Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Sherman, TX – Overnight fire at retirement community suppressed by sprinkler system January 20, 2017 viking210 One man was transported to the hospital overnight after a small fire broke out at the Renaissance-Sherman retirement community. Sherman Fire-Rescue Chief Danny Jones said the fire appeared to be accidental and was started by a male resident living on the third floor of the facility shortly after midnight. Jones said an unidentified item was left on or near the stove, which was powered on, and caught fire. “The facility’s sprinkler system worked as it was designed and basically put the fire out before our arrival,” Jones said. “The biggest thing we had to deal with was the smoke.” Jones said that the third floor residents exited their rooms on their own accord and were assisted to the opposite end of the building by staff as precaution. The male resident of the unit where the fire started was transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation and Jones said he believed the patient was released shortly after he received treatment. No other injuries were reported. The Sherman-Fire-Rescue Chief said the actual amount of fire damage was relatively small, but water from the sprinkler system caused more damage to the apartment where the fire originated and to several units on the floor below. Jones encouraged residents and homeowners to be mindful of their work while cooking and when in the kitchen. “Keep combustibles away from any type of heat source and don’t leave food attended on the stove,” Jones said.
Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise Pittsburgh, PA – Fire in high-rise apartment complex contained to sixth floor apartment by sprinkler system January 19, 2017 viking210 One person was taken to the hospital after a fire broke out Wednesday evening at a high-rise apartment complex in the city’s Sheraden section. The three-alarm fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. at the Goodwill Plaza apartments on Hillsboro Street. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, the fire broke out in a sixth floor apartment. The sprinkler system activated, and the fire was contained to that one apartment. One person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. That person is in stable condition.
Apartment Building, Residential Medford, OR – Single sprinkler credited with extinguishing apartment kitchen fire; No injuries January 19, 2017 viking210 A Medford apartment was saved by a fire sprinkler system this week after a cooking fire erupted in the kitchen. According to Medford Fire-Rescue, first responders were dispatched to 1032 North Berkeley Way #1 on Monday. Fire officials said the occupants were cooking chicken on the kitchen stovetop when the fire broke out. They said a single sprinkler automatically activated above the stove and quickly extinguished the blaze. The incident was declared under control within minutes of firefighters’ arrival. There was minor damage to the vent hood above the cooktop, some smoke staining on kitchen cabinets and some water damage throughout the apartment. Three people were at home when the fire occurred, but no one was injured. The owner of the apartment complex contacted a fire restoration company to repair the damages and the family will be displaced during the repairs.
Other - Retail, Retail Mississippi Mills, ON, Canada – Forklift fire at hardware store contained with help from sprinkler system January 18, 2017 viking210 Mississippi Mills Fire Department responded to a fire at 476 Ottawa Street Monday January 16 at approximately 8:08 a.m. Upon arrival fire crews found a forklift on fire along with some building supplies. The operator of the forklift was taken to Almonte Hospital with minor burns and to be assessed. The store was evacuated when the fire department arrived. Fire was contained to the rear storage area of the main store with some smoke and water damage. The fire was controlled with help of the store sprinkler system and quick work by the Mississippi Mills Fire Department. It has not been determined what caused the equipment malfunction and the dollar value of the damage. Fire is still under investigation.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail Yakima, WA – Sprinkler system contains suspected arson fire at Bi-Mart store January 18, 2017 viking210 Authorities say a fire that caused an estimated $1 million damage at the Bi-Mart store on North 40th Avenue early Tuesday morning was deliberately set and may have stemmed from a burglary. Evidence suggests it was arson, said Capt. Jeff Pfaff, spokesman for the Yakima Fire Department, which is working with police to determine the exact cause of the fire and where it started. Firefighters were called to the store, 1207 N. 40th Ave., at 2:15 a.m. on a report that water was flowing in the building’s sprinkler system. Arriving crews found smoke coming from the back of the building and cardboard boxes burning in a second-story storage area, Pfaff said. The building’s back doors were open, suggesting someone entered after the store closed for the night, said police spokesman Mike Bastinelli. A search of the area with a police dog was not successful. It is unknown if anything was taken from the store, Bastinelli said. Twenty-four firefighters worked to put out the fire, which Pfaff said was confined to the upper storage room due to the sprinkler system. However, smoke went through the building and water pooled in the storage area damaging merchandise, Pfaff said. Fire officials estimate damage at $1,005,000. Officials said it is unknown how much of the store’s stock, including food, can be salvaged. The store will close