Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility Killeen, TX – Dryer vent fire at substance abuse center extinguished by sprinkler system February 5, 2015 viking210 The Killeen Fire Department responded to a small structure fire on the corner of Avenue B and Gray Street just after 8 a.m. today. The fire started in the laundry room of the Word of Life building in downtown Killeen, according to Battalion Chief Clay Brooks, most likely caused by lent in the dryer vent. “Lent accumulates, and it’s very combustible,” Brooks said. Brooks said the facility’s sprinklers put out most of the flames. “The sprinkler head did its job,” he said. No one in the building was injured, and there is no permanent damage to the structure.
Apartment Building, Residential Norcross, GA – Late night apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system February 5, 2015 viking210 No one was injured in a Tuesday evening apartment fire near Norcross, according to Gwinnett Fire. The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system and was contained to the bathroom. The fire happened after 10 p.m. at the Los Colinas Apartments on Lia Hills Drive. It appears to have been accidental and started by a bathroom exhaust fan, firefighters said.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Brownwood, TX – Sprinklers put out overnight fire at nursing and rehabilitation center February 4, 2015 viking210 Tuesday, January 27 : 11:43 PM – The Brownwood Fire Department was dispatched to a fire call in the 2500 block of Songbird Circle (The Songbird Lodge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center). Firefighters arrived on scene and were advised the fire was in the rear of building. Firefighters entered the building to find the sprinkler system had activated and the fire was out. EMS on scene assisted with evacuation of patients. A ventilation fan was set up and firefighters started clean up.
Apartment Building, Residential San Francisco, CA – Arson fire at multi-tenant residential building contained by sprinkler system February 3, 2015 viking210 An unidentified man set a fire at the Crown Hotel and SRO at 16th and Valencia late Monday morning. According to witnesses, the man broke the glass of a fire extinguisher case inside the building and used it to attempt to break into a resident’s room, and then reportedly spread gasoline on the hotel’s walls and floors. The man was taken into custody by police, witnesses said, and by noon a manager informed residents they would have to wait about another hour for water used to extinguish the fire to be cleaned up from the building. Samantha Helstrom, a resident of the Crown Hotel for about a year and a half, said she came out of her room after she heard glass breaking. She saw a man banging on a resident’s door, apparently trying to break in and possibly manipulating a gasoline can. Shortly after, she saw smoke coming from the resident’s room and the man running downstairs. Helstrom said she ran back inside to get water to put out the fire and managed to get a few buckets on the flames before the sprinkler system turned on and the building was evacuated. “The fire was pretty contained at that point between the sprinklers and me being a crazy fool,” Helstrom said, referring to her efforts to extinguish the flames. Benji Francois, who has been in the building less than a week, said he usually ignores yelling and commotion since they’re so common, but when water started coming into his room from the sprinkler system, he knew something serious had happened. He said he opened his door to see flames, and then ran out of the building. “Not a good way to wake up,” Francois said.
Apartment Building, Residential Ontario, OH – Kitchen fire in off-campus apartment at Ohio State University controlled by sprinkler system February 3, 2015 viking210 Springfield Township Fire Department Capt. Steve Krock said grease from a pan of food — possibly bratwurst — caused a fire about 8 p.m. Sunday in Buckeye Village Apartments. “The sprinkler system went off and did what it was supposed to do,” Krock said. “Without that, we would have rolled up here and there would have been fire coming out of that front window.” The fire caused smoke damage to neighboring apartments and displaced at least six residents. The fire triggered the smoke detector as well as the sprinkler system, the latter of which, Krock said, played a key role in containing the fire before firefighters responded. All residents made it out of the apartment complex before firefighters responded. Krock said four residents had to be moved to a vacant apartment complex for the night. Firefighters used fans to ventilate smoke from the apartment and used brushes to sweep out excess water on the first floor. The Madison Township and Shelby fire departments assisted the Springfield Township Fire Department in containing the situation. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Stillwater, MN – Townhouse fire controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported February 3, 2015 viking210 Just before 10 p.m. Jan. 30, firefighters were called to a townhouse fire in the 2800 block of Brewers Lane. When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the eight-unit townhouse complex. Crews entered the unoccupied townhome, and found a sprinkler-controlled fire on the first floor. Firefighters extinguished the fire and ventilated the building. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. “The fire sprinkler in this building prevented significant fire damage to the complex and allowed the residents of the attached units to escape without injury,” a post on the Stillwater Fire Department’s Facebook page reads.
