Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Brick, NJ – Sprinklers save restaurant after fire breaks out in bathroom

A fire broke out in one of the restrooms at a new Brick Township restaurant. The Flaming Grille, a buffet-style restaurant in the Kennedy Mall shopping center, nearly lived up to its name Tuesday afternoon when a fire broke out about 4 p.m., officials said.

The Breton Woods and Pioneer Hose fire companies responded to the scene and found the fire had already been put out by the restaurant’s sprinkler system, said Kevin Batzel, director of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Prevention.

Batzel said investigators determined the fire was started when smoking materials had been disposed of in the bathroom trash can. The activation of the sprinkler system helped avert a much larger fire, Batzel said. One sprinkler head activated during the incident.

“It’s an old building,” Batzel explained. “[The fire] would have traveled up pretty fast into that building.” There were a small number of patrons in the restaurant at the time, Batzel said. All were evacuated. The bureau is following up today at the restaurant, which is back in operation. “If it was not for the sprinkler system, that restaurant would be shut down,” said Batzel.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bismarck, ND – Firefighters credit sprinklers for knocking down fire in 24-unit apartment building

The Bismarck Fire Department responded to the fire alarm at 5:12 am at 3945 N 19th Street.  When firefighters arrived, smoke was spreading throughout the building and coming from heat registers.
The cause of the fire was an electrical junction box in the mechanical room.  The short caused insulation to catch on fire. Firefighters say a sprinkler in the room activated, knocking the fire down. Occupants of the building were evacuated, and there were no injuries. There was no damage outside the mechanical room. The estimated fire loss was limited to approximately $5,000.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Sarasota, FL – Sprinkler system douses fire in Ritz-Carlton parking garage

Sarasota Fire Department personnel responded to a fire at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Sarasota Tuesday afternoon. According to Capt. Jerry Jensen of the Sarasota Fire Department, the fire began in a vehicle parked in the hotel’s parking garage. The building’s anti-fire measures soon kicked into action, with the sprinkler system activating and dousing the conflagration. Firefighters cleared the parking garage of people and made sure the fire was fully out before issuing the all-clear. Capt. Jensen reports that the situation has now returned to normal at the Ritz.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Myrtle Beach, SC – Sprinklers keep fire in check at Econo Lodge hotel

Horry County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at a Myrtle Beach hotel Wednesday. According to HCFR second battalion chief, Thomas Loeper, a sprinkler system was able to contain the blaze until fire crews got to the scene. When crews arrived, there was smoke on the second floor and fire was on one of the units, according to Loeper.

Brian Van Aernem with HCFR reported that the fire started in a second floor bedroom.  Crews were able to extinguish the fire and Loeper said they removed water from the second floor.  One person was transported to Grand Strand Medical Center due to minor burns on her hands. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue assisted HCFR with this fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Stratton Mountain, VT – Fire at ski resort lodge controlled with help from sprinkler system

A chimney fire damaged sections of the Stratton Mountain base lodge Tuesday morning. No one was hurt in the fire that started in Grizzly’s Bar and Restaurant, located on the second floor of the lodge, and was discovered around 5:30 a.m. 

Stratton Mountain Resort officials stated that the fire was contained to Grizzly’s kitchen and was put out with help from local fire companies, Stratton employees and the sprinkler system. 

“There was no one in the building,” said Stratton Mountain Marketing Director Myra Foster. “We’re meeting with the fire marshal and the inspector to determine clean-up steps and get an ETA on reopening.”

Shops in the village were operating along with lifts, Foster told the Reformer around 9:15 a.m. At that time, yellow caution tape was keeping people out of the lodge. Members of the Stratton Mountain Volunteer Fire Department were seen walking into the first floor from a rear access near the parking lot while a Winhall Fire Department truck was parked near another access by the gondola with hoses running into the building.

Damage beyond the kitchen was mostly due to water and clean up was under way. Guest services, ticket windows, Stratton Sports, bag check and rentals will be open in the base lodge.

Officials hope to have the building, besides the kitchen, fully operation by the weekend. But that will depend upon fire marshal approval.  Foster said the Stratton department was the first to respond.

“There was damage to the food and beverage office in getting access to the fire and we’re assessing damage,” she said. “The east wing was unaffected. There is water damage in the west wing.”

