Category Archives: Warehouse

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Elk Grove Village, IL – Warehouse fire limited by sprinkler system; Fire started in truck trailer

Fire engulfed a truck trailer filled with cleaning and restaurant supplies parked at the loading dock of a warehouse in Elk Grove Village last night (Wednesday). Firefighters spent about two hours battling the blaze and clearing the area of smoke after the flames were extinguished.

Elk Grove Village Fire Chief Richard Mikel said flames became so intense inside the trailer, it burned through the roof of the trailer sending large amounts of smoke billowing into the air and throughout the entire warehouse at 2301 Lunt Ave.

Mikel estimated the warehouse to be several hundred thousand square feet in size. Heat from the trailer fire activated sprinklers above the loading dock and saving the building from fire damage. Mikel said he is scheduled to meet with building owners to assess the extent of significant smoke damage. Mikel said water damage to the building was minimal.

Firefighters were alerted by witnesses from across the street who saw smoke rising at about 10 p.m., Mikel said. Firefighters had the fire out and smoke vented by about midnight. Mikel said there were no injuries and he did not believe anyone was in the building when the fire began.

Firefighters arriving on scene saw the entire building engulfed in smoke and called for an upgraded Code 4 alarm. That alarm brought nearly 30 firefighters from Des Plaines, Elk Grove Township, Itasca, Wood Dale and Bensenville to assist Elk Grove Village. Crews used a special Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) truck equipped with a giant fan to clear the building of smoke after the trailer was extinguished and towed away from the loading dock.

Mikel said had the building not been equipped with a sprinkler system, the building itself would have likely caught fire causing a vastly larger blaze. He also said the trailer did not have a semi tractor attached to it when it caught fire. He said that would have also made the fire worse.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Brampton, ON, Canada – Fire in 800,000 ft² Unilever warehouse extinguished by sprinkler system

Sprinklers are being credited with averting a potentially major fire at a massive warehouse in Brampton Wednesday night.  Flames broke out under some racking in the 800,000-square-foot Unilever building on Airport Road south of Steeles Avenue East around 10:30 p.m.

Firefighters were called to the warehouse, where they had to force open a rear door closest to the fire. But the building’s sprinkler system had been trigged, and extinguished the blaze. Damage was limited to 40 skids out of potentially millions of dollars worth of product, which includes soap and mayonnaise, according to Platoon Chief Gord Fowler.

“That type of fire is very difficult to fight,” Fowler noted, saying getting hose lines into a large, enclosed area like that is one of the many issues firefighters face in such a situation. Employees inside the building were evacuated and no injuries were reported.   It’s a good news stories that highlights the effectiveness of sprinklers, Fowler said.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

City of Industry, CA – Arson fire at paper goods warehouse held in check by sprinkler system

An arson fire scorched an Industry warehouse packed with paper goods Wednesday, authorities said. The fire was first reported about 2:45 a.m. at a 55,000-square-foot warehouse in the 700 block of South 5th Avenue, Los Angeles County fire and sheriff’s officials said.

Though largely “kept in check” by the building’s sprinkler system, firefighters battled the stubborn blaze for nearly two hours until it was declared extinguished, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Randall Wright said. No injuries were reported.

But firefighters determined the scene of the fire appeared suspicious and called in investigators from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Arson-Explosives Detail, Wright said. “The cause is arson,” sheriff’s Detective Cynthia Valencia said. It appeared the arsonist spread gasoline around in the rear portion of the warehouse before lighting it on fire.

The intent of the arsonists appeared to be to destroy the building, but they were thwarted by the businesses’ fire-suppression system, she added. “(The) sprinkler system did a great job,” Valencia said.

Preliminary estimates of the damage caused to the warehouse, as well as the paper plates, paper cups and other similar items stored inside ranged between $300,000 and $500,000, the detective said.

A subleased portion of the warehouse, which is used as a packaging business, was unscathed, she said. Investigators continued seeking clues Thursday, and trying to determine who would want to torch the warehouse, Valencia said.

The arsonists were described only as two men, driving a sedan. “The owner is very cooperative,” Valencia said.  Firefighters remained at the scene until about noon, Wright said.

Any witnesses, or anyone who saw anything suspicious early Wednesday morning is asked to contact Detective Valencia at the sheriff’s Arson-Explosives Detail at 323-881-7500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Billings, MT – Petroleum warehouse fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire ignited at a petroleum warehouse near downtown Billings on Friday afternoon, causing damage to the building but no injuries. Billings firefighters were called to Cross Petroleum Services, 1818 Minnesota Ave., just after 2 p.m. and found flames near the front of the building.  With the help of a sprinkler system, firefighters contained and knocked down the blaze in about 15 minutes, said Billings Fire Department Chief Paul Dextras.