for an indefinite time while it is cleaned up and the merchandise is assessed, said Don Leber, Bi-Mart’s vice president of advertising and marketing. Leber said the store, which opened in November 1959, employs about 55 people. Some of them will be transferred temporarily to the Bi-Mart on South Fifth Avenue to help with the additional shoppers expected there, while the rest will be assisting with the cleanup at the North 40th Avenue store. Bi-Mart is also transferring prescriptions for customers of the North 40th Avenue store to its other Yakima location, Leber said. He said the company hopes to reopen the pharmacy in the next couple of days, but people will have to use the outside window. Bastinelli said Bi-Mart was one of four reported burglaries within a 3-mile radius that police were investigating Tuesday. However, he said Bi-Mart does not appear to be related to the other cases. Detectives are investigating break-ins at the Conoco gas station at 4708 Tieton Drive; Tom-Tom Espresso, 412 S. 40th Ave.; and the Sunshine Mart, 6712 Tieton Drive, Bastinelli said.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Rothschild, WI – No injuries as sprinkler system contains electrical fire at Domtar plant January 18, 2017 viking210 A backup boiler is to blame for a small electrical fire at Domtar’s Rothschild plant Monday morning. Crews from SAFER, Riverside, and Kronenwetter fire departments were called to the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. Plant general manager Kathy Collins said the departments were called after the buildings fire alarm and sprinkler system were engaged. The building’s utilities and natural gas were shut off prior to the emergency crew’s arrival. Riverside Fire District Co-Chief Robert Bowen said the fire was contained when crews arrived. It took crews around 20 minutes to secure the scene and identify the cause of the fire. Yearly in-house visits to large plants like Domtar help emergency crews better prepare for incidents, and keep crews safe, should they occur. They map entrances, exists, sprinkler systems, and potential hazards. “When we train here, we can have that knowledge first hand, and it kind of puts us ahead of the game when it comes to responding to a potential incident,” Bowen said. There were no injuries and only minor damage reported. Collins said the building would be operational again in a matter of hours.
Apartment Building, Residential Appleton, WI – Early morning apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries January 17, 2017 viking210 Around 3:30 Sunday morning the Appleton Fire Department was sent to an apartment building on the 500 block of Winnebago Street for an early morning fire. When crews arrived the sprinkler system inside the building had doused the flames but it was still filled with smoke. Everyone was evacuated, but they were allowed to return after fire crews finished. That fire is still under investigation. No one was hurt in that blaze.
Apartment Building, Residential Jefferson City, MO – Apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries and damage limited January 17, 2017 viking210 No injuries were reported in a structure fire in the 200 block of North Ventura Avenue early Thursday afternoon. The Jefferson City Fire Department responded to the fire at 12:28 p.m., arriving to find smoke from a single apartment in the 18-unit apartment building, according to a JCFD news release. Fire crews found the fire controlled by sprinkler activation. The sprinkler system controlled the fire’s spread and limited damage to the apartment’s kitchen area. Personnel from the Jefferson City Police Department, Cole County Emergency Medical Services and the American Red Cross also assisted. Four residents were displaced from the apartment. The structural damage was estimated at approximately $15,000.
Apartment Building, Residential Madison, WI – Dumpster fire outside apartment building kept from spreading by sprinkler system January 17, 2017 viking210 A fire in a dumpster outside an apartment building was put out quickly, but it sent smoke into the three-story apartment complex, according to a release from the Madison Fire Department. Firefighters were called at 10:45 a.m. Friday to the parking garage of the Normandy Apartments at 4715 Sheboygan Avenue on a report of a dumpster fire. Firefighters said an automatic sprinkler activation caught the fire early and put it out. There was heavy smoke inside the garage and moderate smoke conditions throughout the three-story apartment complex.
Other - School / University, School / University Henrico, VA – Overnight fire at public school learning center is put out with help from sprinkler system January 16, 2017 viking210 A fire at the New Bridge Learning Center will keep the Henrico Public Schools facility closed on Friday after a fire early Thursday. A Henrico fire official says the blaze in the 5900 block of East Nine Mile Road started just after 4 a.m. on the second floor of the facility. It was extinguished with the help of an automated sprinkler system. During the search of the building, fire crews also discovered a burst water pipe. The fire, which remains under investigation, was brought under control in about an hour. No injuries were reported. Henrico school officials say all pre-school and Elementary Intervention classes at New Bridge Learning Center will be cancelled for Friday and they expect the center to re-open for students and staff on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Spokesman Andy Jenks also said the School Board work session originally scheduled in the New Bridge Auditorium will take place at the Henrico Western Government Center at Parham and Hungary Springs roads at 1:30 p.m.
