Residential, Residential High Rise

Rochester, NY – Kitchen fire on 14th floor of residential high-rise controlled with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

There was a small fire Tuesday night at the city’s new downtown residential high rise. It started as the result of a cooking accident in the kitchen of one of the units on the 14th floor of Tower 280 around 8 p.m. The automatic sprinkler system that was triggered did cause water damage to three elevators, to the apartment where the fire started and some units below it.  No one was injured.

Tower 280 opened in January. Ken Glazer of Buckingham Properties tells WXXI News about ten percent of the building’s units are now occupied

Other Business, Residential

Oakland, CA – Sprinkler activates to help control fire in mixed use building

Firefighters quickly extinguished a small structure fire Tuesday afternoon in Oakland near the Fruitvale BART station, according to authorities.   Crews were dispatched to a building in the 1200 block of 37th Avenue at 4:04 p.m. on report of a fire.  A single room was burning on the second floor of a three-story structure with residential units above commercial space on the ground floor.

The fire was put out by the first arriving crews and a lone sprinkler head that activated, according to firefighters. Further details were not immediately available.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Merritt, BC, Canada – Suspicious fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire that sparked in an office at Merritt Secondary School was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system before the fire department arrived. The fire started just before 10 a.m. in a room that is adjacent to the main office on the ground floor. It was contained to that particular room, Merritt Fire Rescue Department Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson told the Herald.

Tomkinson said the fire was deemed suspicious and RCMP are investigating. The fire department cannot release any information pertaining to what burned, or the fire’s area of origin.

“There was a fair amount of water damage [to the room],” Tomkinson said. School District 58 superintendent Steve McNiven said the office where the fire sparked is a meeting room in the counselling area of the school.

McNiven said he’s not sure how the fire was discovered, and doesn’t know if anyone was using it at the time of the fire. The fire triggered the alarm and the school was evacuated. Students were allowed back in the building at about 1 p.m.

About 16 firefighters responded to the fire. Tomkinsoin said firefighters assisted the school board staff in salvaging efforts and cleaning up.

McNiven said he was pleased with how students and staff responded to the fire, noting that everyone evacuated the school appropriately and handled themselves well.

No injuries were reported in this incident.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Roseburg, OR – Kitchen fire at retirement home is contained by sprinkler system

A fire broke out at a Roseburg retirement home Monday morning, Roseburg Fire Department officials said. Around 7:30 a.m. Monday firefighters were dispatched to Linus Oakes Retirement Village on NW Van Pelt Blvd where they found the fire had been contained to the kitchen area of apartment #23 and extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

Officials say a wheelchair-bound resident fled the apartment before the sprinklers activated. Firefighters located the resident’s cat, which they removed to safety. Investigators say the fire was likely caused by the apartment’s 82-year-old resident, who was trying to remove a piece of bread that was stuck in her energized toaster.

While probing the interior of the toaster with a fork she saw flames develop and spread to the wall of the kitchen, officials said. She initially tried to extinguish it by smothering it. Failing that, she left her apartment to alert management.

Roseburg Fire Dept. reminds citizens to unplug appliances before working on them or contact a professional to investigate the cause of the problem. Energized toasters and other appliances pose a significant risk of electric shock and fire hazard if damaged or used improperly.

Officials also noted the automatic sprinkler system in the apartment worked as designed, containing the fire damage to the kitchen area with the activation of just one sprinkler head. Although the apartment sustained some water damage from the sprinkler, the smoke and fire damage throughout the rest of the building was minimized substantially, officials said, saving both the structure and lives.

Residential, Single Family Home

Mountain View, CA – House fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Mountain View firefighters on Sunday extinguished a house fire in the 200 block of Mariposa Avenue. The blaze started in the kitchen when all of the residents were out.  The fire was first reported at 11:10 a.m. on Sunday when people passing by began to notice smoke billowing out of the two-story house. By this time, the house’s fire sprinkler system had triggered and began suppressing the blaze.

Fire crews arrived on the scene within minutes and had the fire fully extinguished by 11:22 a.m. Exactly what sparked the fire remains unclear, and fire officials said Monday that they are still investigating the incident. Damage from the fire was limited to the kitchen area.

