Apartment Building, Residential

Belton, TX – Overnight apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A stove that was left on led to a fire in a second-floor unit at the River Springs at Barge Ranch apartments, 3300 N. Main Street, on Sunday night. A sprinkler system in the unit put the fire out, according to a press release from Paul Romer, public information officer for the city of Belton.  Nobody was injured in the fire, but it displaced two adults – one in the unit where the fire occurred and another person from the unit directly below.  The Belton Fire Department responded to a call about the fire at about 11:15 p.m. on Sunday by sending two engine trucks and two ambulances. The Temple Fire Department provided mutual aid with an engine and a ladder truck.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Ridgefield, CT – Kitchen fire at senior living facility extinguished with help from sprinkler system

The Ridgefield Fire Department responded to a chair fire at Ridgefield Crossings around 9 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Fire Chief Kevin Tappe said that an elderly woman who lives in the facility was heating a towel in the microwave and it ignited. “The woman grabbed the towel out of the microwave and then tossed it across the room,” Chief Tappe said. “It landed by a chair with clothing on it and started the chair and clothes on fire.”

The facility’s manager used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and the building’s sprinkler system finished the job, Tappe said. According to the chief, there was very little fire damage and some smoke and water damage. Chief Tappe said that the fire alarms and sprinkler system worked properly. Fire officials opened the windows and used fans to clear the smoke from the building, Tappe said. No one was injured.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Lufkin, TX – Fire at Outback Steakhouse caused by lightning strike controlled with help from sprinkler system

Three Lufkin Fire stations responded to an electrical fire believed to be caused by lighting on the front porch of Outbeak steakhouse.  No injuries were reported, but damage to paneling on the outside roof occurred according to Battalion Chief Eric Parrish.  “We believe the lights outside of the restaurant caught on fire signaling the sprinkler systems to activate,” Parrish said. “This in combination to response from our units are what extinguished the fire.”  No one was harmed, and those in the restaurant at the time the fire began all exited the premises safely. Parrish said he believes Outback will be closed for the next couple of days until damage is fixed, and the exact cause of the fire is determined.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing wood pallet fire at shopping mall

The smell of smoke may have alarmed some Boulevard Mall workers and shoppers early today. Turns out, it was a few wood pallets burning in one of the stores shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday, according to Clark County Assistant Fire Chief Larry Haydu. Ten units responded to the call at 8:57 a.m. and the first arriving engine found the small fire within three minutes and quickly extinguished it. Battalion 2 reported there was some smoke intrusion into approximately four stores and there was some water damage caused to the structure when the fire sprinkler system activated. There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Residential, Single Family Home

El Granada, CA – Home sprinkler system assists firefighters in suppressing deck fire at home

A small fire damaged a deck and portion of an El Granada house Friday afternoon. Maresha Leeds, who lives in the home at Isabella Avenue and Columbus Street with her husband, was in her kitchen when the fire struck around 1 p.m. “I don’t know how it happened,” she said. “It seemed so spontaneous.”

Leeds said she was feeling uneasy around the time the fire started and didn’t know why. When her two golden retrievers started barking she thought something must be up. Then a ring of the doorbell clarified things. “My gardener and my UPS man told me my house was on fire,” Leeds said. The pair called 911 and Leeds worked on getting her dogs and her pet bird out of the house.

Coastside Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ari Delay said at the scene that the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but appeared to originate from the second-level deck. He said flames were shooting up 10 to 20 feet when firefighters arrived and smoke from the blaze could be seen all the way from Half Moon Bay. Leeds said dog beds and dog houses were the only items on that second-level deck. She noted that her gardener reported smelling something like gasoline coming from the flames, but that she doesn’t store any gasoline in her home.

Delay said roughly 25 firefighters responded to the fire. A home sprinkler system assisted the firefighters with the dousing of the flames. Structural damage affected the deck and the neighboring room inside the home. A larger portion of the home suffered smoke and water damage, Delay said. Leeds indicated that she was fortunate the fire didn’t escalate into anything worse. “I’m so glad I was home,” she said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Harrisonburg, VA – No injuries in fire contained by sprinkler system at downtown business

The fire in the old George’s soda shop along Market Street has been contained to the third floor. No injuries were reported. Market Street (Route 33) remains closed. Water Street was closed at its intersection with Federal Street in order for crews to use the fire hydrant at that intersection, which is the most powerful in the downtown area. A reported structure fire in downtown Harrisonburg has shut down East Market Street from Mason Street to Court Square, as well as multiple streets in the area. The fire is believed to be in the George’s soda shop building on the third floor, though contained by the sprinkler system. No injuries are reported.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, College/University (on campus)

Lewiston, ID – Laundry fire at on-campus college activity center put out by single sprinkler

A fire at Lewis-Clark State College late last night caused an estimated $25,000 in damage. According to a press release, Lewiston Fire crews were dispatched to a reported water flow alarm at the Activity Center at 11:40 p.m.  Once on scene, crews were advised by LCSC security personnel that an alarm was sounding in the activity center. Initial crews began a search and found smoke in the basement.

“The basement had several areas near the locker room with water on the floor. After searching several rooms, it was discovered that there had been a fire in a dryer in the laundry room, and the sprinkler system had a single head that had activated and extinguished the fire,” the press release states.

Fire crews remained on scene for another hour to assist with getting the sprinkler system shut down, evacuating the smoke, and to confirm there was no extension of the fire. The cause of the fire appears to be a malfunction with the commercial dryer in the laundry room. The department responded with three structural engines, one ambulance, one truck, one service unit, and one chief officer, totaling 13 personnel. There were no citizen or firefighter injuries to report.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hillsboro, OR – Apartment fire caused by resident smoking in bed is limited by sprinkler system; No injuries

An apartment’s sprinkler system is credited for limiting the damage of a mattress fire early Friday morning.  Hillsboro Fire and Rescue say the fire started in a unit at Wyndhaven Apartments on SW Edgeway Drive. A woman told officials she was smoking in bed and fell asleep. The sprinkler system in her unit put out the fire but caused damage to furniture in the apartment and seeped into the apartment downstairs. Other resident’s in the complex fled. No one was injured.  The total damage of the fire is estimated at $5,000.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Bowling Green, KY – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire, prevents it from spreading in downtown building

At about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the Bowling Green Fire Department responded to a structure fire with visible flames on the third floor at 423 Park Row, the building adjacent to the Brewing Co.  Three fire trucks responded to the call and immediately started preparing a ladder truck to allow firefighters access to the roof. Once they gained access, they found a small fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“On a large building we will try to determine exactly where it is before we start committing resources to the wrong area,” BGFD Chief Jason Colson said. “We’ve shut down the sprinkler system and stopped water from flowing in the building.”  Firefighters also went into the surrounding buildings to verify that there weren’t any other issues or possible fires. Colson said no further fire resources were needed and both buildings were unoccupied.  The cause of the fire was undetermined as of 8:30 p.m. Fire investigators were called to the scene. BGFD was attempting Thursday night to make contact with the building owner.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Austin, TX – Fire at Crowne Plaza Hotel extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Austin Fire Department responded Friday night to a hotel just off of I-35 in North Austin after a fire inside a third floor room. Guests were evacuated from the Crowne Plaza Hotel around 9:00 p.m., but were allowed back in a short time later. No injuries were reported.  The Austin Fire Depart. says a sprinkler system extinguished the fire believed to be related to an electrical problem in an HVAC system. One room was damaged with smoke, while other parts of the hotel have water damage. In all, there’s about $250,000 worth of damage.  Guests who cannot return to their room have been relocated by the hotel.

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