Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Westminster, CO – Damage from restaurant fire minimized thanks to sprinkler system

A sprinkler system helped prevent major damage after an electrical fire in Westminster. Firefighters responded to an alarm at 11300 Westmoor Circle just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Security at the building at the site reported smoke an electrical smell.

When crews arrived they found a room in the Oasis Café filled with smoke and the sprinkler head activated. The firefighters quickly extinguished the remaining fire, shut off the sprinkler system and ventilated the first floor of the building.

The fire was started by a series of lithium batteries that were in a large charger. However, because of the building sprinklers the damage was limited to the charger, minor smoke damage and water damage in the immediate area of the sprinkler head. According to the fire department, there could have been a much larger fire without the sprinkler system.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Beaufort, SC – Fire at Hilton Garden Inn extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at Hilton Garden Inn on Thursday was extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived, according to a news release. Firefighters responded to the fire about 4:30 p.m. and found all of the hotel’s tenants evacuated to the parking lot. A room on the third floor caught fire before the sprinklers doused the flames.

All 115 hotel rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, the release said, The full house was related to Friday’s graduation ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. “The hotel was filled with Marine recruit families and friends, and they all got out fine,” Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Chief Sammy Negron said in the release. “It was a good ending to a potentially very bad situation.”

Tenants in 47 rooms had to be relocated until the rooms affected by the sprinkler system could be cleared for use, Negron said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Flushing, NY – Sprinkler system knocks down fire in supermarket basement

A fire broke out in the basement of a supermarket in Flushing late Wednesday morning, the FDNY said. The Fire Department received a report of a manhole fire at about 10:51 a.m., according to an FDNY spokesman.

The manhole may be connected to the basement of the building of the H&Y Marketplace, located at 150-51 Northern Blvd., the spokesman said. There were elevated carbon monoxide readings as high as 700 parts per million, but the sprinkler system activated and the fire was knocked down at about 12:19 p.m., the spokesman said.

Con Edison shut off the power and it was evaluating the air quality to make sure that people remain safe, the spokesman added. There were no reported injuries and the FDNY was still actively working on the scene, he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burnsville, MN – Suspected arson fire at apartment building doused by sprinkler system

Authorities are asking for the public’s help to find suspects of a suspected arson fire in Burnsville over the weekend. Burnsville Police and Fire departments say a fire at the Meridian Point Apartments, 51 McAndrews Road West, has been ruled suspicious. The fire, which happened on Sunday, was contained thanks to a single sprinkler head in the apartment building.

Fire crews arrived on scene to find smoke coming from a stairwell leading from the basement garage to the first floor. The building’s sprinkler system had already been activated and managed to keep the fire damage to a minimum. No building residents were displaced by the fire and no injuries were reported.

An investigation into the fire has led officials to believe it was intentionally set. Assistant Fire Chief Doug Nelson states in a release the cause appears to be suspicious and the circumstances of the fire remain under investigation. They ask any residents with information to call the arson hotline at 1-800-723-2020. A reward of up to $5,000 is available for information leading to the identity of the person or persons responsible.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sarasota, FL – Arson fire at nightclub is prevented from spreading by sprinkler system

Sarasota deputies are looking for a man who they say set fire to a gay nightclub Sunday morning.  Surveillance video shows a man wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and light colored shorts approaching Throb Nightclub, 2201 Industrial Blvd., at 9 a.m. Sunday, according to a release.

The man walked up to the door carrying a gas can and unsuccessfully tried to light the building on fire with a lit cigarette, deputies said. He walks away and then re-approaches the business, successfully lights the fire and walks away again.  The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading, according to a report.

When the flames cleared, Throb Nightclub had suffered $10,000 in fire and water damage. Owner Brian Zickafoose wasted no time making repairs, and opened the club for a regular Sunday evening just hours after the flames had been put out.

Anyone with information can contact criminal investigations at 941-861-4934 or the State Fire Marshal’s arson hotline at 877-662-7766. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Sarasota County by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477) or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Des Plaines, IL – Sprinkler system contains electric fire at Comfort Inn hotel

An activated sprinkler system in the Comfort Inn hotel, 2175 Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, last Friday helped keep a fire in a basement storage room from spreading, which could have caused more damage and possibly injuries, according to Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax.

