Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

St. Charles, MO – Overnight restaurant fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

An overnight fire caused damage to a popular restaurant in St. Charles.  Fire officials were called to Lewis and Clark’s Restaurant on South Main Street after a fire started in the kitchen just after midnight Wednesday.

St. Charles Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Casey said the building’s sprinkler system played a role in keeping the fire under control, but left behind water damage.

“Fire alarm system and sprinkler system really saved this building,” said Chief Casey. “Saved this restaurant, saved this business for the folks down here on South Main.”

The chief also said the concern with the old building was that the wood could burn fast.  “These old buildings, we have a three-story masonry building, been here for years, little worried about fire in void spaces, so we went ahead and called for a second alarm,” Chief Casey said.

The owner of the restaurant told News 4’s Paige Hulsey they plan to reopen the restaurant, but are still assessing damage and a timeline.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was injured during the fire.

Department Store, Retail

Idaho Falls, ID – Arson fire at retail center extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection to a fire that occurred behind Brady’s at 1445 E. Lincoln Road around 3:45 p.m. on Monday in Idaho Falls.  Jason Schlegel was arrested Monday evening in the 400 block of Lomax Street. The Idaho Falls Police Department had earlier sought the public’s assistance in locating Schlegel.

The Idaho Falls Police Department and the Idaho Falls Fire Department believe the fire that destroyed two trucks near Brady’s was due to arson.  The interior of Brady’s on Lincoln Road did not sustain any damage during the large fire near the building, according to Idaho Falls Fire Department Chief Dave Hanneman.

Two trucks were reported on fire around 3:45 p.m. and firefighters cut into the roof of an exterior carport adjacent to the building. The fire appeared to be under control around 4:20 p.m.  The sprinkler system in the carport helped extinguish the blaze, authorities said. Damage was estimated at $120,000.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Woburn, MA – Fire in multi-tenant commercial building controlled with help from sprinkler system

The cause of a 2-alarm fire on Sunday that resulted in extensive damage to a building on Green Street in the South End remains under investigation, Woburn Fire Chief Timothy Ring said this morning. The fire broke out in an office in a multi-tenant commercial building at 3 Green St., shortly after noon yesterday, while Blessed of the Lord Church was in session. Congregants apparently notified the Woburn Fire Dept. of the fire.  There were no injuries reported. Everyone managed to exit the church without incident, according to Ring.

The two other businesses in the building are RSK Marble & Granite and Woburn Bottle & Can recycling facility. Areas of the building sustained significant damage, Ring said.

“The fire got up into the roof, so we had to peel back the roof to get at it,” said Ring. “The fire also set off the sprinkler system, so there was a lot of water damage, as well as smoke and fire damage.”

Departments from Winchester, Stoneham, Medford and Arlington provided mutual aid at the scene. The fire was brought under control within about two hours, and crews cleared the scene by 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The State Fire Marshal’s office and the Woburn Fire Cause Determination Unit are conducting the investigation. Traffic along Green Street was disrupted while crews fought the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Hanover, NJ – Suspicious fire at Marriott Hotel extinguished with help from sprinkler system

An investigation is underway in an effort to determine who started a fire in a hotel by wrapping a cigar inside a towel and placing it in a linen cart, police said. On March 4, Sgt. John Schauder along with Patrolman Dominic Kaiser responded to the Hanover Marriott for a fire alarm activation. The ensuing investigation revealed that someone had placed a lit cigar in a rolled up towel which was then put in a linen cart that was located on the eighth floor by the service elevator, police said.

The cigar eventually lit the contents of the linen cart on fire resulting in the fire sprinklers being activated which extinguished the fire along with the help of employees from the hotel, police said. There was fire damage to the linen and the walls in close proximity of the linen cart. There was also water damage to the area due to the sprinkler system being activated, police said.

The Cedar Knolls Fire Department as well as a police detective responded to assist with the investigation. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit was notified as well. An investigation is ongoing, police said. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gardiner, ME – Fire Chief credits sprinkler system with saving lives and property in apartment blaze

Gardiner Fire Chief Al Nelson said a working sprinkler system extinguished an early morning fire on Water Street in Gardiner and saved both lives and property. Nelson said firefighters went to the building on the northwest corner of Water Street and Maine Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, following notification from a security company.

“They could see light smoke coming from behind a door,” he said. When they opened the second-floor apartment door, they saw a fire on the stove, and that’s when the building’s sprinkler system activated and put out the fire. It’s also when the tenants in the apartment woke up and came to see what was happening, Nelson said.

“The sprinkler system saved lives. It did its job,” Nelson said. “The stove is ruined, but that’s easy (to replace).”

The site of this fire is only a couple hundred feet from the site of a July 2015 fire that destroyed 235 Water St. and it damaged buildings on either side of it.

“At the press conference after the 2015 debacle, I said had that building had a sprinkler system, there would have been no press conference,” he said.

Nearly eight months before the 2015 fire, Royce Watson bought the building where the fire occurred Tuesday.

