Apartment Building, Residential

Watertown, NY – Sprinkler contain apartment fire while firefighters battle series of arson fires

… The car fires in the city were reported as firefighters worked at 308 Creekwood Drive,  Watertown. Crews were dispatched about 12:35 a.m. Saturday as flames shot from the building’s rear, which sustained major damage.

“The whole backyard was lit up,” said Hamilton A. Hewitt, who lives next door to the building’s apartment 6, where the fire began on a back patio and which sustained the most damage.

Nobody was injured in the apartment fire. Mr. Hewitt said several neighbors were checking

doors to ensure people had left the building and helped an elderly woman get out in time. Brittany A. Brady-Davis, who lived across the street, said she was initially worried about the children inside.

“It’s scary having it that close,” she said. At the scene, Battalion Chief Matthew R. Timerman said the building’s sprinkler system and firewalls prevented the damage from spreading to other portions of the building. 

“Without them, we lose at least three apartments, if not the whole building,” he said.

Fort Drum fire crews also aided at the apartment scene. Chief Herman’s statement Saturday about the fire said the cause is currently listed as undetermined.

Nobody was injured in the three vehicle fires. The city fire department asked that those with information about the vehicle fires contact them at 315-782-3211 or city police at 782-2233.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Amherst, NY – Sprinkler system activates to contain church arson fire

A Molotov cocktail was thrown into a chapel early Saturday morning in Amherst. Amherst Police say that around 5:30 a.m. they responded to a fire alarm at the Chapel at Crosspoint. When they arrived they found that a Molotov cocktail had been thrown through a glass door and started a fire. A sprinkler system contained the fire.

Damage was estimated to be $10,000. Amherst Police and the A.T.F are investigating the incident, including checking security cameras belonging to the Chapel and nearby businesses. Anyone with information is asked to call (716) 689-1364.

Other-Government/Military

Huntsville, AL – Fire at U.S. Space & Rocket Center put out with help from sprinkler system

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a small fire that broke out at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center last Wednesday night. The fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. in a workroom inside the main museum building. Pat Ammons, media and public relations manager for the center, said that the building’s sprinkler system got a jump start on extinguishing the blaze and that Huntsville firefighters finished the job within minutes of the alarm.

“Everybody was just so responsive,” Ammons said.  Fire damage is seen inside a workroom at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, where a small blaze ignited Wednesday night. No one was injured in the fire, and the cause is still under investigation. (Contributed by U.S. Space & Rocket Center)

Though smoke filled the building and there was some electrical damage, which knocked out the center’s phone lines through the day Thursday, the damage was minimal, Ammons said.

There were people inside the building at the time of the fire, including a group of about three dozen Space Camp trainees, but no one was near the area of the fire. The Space & Rocket Center was also hosting Wing Ding 37, an annual gathering of Gold Wing owners, but Wednesday night’s reception was being held in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.

The center opened as usual at 9 a.m. Thursday morning

Apartment Building, Residential

Kalamazoo, MI – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in containing fire at large apartment building

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety received multiple 911 calls around 8:20 a.m. Friday morning regarding a fire at an apartment located in the 2700 block of W. Michigan Avenue. Police say the fire activated the sprinkler system which was able to contain the fire to the apartment where it started. No one was injured.

When officers arrived on scene, they saw smoke coming from a second floor apartment on the north side of the building and residents already evacuating. The fire was contained in about a half hour; however, due to the large number of apartments in the building, a second alarm was called which brought more emergency crews to the scene. A total of eight fire apparatus and about 35 firefighters responded.

Police closed W. Michigan Avenue near Howard Street while they were on scene, but everything has reopened. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Chester, VA – Recent hotel cooking fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries

A cooking-related fire prompted the evacuation of a residential hotel in Chester last month.   On Aug. 18 at 11 a.m., county firefighters were dispatched for a fire alarm activation at the InTown Suites hotel at 2601 Perdue Springs Drive, just north of the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and State Route 10.

On arrival, they found water flowing from a sprinkler head that had activated near the stove in a second-floor room but no active fire. The hotel’s management was in the process of evacuating the building. A pot was in the sink, and both the nearby cabinets and microwave had sustained smoke damage. But the fire sprinkler system did its job and contained the fire to the stovetop; as a result, all residents escaped the hotel safely, and there were no injuries.

Other - Hospital/Medical

Henrico, VA – Overnight arson fire “mostly extinguished” by sprinkler system

A woman has been charged with arson after crews extinguished a fire at a Henrico doctor’s office Tuesday morning.

Crews responded to 10200 Three Chopt Road for a fire alarm at 3:03 a.m. Tuesday. First arriving units reported smoke coming from the front of the structure upon arrival. Inside the office, fire crews found fire that had been mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. The sprinklers kept the fire minimized and the fire was marked under control at 3:26 a.m.