Government Office, Government/Military Concord, NH – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at Merrimack County Courthouse February 3, 2015 viking210 A sprinkler system helped put out a fire and save county property at the Merrimack County Superior Courthouse in Concord Sunday. The fire is believed to have started in a vending machine on the first floor of the building. A preliminary investigation by the Concord Fire Department, the state fire marshal’s office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the fire to have been accidental, according to a press release issued yesterday by the state fire marshal’s office. The Concord Fire Department was called to 163 N. Main St. at 10:13 a.m. after receiving an alert from an automatic fire alarm. Firefighters arrived on scene at 10:18 a.m. to find smoke in the building and an active sprinkler in a room of vending machines. The building was closed and secure at the time of the fire. Fire Marshal J. William Degnan said the sprinkler system “prevented a much larger fire and loss of county property, as well as reduced the danger to firefighters.” The fire came two days after another one in a similarly unattended public building, in that case owned by the town of Henniker. The Henniker Highway Department garage, which wasn’t outfitted with a sprinkler system, and several town vehicles were destroyed in that fire, with damage estimated to be about $1 million.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Corvallis, OR – Sprinkler system helps control fire at Holiday Inn Express February 2, 2015 viking210 The Corvallis Fire Department responded to a fire at Corvallis’ Holiday Inn Express in the early morning hours Saturday. According to Jim Patton, fire prevention officer with the department, the fire was started on the second floor by a ceiling fan in a guest’s room and extended into the ceiling, which activated a fire sprinkler system. Guests were evacuated from the hotel at 5:30 a.m., and the fire department responded to extinguish the fire and investigate its cause. Patton said fire damage and water damage was contained to the room and the ceiling above. Around 9 a.m. the hotel, located at 781 N.E. Second St., was partially reoccupied. The third floor and portions of the second floor were not reoccupied, he said. Patton, who was not at the incident himself, said he’d heard of no injuries in the fire.
Apartment Building, Residential Bethesda, MD – Sprinkler system keeps fire away from residents in overnight apartment blaze February 2, 2015 viking210 Firefighters were called to the Bethesda Hill Apartment building at 5114 Dudley Lane shortly after 3 a.m. by a guest at the Bethesda Marriott located across the street. All occupants quickly got out of the building, but the fire had spread considerably through void and empty spaces, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said Piringer said the building’s sprinkler system effectively prevented the fire from spreading to the building’s living spaces. Piringer said it appears to have started with a dryer and nearby combustible material before quickly spreading to duct work in the walls, ceilings and floors between the second and third floors.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Hillsville, VA – Sprinklers help contain fire at manufacturing company February 2, 2015 viking210 Fire crews cleared the scene of a fire at about 9 p.m. Saturday night at Magnolia Manufacturing in Hillsville. Hillsville Volunteer Fire Dept. Asst. Chief Mike Musser said the fire got into two locations referred to as filter houses. Musser said the suppression system inside Magnolia is top of the line and the sprinklers helped knock down the fire and contain it to the two filter houses as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. Fire crews from Hillsville, Galax, Willis, Barren Springs, Carroll County Fire & Rescue, and Laurel Fork were among those on the scene. Firefighters worked for about an hour-and-a-half to clear the scene. Generally fires at Magnolia are contained to one filter house or one machine, he said. Heavy smoke was visible from as far away as Hard Scuffle Road when the fire was at its peak. Musser said there was significant damage but he wasn’t sure of the extent. He said supervisors and plant managers said the particular plant where the fire occurred would be shut down for a while. Magnolia in Hillsville has four plants at the location. There were no reports of injuries at the scene. All in all, Musser said firefighting efforts were a success.