“It was a distressed property,” Watson said, “and it had a fairly good price, so that enabled me to update the sprinkler and fire alarm systems.”

The building has four retail units on the ground floor and eight apartments on the upper two floors.

Because the building already had a sprinkler system, he said, he had to either make it operational or remove it. He opted to fix it.

The apartment where the fire broke out sustained some smoke damage and the stove will have to be replaced, he said.

Watson, whose company, Wilcris LLC, owns other rental properties in the region, said the water from the sprinkler went into the unit below — his office — soaking his computer and some paperwork and bills on his desk.

While he said tenants share the responsibility for safety, he said he’s glad the system saved the building and that everyone is OK.

“I can’t thank him enough for his efforts on the sprinkler system,” Nelson said. “That saved the block.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Henderson, NV – Overnight restaurant fire suppressed by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system prevented a fire from expanding at a Henderson restaurant early Tuesday morning. Firefighters with Henderson Fire Department arrived at Giada’s Italian Cucina, 2540 Anthem Village Drive, Suite 100, shortly after 3 a.m. to find a sprinkler system had suppressed a fire, spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said.  “That’s the beauty of sprinkler systems,” Richards said.  Damage was not yet estimated, she said, adding the fire didn’t extend to other restaurants. She said it was a contents fire. Its cause was not yet known.  Giada’s is in a strip mall near South Eastern Avenue and Anthem Village Drive.

Government Office, Government/Military

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Arson fire at Children and Youth Services Center extinguished by sprinkler system

The Luzerne County human services building on Pennsylvania Avenue was closed Monday after someone threw a “fire bomb” into an office, according to an email to county council members. In the email, council Chairwoman Linda McClosky Houck told fellow members she was informed Children and Youth Executive Director Joanne Van Saun’s office was the one targeted.  A fire at the building at approximately 5:37 a.m. Monday was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system, District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said.

She added the incident is under investigation, and there are several potential leads for persons of interest. She declined to offer further details. “Based on the circumstances, this is an active criminal investigation,” Salavantis said.  County Manager C. David Pedri said the building would be reopened today with crisis counselors on site to provide counseling for those who needed it.

Salavantis said it was not known how long the investigation would take, and she declined to provide specifics on how the fire started. The building contains the offices for the county’s Human Services Division, including Children and Youth, drug and alcohol programs, and Mental Health and Developmental Services. The Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming counties is also located there.  Pedri said there was never a lapse in coverage during the day.  “All emergency calls for the Children and Youth division were diverted to on-call workers,” he said in a news release.  State Police and Wilkes-Barre police and firefighters were at the scene along with numerous agents from the Luzerne County Sheriff’s Office.

Apartment Building, Residential

Starkville, MS – Possible arson fire at off-campus apartment complex doused by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at a Starkville apartment complex left several units damaged and law enforcement investigating a potential arson case. Lt. Brett Watson of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office told the SDN on Monday the fire was being investigated as a possible arson by the sheriff’s office and Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s office. Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said a call was received at approximately 5:28 a.m. Monday morning for a fire alarm at 21 Apartments on Ace Avenue. The fire occurred in building 4 of the complex. When emergency personnel arrived on the scene, they found an unoccupied third floor apartment filled with smoke. Upon further inspection, fire officials determined that a mattress had been set on fire, setting off the unit’s sprinkler system. Rosenhan said there was minimal fire damage in the unit and building, but considerable water damage in the units below where the fire occurred. Management at 21 Apartments declined to comment on the fire

Other - Retail, Retail

Madison, WI – Damage in furniture store fire limited with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters responded to a reported fire at an east side furniture store Saturday morning, a dispatcher said. The dispatcher said crews were called to the Slumberland Furniture store at 2201 East Springs Drive at 8:57 a.m. on a water flow report from the building’s sprinkler system. Crews found the building filled with smoke, officials said.  Firefighters followed the sound of water coming from a sprinkler to find the fire, since the smoke made it hard to see inside the building, officials said. Firefighters found several pieces of furniture on fire near the back of the store.  The fire was controlled by 9:10 a.m., after which crews remained on scene to ventilate the building, officials said. Firefighters used an airboat to help ventilate the store.  A preliminary investigation showed that the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault. A damage estimate was not available Saturday morning, officials said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Derry, NH – Fire in storage closet at elementary school suppressed by sprinkler system

A malfunctioning heat pump caused a small fire in a storage closet at the Derry Village Elementary School Friday afternoon. The Derry Fire Department first responded to an activated fire alarm at 2:59 p.m. and found that there was smoke in the third-grade wing of the school.  The building was unoccupied at the time except for janitorial staff.  The school’s sprinkler system had contained the fire to the storage closet and it did not extend to the ceiling.  The contents of the storage closet were significantly damaged with an estimated loss worth $3,000.  The fire was brought under control at 3:25 p.m.  The properly functioning alarm and sprinkler limited damage to the building and quickly alerted first responders to the threat, fire officials said.  The heat pump had ignited combustible materials that were just below it, leading to the fire, officials added.

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