Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Ellensburg, WA – Business owner thankful that sprinklers helped stop fire at wood products company

A sprinkler system and quick response by firefighters helped limit damage from a fire at Wood Products Northwest in Ellensburg on Tuesday night.

It was caused by spontaneous combustion of rags soaked in oil-based paint.

Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue received an alarm call about a sprinkler activation at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday at 409 S. Water St. KVFR Deputy Chief Rich Elliott said the department upgraded the alarm to a full response, and found a fire in a room used for cabinet finishes.

“The sprinkler system activated and was keeping the fire under control,” he said.

No one was in the building at the time.

Robert Hamlin, who owns the business with his wife, said he is thankful the sprinklers and fire alarm activated and for KVFR’s quick response.

When he arrived on scene at about midnight, much of the fire was already out, he said.

The fire was in the back of the business’ finish department, which has a three-hour firewall.

“Everything went the best it could. This could have been a huge disaster,” he said. “Combustibles, once they get going, can overwhelm the sprinkler system.”

Firefighters extinguished the fire and spent a few hours helping with water removal.

Elliott said the fire was determined to be accidental. Hamlin said he is still figuring out the extent of the damages, but said it appeared to mostly be water damage.

He hopes his 18 employees can return to work within the next 48 hours.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Laurel, MD – Sprinklers put out fire at assisted living home; residents evacuated safely

Fire broke out Monday in the kitchen of an assisted living facility inside a residential home in Laurel, Md. The Prince George’s Co. fire department said four elderly or disabled people were able to escape unharmed, in part, because the home had a sprinkler system that put out the flames before first responders arrived. Residents could be displaced for weeks. News 4’s Meagan Fitzgerald reports.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Kent, WA – Sprinkler system protects building from fire caused by spontaneous combustion

2 Comments

A business’s sprinkler system did exactly what it was designed to do when it contained a small fire in the 18600 block of 72 Avenue South on Tuesday, the Kent Regional Fire Authority reported.

No one was in the business at the time of the fire, though firefighters checked neighboring businesses as a precaution.

The system, which also sent a signal of a possible fire to the alarm company that monitored it, activated at 5:30 a.m. The closest emergency unit to the call was a fire engine from Tukwila. When they arrived, they found water coming from inside the large two-story, concrete tilt-up building. Because they knew that a sprinkler head had activated, they upgraded the incident to a “commercial fire,” which brought a full fire response.

Once additional firefighters from the Kent RFA and Renton RFA were able to get inside the building they found it filled with smoke, which made locating the fire more difficult. Once they found the seat of the fire, they were able to extinguish it quickly and shut down the sprinkler system to reduce additional water damage.

A fire investigator determined that there were two locations at the business where fire started. One was inside, which activated the sprinkler system, and one was on an exterior loading dock.

The cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion, after paper and filtering material, which were both saturated with paint, were placed in containers, fire officials said. Certain materials, when in a limited space, can self-generate heat until they catch fire. Paints, oils and compost are common causes of this type of combustion.

The fire is considered accidental.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lee’s Summit, MO – Fire in ductwork at semi-conductor facility controlled by sprinkler system

On Saturday, April 30, 2016, at 8:02 p.m., the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at Diodes/Fabtech, 777 NW Blue Parkway, in the north building of the Summit Technology Campus. An employee called 911 to report a fire on the roof and smoke in their chemical/gas storage room.

When the fire department arrived, a small fire was visible on the roof of the 540,000 square foot, mixed use facility. The building was in the process of being evacuated.   The fire was located on the roof and in the gas scrubber room, on the north side of the building. The gasses are used for the manufacturing of semi-conductors for the electronics industry and the scrubbers process the gasses after they have been used. 

After consulting with facility staff to determine the types of hazardous materials involved, crews made an initial investigation inside of the scrubber room and found a piece of ductwork from a scrubber unit burning in a pipe chase near the deck of the roof. A sprinkler head near the fire had activated and controlled the fire in the chase.

Fire crews finished extinguishing that fire as other crews attacked the fire involving the ductwork on the roof. On the roof, a portion of the ductwork going to an exhaust fan had burned and fallen away leaving burning gasses coming from two scrubber exhaust pipes. Fire crews applied foam and water from the ladder truck to control the fires and protect the exposures around them as the fire department worked with Diodes staff to shut down all of the gasses going into the scrubber.

