North East, MD – Kitchen fire at senior apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system; State troopers rescue elderly residents

Six Maryland state troopers helped rescue several people from a fire at a senior apartment complex.  State police said troopers were called around 11 p.m. Thursday to help North East police and fire crews at a fire at the Victoria Park Apartments in the 500 block of South Main Street.

State police said the troopers entered the burning building without protective gear or breathing apparatus. The troopers carried five residents to safety before returning to the building to search for others.

There were no deaths and only minor injuries were reported.  According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire started in a kitchen and was extinguished by the sprinkler system.  The fire caused about $10,000 in damage to the structure and the contents.

San Francisco, CA – Sprinkler system activates to help control arson fire at apartment

Burglar sets shoe on fire in cooking pot during SF break-in — The burglar caused damage to the apartment Thursday by setting a shoe on fire in a cooking pot and triggering the residence’s sprinkler system to go off, officials said Friday.  The break-in occurred just before 8 p.m. at an apartment in the 1100 block of Laguna Street in the Western Addition.

“They put the shoe in the pot and set it on fire,” said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.  The burglar entered the apartment through a back window, Manfredi said.

Bethlehem, PA – Early morning fire at plastics manufacturer doused by sprinkler system

An early-morning fire Friday at a plastics manufacturer in Northampton County resulted in minimal damage, thanks to the sprinkler system, an investigator said.  The Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co. and township’s Nancy Run Fire Co. responded about 2:40 a.m. to a fire alarm at Alpha Packaging, 1995 Highland Ave. in the township.

The incident was quickly updated to a commercial structure fire, township fire Marshal Angela Kelly said.  No one was injured in the fire, and the investigation was ongoing into the cause, Kelly said in a news release.

“The sprinkler system in the occupancy assisted in controlling and suppressing the fire, resulting in minor damage to the contents,” she stated. “Overhaul was performed by many first responders throughout the early morning hours.”

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in extinguishing fire at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport

Because of a small fire in an employee break room, Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport was briefly evacuated Thursday morning, officials said.  Allan Siegel, a spokesman for Broward County Aviation, said the fire caused a sprinkler system to go off and emergency personnel were able to quickly put the fire out.

There were no immediate reports of injuries and the cause of the fire was being investigated.  By shortly after 10 a.m., security personnel were being called back to their stations in order to resume passenger screening, Siegel said.

Brattleboro, VT – Sprinkler system contains fire at nursing home to laundry area; No injuries reported

About 54 people were evacuated Wednesday from a nursing home in Brattleboro after a fire started in a commercial clothes dryer.  The Brattleboro Fire Department was called at 3:55 p.m. to the Thompson House Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at 80 Maple St.

Authorities said the two-alarm fire started in a dryer, which set off the sprinkler system in the building. The water from the sprinkler system kept the fire contained to the laundry room.  Residents were taken next door to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital while the smoke cleared the building.

No injuries were reported.  The Brattleboro Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Keene, Guilford, Putney, Hinsdale and Chesterfield.

Wilmette, IL – Fire at car dealership confined by sprinkler system; Damage limited

A Wilmette fire official on Monday credited a ceiling sprinkler system for preventing more damage to a downtown Jaguar dealership than the business could otherwise have suffered in an Aug. 11 fire.  Wilmette Fire Chief Mike McGreal said damage from the fire at Imperial Motors, 721 Green Bay Road, was largely confined to one car in the display room, though the dealership sustained some water damage.

Firefighters responded to a dealership alarm shortly before midnight on Aug. 11 and discovered that the dealership’s south showroom was filled with smoke, McGreal said. But the fire, which investigators traced to a ceiling light fixture in the southwest section of that showroom, was already out because one of the sprinklers near the fixture had activated, he said.

Crews were on the scene until 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 12, according to the fire department report.  Burning material from the ceiling fell on one Jaguar convertible, McGreal said, but damage to the building could have been much worse had the sprinkler system not activated.

“This particular building is all wood, and it has a bolstering truss roof. If the truss had burned out, the whole roof could have gone,” he said, comparing the situation to the February 2015 fire at the Woman’s Club of Wilmette, where flames eventually caused the roof to collapse.

“This is a much better outcome,” McGreal said, adding that Imperial Motors was able to open for business on Aug. 12 after fire crews removed water from the showroom area.  The fire department’s initial damage estimate is $130,000, McGreal said. Dealership owner Jordan Aron said Monday that the business has not yet completed its own loss estimate, but confirmed that there was no structural damage to the building.

“We definitely don’t mess around with things that have to do with life and safety,” Aron said. “We make sure we do all our (fire) inspections and keep up to date.”

Aron said the fire will have no effect on plans to renovate Imperial Motors. In July, Wilmette’s Village Board approved the company’s request to allow it to make renovations required by Jaguar of all its dealerships. However, actual renovation work is “a couple of years out,” Aron said.

Forest Grove, OR – Sprinkler systerm keeps lumber mill fire from spreading

Two mill workers were examined for smoke inhalation injuries after a fire at the Stimson Lumber Mill Sunday morning.  The fire was reported Sunday morning at the Gaston-area mill on Southwest Scoggins Valley Road.   The mill’s sprinkler system went off and kept the fire from spreading, Forest Grove Fire spokesperson Matt Johnson said.  No word from officials on whether there was any significant damage to the mill. The two mill workers weren’t taken to the hospital, Johnson said.

Ashburn, VA – Sprinkler system limits damage in tanning salon fire

An accidental fire damaged a Palm Beach Tan in Broadland’s on Friday, Aug. 12. The total damages could have been much greater if not for the building’s automatic sprinkler system, Firefighter Laura Rinehart, Public Information Officer, noted in a Loudoun County Fire & Rescue Dept. announcement.

Fire and rescue units responded to a structure fire the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 12 at Broadlands Center Plaza in Ashburn. Fire and rescue crews from Moorefield, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Brambleton and Leesburg responded to the incident. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered visible fire and smoke conditions from the front of the business. The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system and was quickly extinguished by fire department personnel.

Seattle, WA – Fire in paint booth at industrial complex controlled by sprinkler system

Firefighters are working to determine the cause of a fire that erupted Saturday at an industrial complex in South Seattle. Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke seeping from the building’s roof around 3:20 p.m. The business, located in the 400 block of South 96th Street, was not occupied at the time of the fire.  There were no reported injuries.

Initially, a single fire engine was dispatched. Due to the heat of the flames and the size of the building, however, the call was upgraded to a full response. The fire appears to have started in a paint booth, authorities said.

Firefighters reported smoke coming from smoke stacks on the roof of the single-story building and from under several roll-up doors. Upon entering, they found the sprinkler system had controlled the flames. The firefighters extinguished the fire.

Twelve sprinkler heads were activated due to the fire and heat. A King County fire investigator is investigating. Multiple departments responded, including personnel from North Highline Fire, Burien, Tukwila, Kent Fire Department, Kent Regional Fire Authority, Seattle Fire, King County Medic One, Rehab One and the King County Sheriff’s Office.

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