Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Redlands, CA – Sprinklers keep large warehouse fire from spreading September 14, 2016 viking210 Redlands Fire crews responded to a commercial structure fire in the 9400 block of California Street at about 10:40 a.m. Sunday. Upon arrival crews discovered the large Lamps Plus warehouse to be filled with smoke. Reports from workers indicated that a propane powered floor sweeper was involved with fire. Crews initiated an aggressive fire attack and found the sweeper and adjacent storage racks to be well involved with fire. The building’s sprinkler system assisted in preventing the fire from spreading throughout the warehouse. The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes after the Fire Department’s arrival. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Damage to property and contents exceeded $250,000. The property manager reported that more than $40,000,000 worth of product was saved. Redlands Firefighters were assisted by the Loma Linda Fire Department.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Severna Park, MD – Fire at assisted living center suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported September 14, 2016 viking210 Nearly 60 residents have been displaced from a Severna Park senior living complex after a two-alarm fire broke out late Monday afternoon, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said. Firefighters were called to the Kris-Leigh assisted living facility in the 800 block of Ritchie Highway around 4:45 p.m., Lt. Erik Kornmeyer said. When they arrived, crews found the four-story building full of smoke. A small fire was found in a common area of the building. It had been mostly extinguished by the sprinkler system, and the fire was contained within minutes, Kornmeyer said. No injuries were reported. Sixty-eight firefighters from the county, Annapolis and the Naval Academy helped with evacuation and smoke removal, Kornmeyer said. The facility is expected to be closed for several days, Kornmeyer said. Kris-Leigh staff was working with the families of the complex’s 56 residents to make arrangements for Monday evening and plans to transfer residents whose families cannot assist with arrangements to Kris-Leigh’s locations in Davidsonville and Gambrills, Kornmeyer said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse Clairmont, AB, Canada – Fire at distribution center contained by sprinkler system September 13, 2016 viking210 A second fire call went out at 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Crews from the Clairmont and Dunes stations were called to a monitored alarm at 9802 – 84 Ave, Gregg Distributors Ltd. in Clairmont where firefighters entered the bay and found a working sprinkler and smoke. Additional crews were called to the business and the fire was quickly extinguished. “Without the sprinkler system, the damage would have been much greater but at the same time, county crews made very quick entry into the building and knocked it down, thus reducing the overall cost to the business,” he said. The cause is under investigation and no one was injured in the incident.
Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business Milwaukee, WI – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at family entertainment center September 13, 2016 viking210 Firefighters were able to contain a business fire at 76th and Brown Deer Road early this morning. Crews responded around 3:30 Monday morning. It happened at Kangaroo Milwaukee, a family friendly entertainment facility in a strip mall. Milwaukee Fire Department officials tell us it appears that the sprinkler system helped to contain the fire. No word yet on the cause of the fire.
Office Building, Other Business San Luis Obispo, CA – Office building fire kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries September 13, 2016 viking210 Firefighters responded to a fire that burned through the stairs in the back area of a San Luis Obispo office complex Sunday morning, said San Luis Obispo City fire Chief Garret Olson. Just after 11 a.m. firefighters responded to smoke in the area of the 1200 block of Higuera Street, Olson said. Firefighters arrived on scene at the two-story office complex and found a small fire in the back area that had burned through the stairs and down into the office area. A fire sprinkler overhead held the damage in check until firefighters arrived, Olson said. The fire damage appears to be confined to the stair area, and there is smoke damage throughout the building, he said. The cause of the fire is undetermined and appears to be accidental, San Luis Obispo City fire Engineer Mathew Polkow said. He added that the fire appears to have started inside of the staircase. No one was injured in the fire.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Troy, MI – Fire at Korean barbecue restaurant stopped by single sprinkler head September 13, 2016 viking210 A fire inside the Korean BBQ Dae Jang Keum at 2947 E. Big Beaver demonstrated the importance of commercial sprinkler systems. According to Assistant Fire Chief Chuck Riesterer the fire was reported at 9:21 pm. “Upon arrival, firefighters reported that the fire sprinkler system was active, all occupants were out of the building and that the fire had been extinguished. The fire was located in the Korean BBQ restaurant at the west end of this large, one-story strip mall,” Riesterer said. “Firefighters turned off the water flowing from the sprinkler system. The fire sprinkler system contained the fire damage to the immediate area. No extension was found in the adjoining spaces. Damage was located in a small dining area in the restaurant. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Damage estimates are incomplete at this time.” Sprinklers are not required in all restaurants, but because Dae Jang Keum was located in a large strip mall it was necessary. “The requirement for sprinklers comes from the Michigan Building Code, which is based upon the International Code Council’s Building Code,” Riesterer said. Factors include height and area limitations, type of materials in the building and the ease of occupant egress. “The fire was contained to the one space, and only one sprinkler head was used to contain the fire. Had the fire sprinkler system not been in place, patrons may have been injured, and a more severe impact to the community would have been felt with the possible loss of several businesses. As it is, with a small amount of clean up, Dae Jang Keum should be open for business this week, if not already.” The benefits of sprinkler systems have been well-documented, including by demonstrations in Rochester Hills and Ferndale. Watch video of a side by side burn demo with a sprinkler system at http://oaklandcounty115.com/2013/11/22/burn-demo-shows-value-of-residential-sprinklers-video/.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Southbury, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at retirement community September 12, 2016 viking210 A resident of The Watermark at East Hill was treated at a hospital for minor smoke inhalation and released Tuesday following the 11:50 a.m. fire, C. Jill Hofer, Watermark’s director of communications said Tuesday. Hofer said the fire was “contained’ and may have been caused by microwaved popcorn. The alarm and sprinkler system activated and the fire was extinguished, Hofer said.