After the gasses were shut off, both of the fires were extinguished. The fire was under control at 9:37 p.m. Crews monitored the air around area for hazardous materials throughout the incident.

Fire damage was contained to the exhaust duct on the roof and in the pipe chase from the scrubber room to the roof. After the fire was out and air monitoring was complete, all of the buildings tenants were allowed to reoccupy the building.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Irvine, CA – Fire at uniform rental business contained by sprinkler system

A fire damaged Irvine business Prudential Overall Supply Saturday night, Orange County Fire Authority Captain Carlos Huerta said. Firefighters responded to the blaze on Aston Avenue at 7:09 p.m.

“Fortunately, the building had a sprinkler system that kept the fire in check,” Huerta said. “The fire was under control within 30 minutes.” Damage to the one-story building was minimal, Huerta said. “It was a contents fire that was contained to the rear of the structure,” he said.

Prudential Overall Supply provides uniform rentals to employers, according to its website. Huerta said there were no injuries, but he did not know if the building was vacant at the time the fire started.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

City of Industry, CA – Arson fire at paper goods warehouse held in check by sprinkler system

An arson fire scorched an Industry warehouse packed with paper goods Wednesday, authorities said. The fire was first reported about 2:45 a.m. at a 55,000-square-foot warehouse in the 700 block of South 5th Avenue, Los Angeles County fire and sheriff’s officials said.

Though largely “kept in check” by the building’s sprinkler system, firefighters battled the stubborn blaze for nearly two hours until it was declared extinguished, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Randall Wright said. No injuries were reported.

But firefighters determined the scene of the fire appeared suspicious and called in investigators from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Arson-Explosives Detail, Wright said. “The cause is arson,” sheriff’s Detective Cynthia Valencia said. It appeared the arsonist spread gasoline around in the rear portion of the warehouse before lighting it on fire.

The intent of the arsonists appeared to be to destroy the building, but they were thwarted by the businesses’ fire-suppression system, she added. “(The) sprinkler system did a great job,” Valencia said.

Preliminary estimates of the damage caused to the warehouse, as well as the paper plates, paper cups and other similar items stored inside ranged between $300,000 and $500,000, the detective said.

A subleased portion of the warehouse, which is used as a packaging business, was unscathed, she said. Investigators continued seeking clues Thursday, and trying to determine who would want to torch the warehouse, Valencia said.

The arsonists were described only as two men, driving a sedan. “The owner is very cooperative,” Valencia said.  Firefighters remained at the scene until about noon, Wright said.

Any witnesses, or anyone who saw anything suspicious early Wednesday morning is asked to contact Detective Valencia at the sheriff’s Arson-Explosives Detail at 323-881-7500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Arson fire at women’s shelter controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire believed to have been deliberately set has shut down a downtown Edmonton emergency shelter and displaced more than 60 women who were staying there. Early Tuesday, firefighters responded to a fire on the fourth floor of a building that provides temporary shelter to homeless women.

When police arrived, they were told a lighter had been used to start a fire inside the building. Officers arrested a 33-year-old woman at the scene and charged her with arson. Police said the flames triggered a sprinkler. Water and smoke damaged several floors on one wing of the building.

Damage is estimated at $6,000. CBC has not been able to reach staff at the shelter to find out where clients are now staying and when the shelter will re-open.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Fond du Lac, WI – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at Mercury Marine

The sprinkler system installed at Mercury Marine stopped a fire from spreading Wednesday night.

At 11:23 p.m., Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue responded to a report of a fire in the dust collector at Mercury Marine Plant 98. Upon arrival, crews found the sprinkler system activated, limiting the spread of the fire. Some smoke was in the building.

The crews entered the building and contained the fire to the dust collection system. Access to the dust collector was difficult, so putting out the fire was time-consuming, firefighters say.

No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Montgomery, AL – Sprinklers help contain grill fire at downtown restaurant; No injuries

A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Dreamland Bar-B-que in downtown Montgomery’s Alley development caused only light damage, despite sparking a dramatic jet of flame above the city’s skyline. The restaurant expects to reopen within a few days.

Wesley Dillard said he was eating near the kitchen at about 2:30 p.m. when “someone came running out to the table and said, ‘Everybody needs to get out of here immediately! The grill’s on fire!’”