While checking the property, officers on scene located a window where entry was made into the building. Police stopped an SUV leaving the scene of the incident and identified the operator as 46-year-old Deana Annette Clements of Crozier, Virginia. Officers say they found evidence inside the vehicle that implicated Clements in the burglary and arson.

After a joint investigation between the Henrico County Police Division and the Henrico County Division of Fire, Clements was charged with trespassing, burglary, possession of burglary tools, vandalism and arson.

There was minor smoke, water, and fire damage done to the building. The business was not occupied at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Shakopee, MN – Single sprinkler controls fire in apartment building laundry room

A single fire sprinkler contained a dryer fire in the second floor laundry room at White Pines Apartments in Shakopee Sunday morning, and Fire Marshal Tom Pitschneider credited it with preventing a significant blaze that could have displaced several residents.

Firefighters were called to the apartment complex located at 1364 Eagle Creek Blvd. at 10:50 a.m. Pitschneider said when Shakopee police arrived they reported there was a dryer on fire in the second floor laundry room. When firefighters arrived a single fire sprinkler in the laundry room had already activated due to heat from the fire.

The sprinkler controlled the fire and kept it from spreading both within the room and through the building, Pitschneider said. Firefighters removed the dryer and ventilated the building to remove smoke.

There was smoke and water damage to the second floor in the area of the laundry room and water damage to the first floor directly below. There were no injuries reported and all residents were able to return to their units.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Enid, OK – Fire at food production facility controlled with help from sprinkler system

AdvancePierre Foods had a small fire in one of its cooking stacks early Thursday morning. The fire, at 6:03 a.m., may have been caused by grease accumulation, said Enid Fire Marshal Kenneth Helms. The fire is categorized as a cooking fire and activated two sprinkler systems.

Helms said firefighters had to pull back part of the roof membrane, and units were there for a couple of hours. No injuries were reported. The plant was shutdown for a short period.

The plant is now open and the impacted area is closed until repairs can be completed.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory

Charleston, IL – Residence hall fire at Eastern Illinois University doused by sprinkler system

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Incense that was lit and unattended was found to be the cause of a closet fire that occurred at about 7:15 p.m. on the fifth floor, room 5G, in Stevenson Hall Thursday. The Charleston Fire Department responded to the fire at 7:31 p.m.

Mark Hudson, the director of university Housing and Dining, said the heat from the fire, which damaged a corner of the closet, activated the sprinkler system and “quickly” doused the flames. Having candles, incense and any other open flames goes against housing policy, Hudson said.

“There is minor damage to the room from the fire, but the water sprinklers going on caused additional issues in the building,” said Hudson.

Hudson said other suites got wet from the system but were cleaned by the building service workers, and electricians came to replace smoke detectors in the room with fire damage and others affected by water. Those who lived in the room affected by the fire were all moved to a different suite within the building.

Hudson said the student who caused the fire came forward, but he was not able to release the student’s name yet because of everything still being a part of the overall investigation.

The student responsible for the fire will face disciplinary action from the university.  “It’s a very serious situation because it’s safety violation; they went against the rules of the building in terms of its fire safety,” Hudson said.

Hudson said the damage cost of the fire and water was uncertain, but the building is fully open to students except for the room where the fire occurred.

Students that were evacuated from the building were not allowed to enter until 10:45 p.m. and those who were eating during the time of the fire were given meal credit, said Hudson.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fairfield, CT – Sprinkler system credited with keeping apartment fire in check

On Sunday, Aug. 23, at 2:48 p.m. the Fairfield Emergency Communication Center received a report of a fire alarm at 130 Fairchild Avenue. Engine 2, Engine 3, Ladder 2 and Car 3 were dispatched. While responding, FD units were advised that there was a fire in one of the kitchens. Fairfield Engine 2 arrived first and reported heavy smoke on the second floor of the 54 unit apartment building and a smoke condition on the third floor.

Engine 1, Engine 4, Engine 5, and Ladder 1 we additionally requested to the scene to support the fire ground effort. Assistant Chief Schuyler Sherwood arrived Car 3 and took command. Upon gaining access to the apartment, Engine 2 determined the fire had been controlled by the building sprinkler system. On scene fire units began an extensive search and ventilation operation. High levels of carbon monoxide were found on multiple floors of the building.

The occupants of the fire apartment were evaluated for smoke inhalation by AMR. The building was ventilated and all 54 units searched. Assistant Chief Schuyler Sherwood stated, “The occupants of the building were extremely lucky that this building had a sprinkler system and that the sprinkler system kept the fire in check. The damage would have been much worse had there not had been a working sprinkler system.” Assistant Chief Sherwood went on to say that “He would like to remind people of the importance of evacuating a building when the fire alarm system sounds as occupants were found in the building after the fire who did not evacuate and in fact there were high levels of carbon monoxide in the area of their apartments”.

Fire Units remained on scene for about two hours. Two apartments in the building were damaged and will not be able to be occupied.

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