The warehouse stores flammable and combustible products. According to a report from Deputy Fire Marshal Jamie Fender, the fire ignited when flammable liquids were being transferred between containers and the fire was accidental. The estimated cost of damages for the insured building and the insured material destroyed is $100,000.

“It could’ve been somewhat catastrophic,” Dextras said. A large burn mark scarred the front of the building, running up to the roof, and metal tanks outside the building appeared scorched. Sprinklers continued to spray well after the fire was out. Dextras said it was unclear how much flammable material was currently stored inside the warehouse.

Online property records label the building as C & D Warehouse. Dextras and signage outside the building labeled it as Cross Petroleum Products. Records show that the warehouse is about 110,000 square feet.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Austin, TX – Fire in 18-wheeler extends into warehouse; Sprinklers extinguish blaze

A fire that began in an 18-wheeler and spread to a warehouse in southeast Austin late Thursday night has caused about $100,000 worth of damage. Crews with the Austin Fire Department responded around 11:30 p.m. to the fire that started in the 18-wheeler full of cardboard on Freidrich Lane.  Officials said the fire extended to a nearby warehouse, but a sprinkler system quickly put out the flames.

Crews were able to put out the fire inside the 18-wheeler shortly after arriving at the scene. No injuries were reported in the fire.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system helps keep fire from spreading when stored cooking oil ignites

More than forty firefighters battled a fire that broke out late Sunday morning at a storage warehouse in northwest Edmonton.

Fire crews were called to the commercial warehouse in an industrial area near 148 Street and 128 Avenue just before noon.

“When they arrived, there was black smoke coming out of the building,” Edmonton Fire Rescue spokeswoman Holly Budd said. “They forced entry and the sprinkler system had been activated in the building.” 

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services district chief Marc Zubick said the portion of the building that was engulfed stored edible oils. 

“It’s cooking oil that was the cause of the smoke but the cause of the heat that created the smoke on that oil has not been determined yet,” said Zubick. 

Zubick said the fire suppression system in the warehouse did a good job keeping the fire from spreading. As a precaution, firefighters called for more fire trucks at around 12:10 p.m., and a second alarm was called around 10 minutes later. 

Forty five firefighters fought the remainder of the blaze for two hours. The cause is still unknown.  

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Ashland, OH – Sprinkler system keeps warehouse fire in check

A fire caused unknown damage to the warehouse of Gifts4You Wholesale Inc., at 1201 Jacobson Ave., Tuesday morning.

Ashland Fire Department Assistant Chief Gabe Campbell said an electrical system showered sparks onto some pallets in the northeast corner of the building.

He said the occupants had left and returned to find smoke coming from the building.

Firefighters knocked the hot spots of the fire down;  the sprinkler system had kept the fire in check and did what it was supposed to do, Campbell said.

Campbell did not have an estimate of damage to the building or contents.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

San Leandro, CA – Fire at warehouse with polystyrene foam contained with help from sprinklers

Firefighters contained a 1-alarm blaze to a warehouse in San Leandro Wednesday evening with the help of the building’s sprinkler system. Alameda County Fire Department crews were dispatched a commercial warehouse in the 2400 block of Polvorosa Avenue at 5:33 p.m.

Blocks of polystyrene foam were burning and filling the structure with a large volume of black smoke, but a sprinkler system stopped the spread of the fire until firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

 

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Hebron, OH – Fire at Owens Corning warehouse contained with help from sprinkler system

Insulation at Owens Corning’s Hebron building caught fire Thursday, bringing fire crews from multiple departments to the warehouse. Newark Fire Department Assistant Chief Tom O’Brien said the sprinkler system contained the worst of the fire. O’Brien said he was not aware of any injuries.

Crews will rotate in an out as they find and extinguish all the bundles of insulation. The process could take hours.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Charlotte, NC – Warehouse fire “mostly extinguished” by sprinkler system, according to fire officials

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Charlotte fire crews responded to a two-alarm warehouse fire Saturday in north Charlotte. It happened around 1 p.m. on Century Place. The fire was caused by an electrical issue with a light fixture, fire officials said.

The battalion chief said crews initially responded to a water overflow call but saw the smoke when they got on scene. No one was inside the building at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.  According to the battalion chief, the fire was mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.