Category Archives: School / University

NOTE – Residence Hall, Dormitory, and Fraternity-Sorority is included under Residential Category

Apartment Building, Other - School / University, Residential

Greeley, CO – Off-campus apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

Four students were displaced from their homes Tuesday after a fire in one apartment touched off the sprinklers at the Arlington Park Apartments. Greeley firefighters were called around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to a fire at the Arlington Park Apartments, Building No. 3, 2315 9th Ave.

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke showing. The fire was contained to one apartment and was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. But students living in two rooms would be displaced because of smoke and water damage, said University of Northern Colorado spokesman Nate Haas.

Students were evacuated and there were no injuries, reported Greeley Firefighter Battalion Chief Rick Hinchcliffe.  Firefighters were clearing the building as of 8:30 p.m., and the fire was out minutes later. Custodians were called in to clear the water.

The immediate damage was contained to the apartment with a fire, with water damage to the apartment immediately below, Hinchcliffe said.  Haas said university residence officials were working Tuesday to find temporary housing for the students in the college’s residence halls.

Hinchcliffe said three fire trucks, one ladder truck and one heavy rescue truck responded, with a total of 15 firefighters on scene. There is no word yet on a cause or a damage estimate.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Richland, WA – Fire in university laboratory is put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

Several students and staff had to be evacuated Monday at WSU Tri-Cities after a small explosion and fire. It happened just before two in the afternoon inside the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory.

The school says there was a minor fire after a cylinder of compressed gas exploded unexpectedly. The Director of Marketing and Communications at the school says the building’s sprinkler system put the fire out and no one got hurt.

Students were evacuated from the east and west buildings but were allowed back in shortly after. Firefighters say they’re now looking into what happened.

Richland Fire Department Chief Tom Huntington said, “the sprinkler system activated, alarm system activated everybody was able to get out safe. Our initial response and activity were here was to make sure the buildings were clear and everybody was out. Right now what they’re working on then is to make sure there is no secondary spills chemical spills things like that associated with the explosion make sure the building is secure then we will start the investigation and figure out what happened.”

Staff at the school says the BSEL labs are now canceled until further notice, and students should log on to Blackboard to check if lectures have been moved to a new location.

Primary / Secondary School

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler quells fire that started in art kiln at charter school

An indoor kiln’s exhaust fan at Evergreen Community Charter School failed Thursday night, causing heat to build up and the sprinkler to activate. The Asheville Fire Department responded to the school shortly after 8 p.m., said spokeswoman Kelley Klope.

The sprinkler system cooled the kiln and prevented a fire, she said. Had there not been a sprinkler system, the heat buildup could have ignited nearby combustibles and the overhead ceiling, which could have caused a structure fire, Klope said.

The school’s art room sustained minor heat damage to some overhead lighting and minor water damage. Sprinkler systems use less water to suppress early onset fires than fire crews do, Klope said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, if a home fire occurs, the risk of dying decreases by about 80 percent when the home is equipped with a fire sprinkler system.

Primary / Secondary School, Residential

East Hampton, NY – Fire at boarding school extinguished by sprinkler system

The fire that broke out at the Ross Upper School on Wednesday night appears to have been caused by a dryer that caught on fire in the laundry room at the Center for Well Being, according to a report in 27east. The fire, which caused minor damage to the laundry room, was extinguished by automatic sprinkler system in the building, according to the report.  Members of both the East Hampton Fire Department and the Bridgehampton Fire Department blew the fire smoke out of the building’s basement and outside using large fans, 27east.

A fire broke out at the Ross Upper School campus in East Hampton on Wednesday night, according to a report in The East Hampton Star. Police responded to the school on 20 Goodfriend Drive at about 10:15 p.m. and put out a fire in the basement laundry room at the Center for Well Being, according to the report.  The fire was put out by about 10:40 p.m., The East Hampton Star reports.

 

 

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Summerside, PE, Canada – Fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system; Classes resume next day

Most classes at Elm Street Elementary School in Summerside, P.E.I., will resume on Tuesday after a small fire forced the cancellation of all classes on Monday. The fire started near a ventilation fan in the computer server room at about 4:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

Summerside fire Chief Jim Peters said the sprinkler system had put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived. “It was just a matter of us, the firefighters, shutting down the sprinkler system and clearing some smoke,” said Peters.

Shutting down the sprinklers, however, took about 30 minutes, said English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet. The water soaked through the floor and ran into classrooms below, including the kindergarten.

Because of the water damage, kindergarten will be cancelled again Tuesday. All other classes will go ahead Tuesday as usual. Kindergarten classes will resume Wednesday, with changes for one classroom.

“Tomorrow, we will have teachers with workers from the school board move furniture and materials back into two classrooms, and a third classroom will be relocated into the breakfast area,” Fleet said.

“So that is why the breakfast program will not be in operation for the remainder of the week.”

