:30 p.m. to the home in the 8900 block of Walnut Grove Drive, said assistant fire chief Bruce Ferguson. The fire was caused by a stove left on, Ferguson said. The building’s sprinklers largely doused the flames.
** Blog Editor’s Note — Please tell us what you think of the media coverage by Matthew Claxton at the Langley Advance.  Sprinkler systems work to save lives and reduce property damage by controlling or extinguishing fires when they are small, prior to flashover. **

Sprinkler system allows family time to evacuate safety from their townhouse (Perryville, MD)

Investigators are crediting a sprinkler system with taming the flames before they spread throughout the residence, leaving responding firefighters with little to do but vent theplace and perform a safety check, fire officials reported.  The occupants at that time — a mother and her two children — were able to safely escape the townhouse after discovering thefire.  The fire detective also reported,“Damages were minimal and the family was able to remain inside their home for the night.”

Fire sprinklers save multiple homes from damage (Chapel Hill, NC)

A fire that broke out in a garage of a townhouse was quickly extinguished by the home’s fire sprinkler system. The home, which is connected to several other town homes, sustained minimal fire damage. 

In a release, the fire department stated, “The presence of an automatic fire sprinkler system in this home prevented a fire in an unattended home from growing larger and causing severe damage to the owner’s home as well as the neighbors’ homes within the building.”

Kitchen fire extinguished thanks to fire sprinkler (Charles County, MD)

A fire that erupted overnight in a townhouse kitchen was quickly doused by the home’s fire sprinkler system. Maryland State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard said, “This is yet another example of the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinklers in residential occupancies. Residential fire sprinklers save lives and property. The presence of fire sprinklers undoubtedly prevented a more tragic outcome.”