No injuries were reported, and emergency officials said there was no impingement to the interior.

Dillard joined a crowd watching from across the street as all floors of the building were evacuated. A 10-foot jet of flame bellowed from the stack above the restaurant a few minutes later.

Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated. The flame above the restaurant disappeared about 2:40 p.m., and officials confirmed that the fire was under control before 3 p.m.

“I just hope there wasn’t too much damage,” Dillard said.

Dreamland ownership partner Bob Parker said the only damage was caused by the sprinklers. He said the ventilation system functioned properly, and the jet of flame was caused by the grease burning out. The restaurant hopes to reopen by Saturday.

In September, a kitchen fire at Central restaurant in the Alley forced the eatery to close for several days. Dreamland provided free lunch for Central employees as they assessed the damage and cleaned up after that fire.

Dreamland recovered quickly after a kitchen fire in 2013 — the restaurant only closed for part of one day. Fire officials said at the time that they also had responded to fire alarms at Dreamland in 2012 and 2009.

A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Dreamland Bar-B-que in downtown Montgomery’s Alley development caused only light damage, despite sparking a dramatic jet of flame above the city’s skyline. The restaurant expects to reopen within a few days.

Wesley Dillard said he was eating near the kitchen at about 2:30 p.m. when “someone came running out to the table and said, ‘Everybody needs to get out of here immediately! The grill’s on fire!’”

No injuries were reported, and emergency officials said there was no impingement to the interior.

Dillard joined a crowd watching from across the street as all floors of the building were evacuated. A 10-foot jet of flame bellowed from the stack above the restaurant a few minutes later.

Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated. The flame above the restaurant disappeared about 2:40 p.m., and officials confirmed that the fire was under control before 3 p.m.

“I just hope there wasn’t too much damage,” Dillard said.

Dreamland ownership partner Bob Parker said the only damage was caused by the sprinklers. He said the ventilation system functioned properly, and the jet of flame was caused by the grease burning out. The restaurant hopes to reopen by Saturday.

In September, a kitchen fire at Central restaurant in the Alley forced the eatery to close for several days. Dreamland provided free lunch for Central employees as they assessed the damage and cleaned up after that fire.

Dreamland recovered quickly after a kitchen fire in 2013 — the restaurant only closed for part of one day. Fire officials said at the time that they also had responded to fire alarms at Dreamland in 2012 and 2009.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

East Hampton, NY – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at grocery store

Stop and Shop in East Hampton Village reopened Wednesday evening after a fire broke out in a mechanical room hours earlier. 

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. said a sprinkler system helped to contain the fire, which appeared to have been caused by debris, such as cardboard, that had been placed too close to a generator.

Employees at the grocery store at 67 Newtown Lane called 911 when they saw smoke, which had spread to the main part of the store, the chief said. They got customers out of the building, he said. Simultaneously, police dispatchers received a call from the alarm company about an automatic fire alarm that had been activated. Smoke was coming out of the back of the store, though it was hard to see because it is up against trees in Herrick Park, he added.

Gerry Turza, the second assistant chief, was the first chief to arrive, and he began “an aggressive interior attack” of the fire, Chief Osterberg said. Within 15 minutes, firefighters used 350 feet of hose to douse the flames “before damage really spread,” he said. Only some of the contents of the room, which also contains refrigerator compressors and circuit breakers, were damaged. The building itself was not compromised.

Chief Osterberg notified the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which oversees grocery stores, because there was a risk of food contamination from the smoke that spread to the store. He said a representative was to visit the store from the Brooklyn office and would have to sign-off on the reopening.

A Stop and Shop representative could not immediately be reached, but an employee at the store Wednesday evening said it had reopened around 6:30 p.m.

Managing the fire scene was no easy task, as the store is located in the middle of the village business district, off the busy Reutershan parking lot, with many cars and people coming and going, the chief said. The East Hampton Village Police Department was a tremendous help, he said, in closing off the parking lot to additional cars and keeping the entrances open for fire trucks to get through. “P.D. was really phenomenal,” he said. 

The Stop and Shop staff of about 20 was also helpful; they didn’t panic, they evacuated the building, and then stayed together in the parking lot so that they could all be accounted for and there was no question whether firefighters needed to search for anyone. “They have a plan in place that they do run practice on,” the chief said. 

Simple Share Buttons