Communications at the school will be by telephone only until the computer system is restored.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Troy, MI – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire at preschool; no injuries

The Troy Fire Department was dispatched to the School Bell Early Childhood Education Center on Troy’s northeast side Saturday evening in response to a fire alarm that was activated at the school.

Upon arrival around 6:15 p.m., firefighters observed water from the sprinkler system coming out from around a closed window, the report said. After entering the building, which was unoccupied at the time, firefighters could see smoke coming from the school’s kitchen. The fire had already been extinguished by the sprinkler system, so firefighters shut the water off to the sprinklers and ventilated the smoke from the building, the report said.

Preliminary investigation showed that the fire occurred after the stove was accidentally turned on when produce items were delivered and placed on top of it several hours earlier.

Fire damage was limited to the stove top and cabinets above, and the preschool was able to open for classes on Monday. Fire personnel were on the scene for about 45 minutes.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Wilmington, DE – Morning fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system

Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington was evacuated after a small fire Monday morning, but the site will reopen Tuesday. Principal Jeffers Brown “will be notifying parents and staff of this decision,” Christina School District Public Information Officer Wendy Lapham said.

City fire crews were dispatched at 8:10 a.m. after sprinklers set off an automatic alarm, according to Battalion Chief James R. Jobes, the department’s public information officer. Firefighters found medium-heavy smoke on the second floor with water in the hallway, Jobes said. Crews that began searching the second floor with fire hoses found an activated sprinkler in one room, with the fire already out, he said.

Nearly 330 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade were relocated from their school in the 1100 block of N. Pine St. to the nearby Howard High School of Technology in the 400 block of E. 12th St., Lapham said.

 

“Being right across the street, it worked out perfect,” she said.

 

Since school doesn’t start until 9 a.m, only teachers and other staff members were in the building, Lapham said.

 

Arriving buses were directed to the high school, she said, and students who walk were escorted there.

 

Water from the sprinkler reached adjoining rooms and leaked through the floor to classrooms below, he said.

 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Wilmington Fire Marshal’s Office.

 

Parents and concerned citizens may call the school at (302) 429-4175 for more information.

 

There was no immediate estimate of damage to the elementary school, built in 1953 and named for city native Dr. Frederick Douglass Stubbs, one of the country’s top thoracic surgeons.

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.

 

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

Charleston, IL – Residence hall fire at Eastern Illinois University doused by sprinkler system

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Incense that was lit and unattended was found to be the cause of a closet fire that occurred at about 7:15 p.m. on the fifth floor, room 5G, in Stevenson Hall Thursday. The Charleston Fire Department responded to the fire at 7:31 p.m.

Mark Hudson, the director of university Housing and Dining, said the heat from the fire, which damaged a corner of the closet, activated the sprinkler system and “quickly” doused the flames. Having candles, incense and any other open flames goes against housing policy, Hudson said.

“There is minor damage to the room from the fire, but the water sprinklers going on caused additional issues in the building,” said Hudson.

Hudson said other suites got wet from the system but were cleaned by the building service workers, and electricians came to replace smoke detectors in the room with fire damage and others affected by water. Those who lived in the room affected by the fire were all moved to a different suite within the building.

Hudson said the student who caused the fire came forward, but he was not able to release the student’s name yet because of everything still being a part of the overall investigation.

The student responsible for the fire will face disciplinary action from the university.  “It’s a very serious situation because it’s safety violation; they went against the rules of the building in terms of its fire safety,” Hudson said.

Hudson said the damage cost of the fire and water was uncertain, but the building is fully open to students except for the room where the fire occurred.

Students that were evacuated from the building were not allowed to enter until 10:45 p.m. and those who were eating during the time of the fire were given meal credit, said Hudson.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Bellingham, WA – Sprinklers put out fire in chemistry building at Western Washington University

A chemical fire erupted in a Western Washington University chemistry building on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 25. No one was injured, and the building was evacuated right after the fire broke out about 5:15 p.m., said WWU spokesman Paul Cocke.

Student Melany Fry was in room 370 of Morse Hall with six other students when the fire broke out. “We heard a big bang and a whoosh,” Fry said.

Fry said the fire started by a dry-solvent pump, which keeps water out of solvents. She didn’t think anybody was working with that pump at the time.

The flames were initially about 15 feet high, Fry said. All of the students got out quickly while somebody else tried putting the fire out with an extinguisher.

Firefighters responded and saw a plume coming from the building. They set up a perimeter far from the building to keep everyone away as they tried to determine what chemicals were involved.

The building’s sprinklers put out the fire. Firefighters broke out windows to ventilate the building, and conducted a search for anyone who might still be inside, though the building had been cleared. They later ordered an evacuation of the nearby biology building.

A hazardous materials team was brought in to examine the lab and ensure the scene was safe.

Jared Chang, another WWU student who was in the building at the time, described the chemicals the students were working with as “a bunch of nasty, organic solvents that you don’t want on fire.”

What caused the fire was under investigation Tuesday evening. No immediate damage estimate was available.