Apartment Building, Residential

Erie, PA – Apartment fire caused by unattended candle is put out by sprinkler system

Erie firefighters were dispatched to the Alex W. Thompson apartment complex, 441 W. Third St., on a report of a fire Monday at 1:49 p.m. The fire broke out in an apartment and was caused by a candle placed next to a plastic ornamental plant, Erie Fire Inspector John Widomski said. The fire set off the building’s sprinkler system, which put out the fire, Widomski said. Widomski said there was minimal fire damage.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Pinole, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at vacant restaurant from spreading to other businesses

Commercial structures worth $4 million sustained only $75,000 in damage from a Friday morning fire in Pinole, according to the Pinole Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 8:09 a.m. at 1570 Fitzgerald Drive at a recently closed HomeTown Buffet restaurant. The restaurant is part of a larger structure consisting of a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and an adjoining strip mall.

When firefighters arrived, they found the restaurant’s sprinkler system on and smoke coming from the attic, fire officials said. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the parapet area of the roof. They also ensured that water did not damage the sporting goods store’s merchandise.

Fire officials said the cause of the fire was an electrical short. The short occurred where electrical work had been done to remove the restaurant’s sign.  No one was injured and none of the other businesses sustained damage by fire or water.

Big 5 Sporting Goods opened a couple of hours late as electricity had to be shut off as firefighters extinguished the fire, according to fire officials

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Oak Ridge, TN – Fire in air conditioning unit at Comfort Inn suppressed by sprinkler system

An Oak Ridge hotel that was shuttered after a fire prompted the evacuation of all guests early Saturday morning is expected to reopen either late Monday or early Tuesday, Oak Ridge Fire Marshal Travis Solomon said. The five-story, 112-room Comfort Inn at the corner of Rutgers and Illinois avenues was about 90 percent occupied, mostly with students participating in rowing practice and with off-road enthusiasts, when the fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday.

The blaze was in an air-conditioning unit at one end of the fourth floor, Solomon said, and the fire department is still trying to determine what ignited the blaze. The hotel’s sprinkler system was activated by the blaze and helped suppress it, he said. “That shows that sprinkler systems, they not only save property, they save lives. It could have been a lot worse.”

The fourth-floor hallway was filled with thick black smoke, and firefighters had to assist people disoriented by it and help them down the stairwell, Solomon said. Three people were initially missing during the evacuation, and hotel staff “did a fantastic job determining who was missing and needed to be found.”

All were located. One person was evaluated for possible smoke inhalation but didn’t require medical attention. Solomon said hotel personnel found other hotels for the guests. Thirteen firefighters and seven firetrucks responded. The fire department is inspecting the hotel’s fire alarm and sprinkler system, Solomon said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Aliquippa, PA – Sprinkler system activates to help control overnight apartment fire

A fire inside an Aliquippa apartment building early Saturday morning displaced 40 residents. The Aliquippa Fire Department said the fire broke out inside the Eleanor Roosevelt Apartments on Sheffield Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. Officials said the fire started inside a kitchen on the eighth floor. Fire officials said there were no injuries, but 40 people were displaced because of water damage caused by the sprinkler system. The Red Cross said it is providing lodging for 23 of the building’s residents.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system helps keep fire from spreading when stored cooking oil ignites

More than forty firefighters battled a fire that broke out late Sunday morning at a storage warehouse in northwest Edmonton.

Fire crews were called to the commercial warehouse in an industrial area near 148 Street and 128 Avenue just before noon.

“When they arrived, there was black smoke coming out of the building,” Edmonton Fire Rescue spokeswoman Holly Budd said. “They forced entry and the sprinkler system had been activated in the building.” 

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services district chief Marc Zubick said the portion of the building that was engulfed stored edible oils. 

“It’s cooking oil that was the cause of the smoke but the cause of the heat that created the smoke on that oil has not been determined yet,” said Zubick. 

Zubick said the fire suppression system in the warehouse did a good job keeping the fire from spreading. As a precaution, firefighters called for more fire trucks at around 12:10 p.m., and a second alarm was called around 10 minutes later. 

