Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spencer, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in Livestock Pavilion at fairgrounds; No injuries reported

Authorities say a sprinkler system likely helped to reduce damage when a fire broke out inside a massive building on the Clay County Fairgrounds Sunday night.

The Spencer Fire Department encountered a large amount of smoke coming from the Livestock Pavilion when it arrived on the scene about 8:45 p.m.

Authorities say a truck parked inside the building had caught on fire, but what was left of the fire was quickly extinguished.

No injuries were reported.

Fair officials are assessing damage Monday.

They say owners of items stored in the building will be contacted today by fair officials.

McKinney, TX – (no media coverage) Structure fire kept in check by sprinkler system

*** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported *** The McKinney Fire Department received a report of a structure fire at approximately 10 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 22 at Wonderland Montessori, 3132 Hudson Crossing. A person passing by the building called 9-1-1 after hearing the alarm and seeing the flashing strobe lights. When firefighters got inside, they found that two fire sprinkler heads kept the flames from spreading. There was minor damage to a cabinet area. An investigation is underway into why the system did not notify the alarm company. The alarm company would then have called 911.

“This is exactly how fire sprinklers are supposed to work,” said McKinney Fire Marshal Mike Smith. “In this incident, the building was empty and the fire would have gotten much further if the sprinklers hadn’t kicked in.”

Fact: Fire sprinklers are activated by heat, so only the sprinklers closest to the flames will be activated. This limits water damage to the rest of the structure.

Pleasanton, CA – Cooking fire at fairgrounds controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Cooking equipment left on overnight caused a fire inside one of the exhibition halls at the Alameda County Fairground early Monday morning, fire officials said.

“The exhibit used cooking pots with heating elements attached for their display,” Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Battalion Chief Jack Neiman-Kimel said. “It appears the pot was left on and when the water evaporated the pots melted and caught fire.”

The blaze was contained to the exhibit, which was located in the A building. A sprinkler helped control the fire until firefighters were able to extinguish flames. The fire charred the nearby walls and the building had smoke and water throughout, according to Neiman-Kimel.

No one was injured during the incident and the damage from the fire will not interrupt the fair or its exhibits this week. The damage will likely be repaired by Wednesday.

“It is important to remember to turn off all cooking equipment before leaving your residence or business,” Neiman-Kimel told Patch.

Napa, CA – Fire in vacant building extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Columbia, MD – Sprinkler system contains fire while crews arrive

A small fire drew firefighters to Oakland Mills on Thursday evening, officials said. Crews credited a sprinkler with containing the situation.

At 9:25 p.m., the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reported its personnel were in the 5700 block of Stevens Forest Road, where smoke was showing.

While a small fire was at the scene, officials said a sprinkler had activated and kept the blaze under control.

This was the second fire in Columbia on Thursday that Howard County firefighters handled.

Juneau, AK – Sprinkler knocks down arson fire in hospital waiting room bathroom

For the second straight day, in much a similar way, a bathroom was burned by an arsonist in Juneau.

Shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Juneau fire department was brought to Bartlett Regional Hospital by a 911 caller reporting fire and an explosion.

“Someone had set something on fire in the bathroom in the waiting room lobby adjacent to the emergency room,” said Capital City Fire/Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Ed Quinto.

The fire came less than 24 hours after an as-yet-unidentified arsonist set a fire in a Thunder Mountain High School bathroom.

Katie Bausler, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said a man identified as Arlo Bradstreet set a small fire in a bathroom trash can. The fire melted the trash can and was sufficiently hot to trigger the bathroom’s sprinkler system.

According to court records online, Bradstreet has been charged with second-degree arson, a class B felony. He is scheduled to be arraigned on those charges at 1:15 p.m. today at Dimond Courthouse.

Two patients and 15 staff were working in the hospital’s emergency department at the time: All were exposed to smoke, but none sought medical attention, Bausler said.

Quinto said a triage nurse in the emergency department reported hearing a loud boom and feeling the room shake as the fire took place. It is yet not clear what, if anything, exploded during the fire.

Bausler said the noise and shaking may have been caused by the sheer force of the sprinkler system starting.

“The sprinklers really did their job,” Bausler said, adding that an inch of water covered the floor of the emergency department’s waiting room before cleanup began.

When the Empire visited the hospital Wednesday morning, there was little sign of damage and more sign — literally — of cleanup. “Wet floor” signs were scattered around the waiting room near floor fans attempting to dry the scene.

