Department Store, Retail Capitol Heights, MD – Sprinkler system helps extinguish potential arson fire at Family Dollar store July 29, 2015 viking210 Prince George’s County authorities are seeking the community’s assistance in identifying a man they believed started a fire in a local Family Dollar store. The fire occurred at 1:23 p.m. Saturday in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Onlookers say they saw a man set combustible materials on fire to cover up a theft. The fire was quickly contained by a store sprinkler and an employee dispensing a fire extinguisher. The total loss is estimated at $2,500. No injuries were reported.
Government/Military, Prison / Jail Florence, AZ – No injuries after sprinklers douse fire inside prison laundry room July 28, 2015 viking210 A fire broke out at a private prison in Florence Saturday afternoon, according to a town official. According to an official with the town of Florence, a fire broke out a Corrections Corporation of America facility in Florence. CCA said the fire started in a dryer in a laundry room. The fire went up a vent where it caught plastic, that was on the roof, on fire. CCA said the cause of the heavy black smoke was the plastic burning. The fire inside the building was extinguished by the internal sprinkler system, according to CCA, while firefighters extinguished the outside. The fire was not in a living area of the prison, but according to the town of Florence official the fire did cause “serious damage” to the facility. There were no injuries.
Apartment Building, Residential Foster City, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading in attic of apartment building July 28, 2015 viking210 Firefighters responded at 10:46 a.m. last Thursday to an apartment building at 720 Bounty Drive in Foster City and found smoke coming from the attic of a three-story building. Neither firefighters nor civilians were injured, but police and firefighters assisted an occupant with medical needs, fire officials said. Firefighters said they believe the fire started accidentally in the wall of a second floor unit where plumbing repairs were underway. Firefighters said the fire was burning above two third-floor apartments and damaged at least six of the building’s ten apartments. The fire spread up the wall to the attic where a sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading until firefighters extinguished it, fire officials said.
Self-Storage Facility, Storage / Warehouse Contra Costa, CA – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing vehicle fire in storage unit July 28, 2015 viking210 A vehicle caught on fire in a storage unit, causing about $35,000 in damages, a Contra Costa County fire official said. Nobody was injured in the blaze in an unincorporated area near the city of Martinez, said Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. Nearly 20 firefighters responded at 10:18 p.m. Thursday to reports of a fire in a storage facility in the 5700 block of Pacheco Boulevard, near Interstate 680 and Highway 4, Marshall said. Crews arrived and found smoke billowing from one of the units, where a fire sprinkler was spraying water, he said. Firefighters used four engines and a truck to prevent the flames from spreading to other units, Marshall said. They got the one-alarm fire under control within 10 minutes. The cause is under investigation but Marshall said it might have started from oily rags left inside the vehicle. “You need to dispose of rags like that because they can spontaneously combust,” he said. “We don’t know if that’s what happened, but all of the right ingredients were there.”
Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business Newnan, GA – Potential arson fire at pilates studio controlled by sprinkler system July 27, 2015 viking210 Authorities with the Newnan Fire Department and the Newnan Police Department are investigating a suspicious fire that severely damaged a Newnan business early Tuesday. The fire started about 4:20 a.m., shortly after someone was seen banging on the door of The Pilates Loft on Field Street, located in the historic cotton mill, witnesses told detectives. According to Sgt. Brent Blankenship with the police department, witnesses said they saw a Caucasian person carrying a red container, possibly a gasoline can, and they thought they saw the person pour the can around the business. The person then fled in a white vehicle, and flames soon appeared inside the building. The fire inside The Pilates Loft did not last very long because the sprinkler system in the building kicked on quickly from the heat. By the time the Newnan Fire Department arrived, the fire was mostly contained and firefighters were able to quickly control the fire, but the business sustained heat and smoke damage. During the investigation, detectives found one of The Pilates Loft’s windows had been shattered, which is possibly where the suspect poured the can into the building, Blankenship said. Because of this, authorities are treating the fire as an arson investigation. According to Blankenship, witnesses said the person may have been a man, but detectives are not certain of that at this time. Evidence gathered by authorities is also being sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab to determine if an accelerant was used to start the fire, Blankenship said. If so, the crime will be considered arson.