Auto Dealership, Retail Arlington Heights, IL – Early morning blaze at car dealership quickly put out by sprinkler system September 12, 2016 viking210 An early morning blaze Friday at an Arlington Heights car dealership was quickly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, officials with the Arlington Heights Fire Department said. The Arlington Heights Fire Department responded to a call from a passerby who reported seeing a fire just after midnight at the Arlington Nissan dealership at 1100 W. Dundee Road, Battalion Chief Tom Zerfass said. The fire is thought to have been started by a car that was brought in for service, and was parked in one of the warehouse bays, Zerfass said. The building was empty at the time, Zerfass said, and there were no injuries reported.
Retail, Shopping Mall West Burlington, IA – Jewelry store fire in shopping mall extinguished with help from sprinkler system September 10, 2016 viking210 A small fire caused occurred at Kay’s Jewelry Store about 7 p.m. Wednesday at Westland Mall. West Burlington Fire Chief Shaun Ryan said his firefighters responded to the mall about 7 p.m. on the report of smoke coming from a storage facility on the second-floor of the store. He said sprinkler systems activated and extinguished most of the fire by the time fire crews arrived. He said firefighters were able to knock down the remainder of the small fire within minutes. The entire mall was evacuated for about 90 minutes while firefighters removed smoke from the area, he said. The mall’s alarm system is on the same circuit so fire alarms went off throughout the building. He said the cause of the investigation remains under investigation. No injuries were reported. The Burlington Fire Department assisted West Burlington at the scene.
Other-Government/Military Wilmette, IL – Storage room fire at public works garage controlled by sprinkler system; Damage minimized September 9, 2016 viking210 Wimette’s fire chief is crediting sprinklers for keeping a Tuesday storage room fire at the Wilmette public works garage from potentially engulfing the entire building. The garage at 711 Laramie Ave. in west Wilmette sustained an estimated $15,000 damage in the incident, which was called in as an alarm shortly after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Fire Chief Mike McGreal, but the cost could have gone much higher, he said Sept. 7. He praised village administrators and fire prevention bureau officials who decided a little over eight years ago, at the time the village added an addition to the public works building, to retrofit the garage with a sprinkler system. “They didn’t have to, but they had the forethought to do it,” McGreal said. “That is a multimillion dollar facility, plus the vehicles in the garage that are very expensive, and very difficult to replace. In minutes, this could have been a total loss if there hadn’t been a sprinkler system.” Had flames from the storeroom not been dampened by sprinklers, they could have spread to the building’s wooden roof, he said. The 15,400-square-foot public works garage houses most of the village’s public works vehicles and equipment, including front end loaders, back hoes, dump trucks and sewer vac trucks, he said. Wilmette’s daily public works services would have suffered significant problems if that equipment had been lost in a fire, he said. McGreal said fire crews that responded to the alarm found the sprinklers in use and smoke coming out the garage’s main bay. They upgraded the alarm, which called in help from the Winnetka, Northfield, Evanston, Glenview, Skokie, Morton Grove and Highland Park fire departments. However, fire crews found most of the fire under control in a storage room used by the village’s sewer department, where it appeared to have started, he said. Crews put out the remaining flames, and the incident was cleared by 4:15 p.m. There were no injuries, Engineering and Public Works Director Brigitte Berger said Tuesday. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire, McGreal said. “All’s well that ends well,” McGreal said. “They’re back in business and they’re cleaning it up now.”
