Category Archives: Primary / Secondary School

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Chesterfield, VA – Sprinklers keep fire in check after stolen van crashes into High School

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Fire alarms went off around 1:30 AM, when firefighters arrived at L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield they found a van on fire that had crashed through the front doors.  Officials say the tires were still running and that’s what caused the fire. Chesterfield Police say the van that crashed into the school was stolen.

The fire caused smoke to spread throughout the school and the sprinkler system to go off.  There were no reported injuries and the fire was contained to the area where the van crashed into the building.

“It appears the fire was more than likely caused by the tires continuing to spin as it was inside, and the tires caught fire and spread to the rest of the vehicle,” Lt. Jason Elmore with Chesterfield said. There was no one inside the building at the time of the crash.

The school will be closed through Sunday night. The principal sent a note home to parents saying they hope to reopen on Monday. Police are asking anyone with any information on the driver to contact them immediately. 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Battle Ground, WA – Fire in school science lab contained to one room by sprinkler system

A small fire started tonight in a science room at Chief Umtuch Middle School in Battle Ground.   A fire sprinkler had activated in the room, suppressing the fire and keeping it contained to the room, said Clark County Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy. The sprinkler activation triggered an alarm to summon firefighters, who finished extinguishing the fire once they arrived.

At 9:20 p.m., firefighters with Clark County Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the school, at 700 N.W. Ninth St. When they arrived, they found a small fire in room 185, a science classroom, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

The fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office, Dawdy said, but it appeared that a heat lamp inside an animal terrarium sparked the fire, and that flames spread to a nearby bookshelf.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Council Bluffs, IA – Sprinkler extinguishes intentionally set fire at high school

A small fire briefly disrupted activities Tuesday afternoon at Abraham Lincoln High School.  Around 12:15 p.m., someone set fire to a football tackling dummy on a balcony in the school fieldhouse, according to Council Bluffs Fire Marshal Larry Wohlers.  The fire activated a sprinkler head about 20 feet above the fire, which distributed water to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters arrived shortly after the activation.  No one was injured.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sprinkler contains overnight arson fire at elementary school (McAllen, TX)

Suspects broke into an elementary school, sprayed graffiti and started two classrooms on fire early Sunday morning. Firefighters responded to Dr. Pablo Perez Elementary School at 3:17 a.m. and took about 45 minutes to extinguish the fire, McAllen Fire Department Sector Capt. Javier Gutierrez said.

The fire was contained to the rooms with help from the school’s sprinkler system, he said, adding that fire investigators will be on scene at the school Monday to survey the damage. The school is still planning to be open, and the first grade students in the affected classrooms will be temporarily relocated.

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system (Charlotte, NC)

A small fire that caused the Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon was intentionally set, officials with the Charlotte Fire Department say.

The high school – on Alleghany Street, off Freedom Drive near Interstate 85 – was being evacuated when the department responded to fire alarms, officials said Thursday.

The sprinkler system had already extinguished the small fire, which officials said caused roughly $1,000 damage. No injuries were reported.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fire officials credit sprinkler system with minimizing damage in school fire (Bozeman, MT)

The Rae and Sourdough Fire Departments were dispatched to the Heritage Christian School for a fire alarm at 5:09 a.m. A deputy was first on the scene and advised there was heavy smoke in the building. The fire was declared under control at 6:37 a.m. and there were no injuries reported.

The fire department reports that the fire and associated damage was minimized because of the fire sprinkler and alarm system installed during the last remodel of the building. On Aug. 25, 2012, the school sustained significant damage in arson-related fire.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Arson fire at high school controlled with help from sprinkler system (Norcross, GA)

One Gwinnett County high school student is out of jail on bond but the other remains on an immigration hold after their misguided prank at Meadowcreek High School backfired and got them charged with arson and committing a terroristic act. They are accused of setting toilet paper on fire in school bathrooms in September.  The fire caused the school sprinkler system to go off.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sprinkler system controls daytime fire at high school (Spartanburg, SC)

A small fire caused the R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center to close its doors Monday afternoon to students. Fire alarms went off at about 11:15 a.m. Monday after a group of students from Spartanburg districts 4, 5 and 6 left to return to their high schools for lunch.

Sherri Yarborough, director of R.D. Anderson, said staff members saw smoke coming from the laundry room door and evacuated the building. Cynthia Robinson, spokeswoman for District 6, said some minor water damage was expected in the building’s new wing, but the sprinklers did their job.

“They worked like a charm,” she said.  R.D. Anderson expects to run on a normalschedule Tuesday.