College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Pittsburgh, PA – Residence hall fire at Duquesne University extinguished by sprinkler system July 27, 2015 viking210 A small kitchen fire at a dormitory at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University was quickly extinguished and hurt no one. City firefighters were called to Brottier Hall just before 10 p.m. Wednesday, but the fire was put out by the sprinkler system before they arrived. University spokeswoman Bridget Fare says 500 students live in the building, but most are on vacation or not living there during the summer. Still, 30 apartments were affected by water damage from the building’s sprinkler system. Fare says 15 students who live in those units were temporarily staying elsewhere. The university found alternate housing for 11 students, while four opted to stay with friends. Some apartments were expected to be repaired by Thursday, while others might take a week to fix.
Apartment Building, Residential Rockford, IL – Electrical fire at apartment complex limited by sprinkler system July 26, 2015 viking210 An electrical fire damaged a Northwest Rockford apartment complex. It started shortly after 4pm Thursday afternoon at the Riverside Apartments in the 3700 block of Trilling Avenue. Investigators say that an electrical problem sparked a mattress that set fire in a lower level unit. According to the District Chief the apartment had a working sprinkler system that kept the fire from spreading. No one was hurt but one person has been displaced.
Other - Retail, Retail Bonney Lake, WA – Sprinkler system activates to help contain fire at thrift store July 25, 2015 viking210 Firefighters from East Pierce Fire and Rescue quickly contained an electrical fire at the Bonney Lake Goodwill Thrift store early this morning. Just before 4 a.m., someone who had been walking behind the building at 21153 State Route 410 East, reported the fire. At the same time, the building’s automatic fire alarm notified dispatch. According to East Pierce Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jay Adams, the fire started at an electrical panel and had spread to a nearby wall. It was primarily contained to a small room where the electrical panel was located. “Although there was some smoke throughout the store, for the most part, the smoke was contained to that room,” he says. The sprinkler system activated, but only near the fire. A ladder truck from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue also responded. No injuries were reported.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing East Liverpool, OH – Sprinkler system puts out fire at century old pottery plant; Business back to usual for 100 employees July 25, 2015 viking210 Damages are still being assessed following a fire at a century old pottery plant in East Liverpool. The fire was concentrated in a large dryer at the Hall China Company on the city east end. An employee first noticed smoke coming out of the dryers doors around 5:30 p.m. Monday. “Then all of a sudden I saw the whole thing caught fire on the side of it,” maintenance worker Jody Eccles said. Another employee, Brian Cronin sounded the alarm. Then he went through the plant and notified people to get out,” company spokesman Chuck Henderson said. It appears the fire was the result of an equipment malfunction. “The mechanism that creates the heat for the dryer, we had a belt bind up and catch fire,” said Henderson. The fire was actually put out rather quickly. A large amount of pottery ware ready to go in the dryer was lost due to water damage. But the owner says the 100-year old structure could have sustained much greater damage if not for quick work by firefighters and the well maintained sprinkler system. “There’s a lot of wood in parts of the building and it could have gone up in a flash, said President and CEO, Liz McLvain. Hall China is now owned by Homer-Laughlin makers of the popular Fiesta ware Clean up work is well underway. McLvain says the plant has several other dryers and they are still in full production. “I know you wouldn’t have believed that last night, but today we are in business as usual,” McLivain said. And that’s good news for the plant’s 100 employees. A damage estimate from the fire is still being determined.
Other - Retail, Retail Benton Twp, MI – Arson fire at thrift store extinguished by sprinkler system July 24, 2015 viking210 A thrift store fire in Benton Township has now been declared an arson. According to our reporting partners at Herald Palladium, the fire broke out just before 5 p.m. Sunday at the Valueland thrift store in the 1800 block of m-139. Police now believe that the fire was set to the store to try and cover up a robbery after money was missing from the store office where the fire started. The fire was quickly put out by the store’s sprinkler system.