Petaluma, CA – Sprinkler system keeps dryer fire from spreading at adult memory care home

Nearly 60 residents of an adult care home in Petaluma were evacuated Sunday after a fire ignited in a laundry room.

Petaluma Fire responded to the call at 3:54 p.m. and found smoke pouring out of a roof vent at the Adobe House, a memory care facility at 750 N. McDowell Blvd.

The fire was sparked by a dryer in the facility, but the sprinkler system stopped it from spreading, Petaluma Fire said in a statement.

Fire crews gained control of the small blaze by 4:11 p.m. and assisted in smoke removal and water cleanup before residents were allowed back in the home, Petaluma Fire said.

There were no reported injuries. The fire caused an estimated $30,000 in damage, excluding cleanup costs.

Geneva, IL – Sprinkler system holds fire in check at Fox Valley Ice Arena; No injuries reported

A mechanical fire that spread to the roof of the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva forced the partial closure of the ice skating facility, authorities said.

Geneva Firemen were dispatched around 6:26 a.m. Sunday to 1996 S. Kirk Road on the city’s east side. The building is owned by the Kane County Forest Preserve District.

Geneva Fire Chief Mike Antenore said the alarm was upgraded when engines were on route to the scene when Tri-Com Central Dispatch reported there was smoke in the building.

“The first arriving fire company found heavy black smoke showing from the roof area on the west side of the building. Firefighters initiated an interior attack and brought the fire under control in approximately 40 minutes,” Antenore said in a news release.

Antenore said the response was upgraded to a box alarm because of the size of the building.

Fire department officials said the building’s sprinkler system activated and “held the fire in check” until the blaze was extinguished.

Firefighters contained the fire to a refrigeration compressor room.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage estimates were in the process of being compiled Sunday afternoon.

“The facility resumed partial operations this morning and is expected to resume full operations later today,” the fire chief said Sunday.

Firefighters from Batavia, St. Charles, Elburn, West Chicago, Fermilab, South Elgin, Elgin, Wheaton, Bartlett and North Aurora assisted Geneva on the scene.

Antenore said no one was hurt.

Raleigh, NC – Fire sprinklers save multiple buildings near construction site fire

Last Friday’s construction site fire in Raleigh, NC was a devastating incident for the City of Raleigh and all those impacted. News outlets and social media gave us all a first glimpse of the devastation, but we also observed the success stories in the properties saved because of firefighters and fire sprinklers. Buildings adjacent to the burning structure were saved by fire sprinkler systems that operated when glass windows failed from the heat of the fire exposure.  Were it not for fire sprinklers reacting fast and firefighters following up, the fire could easily have spread into several adjacent structures.

Among the nearby businesses that were saved was the office of the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association (NCSFA). “Fire sprinklers saved our building and our office contents. Without them, we would have lost everything” shared Tim Bradley, NCSFA Executive Director. “Some of our stuff got wet, but it’s still there and will dry out.”  Because fire sprinklers are individually activated by intense heat, the only sprinklers that operated were near windows that failed from the heat of the nearby fire.  In other areas, where sprinklers weren’t needed, the contents remained dry.

Shane Ray, President of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), former fire chief and state fire marshal added “Had it not been for the fire sprinklers in adjacent buildings, many more firefighters would have been in harm’s way trying to save those buildings. Fire sprinklers minimized property damage, saved the property tax rolls, ensured sales tax continues, and saved many jobs at businesses that might otherwise have been destroyed.”

Although the building under construction that caught fire was required to have fire sprinklers, the sprinkler system wasn’t completed or operational at the time of the fire. Shane Ray added that had the fire occurred after the building was complete, a fire would have been a non-event. Fire sprinklers would have operated when the fire was small, and the fire would have been controlled and contained to the area of origin until the fire department arrived and completed extinguishment and salvage of the remaining property.

For more information about the NFSA or to comment, visit www.nfsa.org. We provide resources to the fire service, building safety professionals, policy makers and citizens. Also visit www.highriselifesafety.com to see a whiteboard animation demonstrating the value of fire sprinklers and how they work.

El Segundo, CA – (No Media Coverage) Sprinklers hold fire in check at exotic fish store

***NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED*** On Monday, November 7th, El Segundo fire units responded to a water flow alarm at 1924 E. Maple Avenue. Upon arrival, suppression crews found a fire being held in check by an activated sprinkler. The business sells exotic fish and there was a fire in the area of an ultraviolet light filter. The fire was contained to the filter and adjoining sides of 2 polypropylene fish tanks. The fire was extinguished by a 1 3/4 inch hand line. There was no damage to the structure and light smoke damage in the area of the fire.