Firefighters who were called to the scene at 6:15 p.m. were able to extinguish the blaze within 15 minutes and after the building was ventilated, occupants were able to return to their rooms about 90 minutes later.

Shortly after firefighters arrived on the scene, they found smoke throughout the basement with “extremely heavy smoke and some fire” in the storage room. At the same time, fire personnel went from room-to-room on all of the hotel’s floors confirming that no one was present as hallways were also filling with smoke.

According to Wax, one sprinkler head had activated over the fire. This contained the blaze. It also activated the automatic alarm signal that summoned the fire department. The fire caused considerable damage to stored tables, chairs and other items in the storage room as well as electrical equipment. There was little structural damage and no injuries were reported. The hotel remained open after the incident.

Cause of the fire, investigators determined, was arcing from a large electrical feed. “This was another great save by an automatic fire sprinkler system,” said Wax.

Other-Government/Military, Restaurant

Montrose, CO – Fire at airport restaurant put out with help from sprinkler system

A small fire broke out at the Montrose Regional Airport Wednesday morning. The airport’s Director of Aviation tells us it happened early Wednesday morning in the kitchen of a restaurant inside the terminal.

No one was inside the kitchen at the time of the fire and the sprinkler system helped put it out. The airport is still operating as normal. There was minimal damage to property and no threat to public safety. Airport operations were not impacted and cleanup is underway.

County Manager Ken Norris says they hope to have the restaurant back open by Saturday for their Tribute to Aviation event.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Port Townsend, WA – Sprinkler system handles small fire at paper mill

 Emergency personnel responded to a fire around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Port Townsend Paper Corp. No one was injured. There was minor damage to equipment and the machine was expected to be back up and running Tuesday night. General Manager Carr Tyndall, on vacation in South Carolina, said Tuesday afternoon that sprinklers had gone off when a fire started in a dryer section on Paper Machine No. 2. East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) was called as a precaution.

Kevin Scott, director of sustainability at the mill, and Bill Beezley, public information officer at EJFR, confirmed that firefighters and medics arrived as support. Beezley said that crews were dispatched to “heavy black smoke near the northernmost smoke stack.” Responding crews reported that fire had broken out in dust on top of the second paper machine and that the mill’s sprinkler system had extinguished it by the time the crew arrived.

“EJFR firefighters spent some time hitting hot spots and mopping up before departing 45 minutes later,” Beezley said. “Paper Machine No. 2 is down for now. And it’s probably going to be another three hours for cleaning,” Tyndall said of being told there was no significant damage. He said the sprinkler heads would need to be replaced.

Tyndall said it would not surprise him if paper dust in the third dryer section caught on fire. He said that was common. Flames were initially reported being visible from a roof, then only black smoke was visible, as of 10:10 a.m.

The flames had been “knocked down” as of 10:14 a.m., according to responder traffic heard on JeffCom dispatch. The mill has two machines that produce kraft paper products.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Export, PA – Sprinkler system halts spread of fire at Westmoreland Country Club

A fire in a laundry room at Westmoreland Country Club early Tuesday caused minimal damage and did not curtail any activities, a club official said.

Controller April Jeroski said no one was injured in the blaze reported at 12:39 a.m.

“It was totally contained to the laundry area. The rest of the club is operational,” she said.

Claridge fire Chief Bob Bankosh said some smoldering towels were found near an electrical box.

A fire suppression sprinkler system kicked in, preventing further spread of smoke or fire, he said.

Bankosh said the fire has been ruled accidental.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fairbanks, AK – Sprinkler system contains cooking fire at downtown apartment building

A sprinkler system contained a small cooking fire in a downtown Fairbanks apartment building Tuesday evening.

The fire broke out about 5:30 p.m. in an apartment on the third floor of the Golden Towers building, said Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Misewicz with the Fairbanks fire department. The automatic sprinkler extinguished the fire. 

“Nobody was displaced and damage was kept to a minimum,” he said.

Simple Share Buttons