College/University (on campus), School / University Madison, WI – Overnight fire at University of Wisconsin extinguished by sprinkler system February 23, 2019 viking210 A fire in a room at Chamberlin Hall on the UW-Madison campus was extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler Wednesday night, with nobody getting hurt in the fire. The fire was reported at 11:05 p.m. in the building at 1150 University Avenue that houses the Physics Department. People evacuating the building told arriving firefighters from Engine Co. 4 they could smell something like smoke. “Firefighters made their way through the building to investigate the problem,” said Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. “They found water on an upper-level floor and the smell of smoke became much more apparent.“ With the sound of an activated fire sprinkler being heard coming from a locked room, a full structure fire response was called for, with Ladder Co. 1, Engine Co. 1, Command Car 31 and other central city units responding. “Crews returned to the room in question and unlocked the door,” Schuster said. “That’s where they found evidence that a fire had taken place almost directly underneath an automatic fire sprinkler.“ The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler and smoke had dissipated. “The room was unoccupied at the time of the fire,” Schuster said. “The cause is under investigation.” Damage was confined to the point of origin and didn’t spread to other rooms.