Forty five firefighters fought the remainder of the blaze for two hours. The cause is still unknown.  

Retail, Shopping Mall

Las Vegas, NV – Fire at strip mall contained to bathroom with help from sprinkler

A business in the southwest part of the valley was damaged Saturday night in a fire.

Around 8:30 p.m., the Clark County Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at 8090 S. Durango Drive, near Windmill Lane. Upon arrival,  personnel reported a single-story strip mall with a small volume of smoke coming from the structure.

Crews forced entry and made an offensive fire attack. The fire was found in Suite 111, the location of Prime Social Marketing, in a bathroom. Crews knocked down the fire with the aid of sprinkler activation.

Firefighters were able to prevent extension to other suites of the building. The fire is under investigation. Damages have not been estimated.

There were no injuries reported.

Residential, Single Family Home

Napa, CA – Residential sprinkler system suppresses garage fire; No injuries reported

A smoke alarm and sprinkler system helped to snuff out a fire that broke out in a north Napa home Saturday night, according to firefighters.

Napa Fire was sent to the 2000 block of Trower Avenue at 11:15 p.m. after reports that a garage was on fire, Capt. Ty Becerra reported. The first of three fire units to arrive at the home saw light smoke coming from the garage, and firefighters found an ashtray inside the garage that had ignited combustible chemicals, according to Becerra. 

The homeowner, who had been in the garage that evening before going to bed, was awakened by a smoke alarm, took his wife and an infant outside and called 911. As firefighters were arriving, a sprinkler head activated in the garage and suppressed the flames, Becerra said. 

Fire crews stayed for about 45 minutes to help the homeowner clear out the remaining combustibles and control the sprinkler flow, according to Becerra. No injuries to the family or firefighters were reported.

A damage estimate was not immediately available, but Becerra said damage appeared to be limited to items inside the garage.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Saginaw, MI – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at auto repair shop

Saginaw firefighters were dispatched to a fire at the corner of Holland and East Genesee about 5:50 p.m. on Friday, March 18.

The fire occurred at Rick’s Automotive, 1935 E. Genesee, where black smoke could be seen coming from inside of the building when firefighters arrived at the scene.

A sprinkler system that was activated helped contain the fire, according to a firefighter at the scene.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinklers help knock down flames in early morning townhouse fire

An early morning structure fire in Kelowna has caused damage to at least one suite in a three storey townhouse.

The Kelowna Fire Department received a call about the fire around 6:28 a.m. on Friday. When crews arrived on scene they spotted a fire on the roof of a townhouse on Ambrosi Road. Firefighters managed to knock the fire down quickly and the building sprinkler system helped to extinguish the flames.

There were no reported injuries as a result of the fire but one suite was affected and an adjoining suite suffered water damage as well. Emergency Support Services is now assisting the residents with any support services they may require. The cause of the fire has not been released.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Middletown, NJ – Sprinkler system contains residential fire to single room; No injuries

At 3:05 PM on Wednesday March 16, 2016, the Middletown Township Fire Department was dispatched to a “fire alarm” at Building 2, Unit 210 Wedgewood Circle in the Belford section of the Township.  Approximately 25 firefighters from 3 companies of the Middletown Township Fire Department (Belford Engine, Belford Independent and Community Fire Companies), under the command of Department Deputy Chief Anthony Citaralla, responded to the scene. 

The first arriving units on the scene encountered a smoke condition in the 2 story multiple unit residential structure. The firefighters quickly located a fire in a first floor bedroom. The unit was unoccupied at the time of the incident. The residents in the adjacent units were alerted by the fire alarm system and evacuated the structure. The building’s fire sprinkler system automatically activated and contained the blaze to the single room.

Fire crews ensured that the fire was fully extinguished and used thermal imaging cameras to confirm that the fire had not extended beyond the bedrooms.

The bedroom sustained fire damage and there was smoke and water damage throughout the unit.

The Fire was declared under control by 3:30 PM. The last units cleared the scene by 5:50 PM.

There were no reported injuries during the incident. 

The fire is being investigated by the Middletown Township Fire Prevention office.

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