“This did demonstrate that a sprinkler system will hold a fire in check,” said fire spokesman Lynn Brown. “It was a happy ending. Shortly afterward the family arrived home, and searched for their cat. The missing feline was eventually found, Brown said.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Albany, NY – Early morning fire at University of Albany dorm controlled with help from sprinkler system

An unattended candle is being blamed for a dorm fire at the University at Albany. The fire broke out on the third floor of Oneida Hall just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. The dorm is located on the Indian Quad of the campus.  The fire was contained to one room and was out within a half-hour.

One student had minor injuries and was taken to Albany Medical Center for treatment. The fire also activated the fire sprinkler system in that room, which caused water damage. Some of the rooms around it and below it also suffered water damage due to the amount of water that was used. Around 120 students were evacuated for a time.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Toronto, ON – Hotel sprinkler system stops storage room fire; No injuries

Hotel guests were out on the street after a fire at the Fairmont Royal York hotel late on Sunday night.

A couch in a third-floor storage room caught fire around 11:45 p.m. Luckily, the heat and smoke activated the sprinkler system, and the fire was quickly extinguished.

“Damage was minimal,” Toronto fire district chief Mike Swift said.

One hotel guest got a little wet while making his escape: “The water was running out of the roof. We walked through the water to get out of there.”

Not all guests had to evacuate the building. Others stayed warm in the lobby. Everyone has been allowed back in and no injuries have been reported.

It’s not yet clear how the fire started. Only the couch was damaged.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Horseheads, NY – Sprinkler system and quick-thinking manager stop fire at Outback Steakhouse

The Outback Steakhouse at 200 Colonial Drive in Horseheads closed Sunday following an electrical fire at about 12:30 a.m.

Bill Degraw, Big Flats Fire Department chief, said the fire was caused by the failure of an electronic label printer, and nobody was hurt. He added the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before officials arrived on the scene.

The fire remained isolated to one small wall in the facility and caused minor damage, said restaurant proprietor Dan Collins.

A manager on duty who was in the restaurant when the fire started “saved the day,” Collins said.

He unplugged the equipment that was on fire and then called 911, Collins said. He also insured all of the restaurant employees working at the time made it out of the restaurant safely.

Collins said the restaurant will open again after its sprinklers are reinspected by a fire marshal.

The Outback Steakhouse is scheduled to open at 5 p.m. Monday, according to director of media and community relations for Bloomin’ Brands Elizabeth Watts.

Apartment Building, Residential

League City, TX – (NO MEDIA COVERAGE) Single sprinkler helps firefighters extinguish apartment fire

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED **

On Tuesday, February 09, 2016, at 8:35 p.m., the Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at the Broadstone Walker Commons Apartments located at 1751 West Walker Street.

Before arriving on the location the Fire Department was notified of fire leaping out a third story balcony with heavy fire and smoke visible. Once on location, firefighters deployed an “Apartment Lay” up three flights of stairs and connected a 1 ¾ inch attack line to suppress the fire. During this time, the fire sprinkler system with one sidewall sprinkler head activated, which controlled and suppressed the majority of the fire.

The quick action from the firefighters completely stopped the advancement of the fire from entering into the attic and open spaces. A fast responding fire sprinkler system and aggressive team of firefighters absolutely save the complex from extensive fire damage and thousands of dollars of direct fire loss, not to mention the lives perhaps saved. The fire is currently under investigation by the League City Fire Marshal’s Office.

Apartment Building, Residential

Pearland, TX – (NO MEDIA COVERAGE) Sprinkler system halts grease fire at apartment building

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED ** The Pearland Fire Department responded to a report of a grease fire in a unit of a 3-story apartment complex located in the 2200 block of Business Center Dr. on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Upon arriving, fire department officials discovered that the fire had been extinguished by a fire sprinkler system installed in the apartment unit where the fire began, extinguishing a fire in the kitchen of the unit.

Because the fire sprinkler system installed in the unit worked as it was designed, no property damage or loss of life occurred during this incident.

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