Visitors to the ski resort were being directed to park at Sun Bowl, another section of the mountain with parking and a base lodge. Skiers and snowboarders could then get back to the main base area where other services were still in operation. According to a snow report, eight lifts and 97 trails were open.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Chicago, IL – Fire in 24-story high rise condominium tower contained by sprinkler system

On the night of February 23, a fire was contained to a single condo unit by a fire sprinkler system on the 14th floor of the Erie on the Park high-rise in Chicago. The information was obtained through an email sent to the residents by the property manager of the 24-story, 125-unit condo building at 510 West Erie Street. The building was required by the city to install fire sprinklers when it was completed in 2002.

Tom Lia, executive director of the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, says that the successful fire sprinkler activation is an excellent reminder of the life-saving benefits that fire sprinklers provide in high-rises. But he also points out the glaring difference in fire protection between newer and older high-rises in Chicago.

“There are hundreds of residential high-rises in Chicago that were built before the city’s fire sprinkler requirements in 1975 that do not contain fire sprinklers,” notes Lia.

Approximately 100 of the older high-rises chose to install fire sprinklers to comply with the city’s Life Safety Evaluation (LSE) ordinance that had a deadline of January 1, 2015. That’s another 100 high-rises that will be in the “with” column for fire sprinklers, leaving less and less high-rises “without.”

Yet, the majority of the remaining high-rises chose other measures that will not fully protect residents unprotected from fires.

“As evidenced by last night’s sprinkler save, fire sprinklers are the only technology that actively control a fire and provide residents with a safe route of escape,” adds Lia. “High-rise owners, residents and prospective buyers must be mindful of the presence or absence of fire safety features, especially fire sprinklers, in their buildings.”

Government Office, Government/Military

Norfolk, MA – Fire from gas explosion at District Attorney’s office contained with help from sprinklers

A gas explosion and fire early Sunday at Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey’s Canton offices was “held in check by outside master streams and operating sprinkler heads,” Canton fire Chief Charles Doody said.

Doody said firefighters secured vital records and evidence once they were able to stabilize the office building, which shares the Shawmut Industrial Park with the separately housed Norfolk Probate and Family Court.

Doody said the office building’s roof was recently cleared off, leaving gas meters buried “under several feet of snow.”  Around 1:50 a.m. yesterday, gas backed into a mechanical room, ignited and exploded, 
severely damaging a wall shared by the first and second floors.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Cheyney, PA – Suspected arson fire at university residence hall extinguished with help from sprinkler system

State police and campus detectives are investigating a suspicious dormitory room fire that sent a campus police officer to the hospital and caused the evacuation of more than 100 students from Tubman Hall at Cheyney University in Thornbury about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, said Trooper John E. Stewart Jr., a member of the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Unit.

“It was intentionally set. It is still under investigation,” said Stewart Sunday afternoon.  He noted an unknown person or persons entered room 518 on the fifth floor of the residence hall and attempted to set a student’s personal belongings on fire, which activated the emergency sprinkler system.

“The room’s occupant was not present at the time of the fire’s discovery,” said Stewart.  A Cheyney University Police Department sergeant who responded to the blaze suffered chest pains and smoke inhalation and was transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Upland, where he was treated and released, noted the state trooper.

“The sprinkler knocked down the bulk of the fire and he took down the rest,” said Stewart.  The name of the officer who extinguished the blaze was not available at press time.  Stewart said the fire was contained to one room and resulted in mostly water damage.

Concordville, Rocky Run and Edgmont fire companies responded to the fire, as did members of some Chester County fire departments, said Stewart. The scene was reportedly cleared by just after 8 a.m. Sunday.

Gwen Owens, director of public relations for Cheyney University, said Tubman Hall houses 127 students. She said they were permitted re-entry into Tubman Hall to retrieve items Sunday afternoon and have been temporarily relocated to two other residence halls on campus.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Harvey, LA – Dumpster fire outside TGI Friday’s extinguished by sprinkler system

A dumpster fire outside a Harvey restaurant Friday morning (Feb. 20) was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler system, an official said. The incident was reported around 9:40 a.m. inside a structure attached to the TGI Fridays, 1201 Manhattan Blvd., according to Capt. Michael McAuliffe of the Harvey Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2. Workers inside the restaurant smelled smoke and found the trash bin ablaze. One person attempted to use a portable fire extinguisher but could not get close enough because of the smoke, McAuliffe said.

The sprinkler system activated, triggering an alarm that notified the fire department, McAuliffe said. The system suppressed most of the blaze, with firefighters extinguishing a few remaining hot spots upon their arrival. “A little smoke got into the restaurant, which was ventilated,” McAuliffe said. “The restaurant was able to open by lunchtime.”

 

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