Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sprinkler system aids firefighters during manufacturing plant fire (Urbana, IL)

August 6, 2012 viking210

A malfunctioning machine at the Solo Cup plant in east Urbana sparked a fire Thursday morning that caused moderate damage.

Urbana Fire Chief Mike Dilley said a combination of sprinkler heads inside the plant and firefirefighters’ hose lines kept the fire from being any worse than it was. All the workers in the plant were safely evacuated.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sprinkler prevents major fire damage at restaurant (Ocean City, MD)

August 6, 2012 viking210

Firefighters were able to get the fire, which originated in the kitchen, under control. Officials say a sprinkler was activated during the blaze, which prevented extensive damages to the rest of the restaurant. Officials say no one was injured.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cat survives apartment fire thanks to fire sprinkler system (Portland, OR)

August 6, 2012 viking210

Firefighters who responded to a southeast Portland apartment fire could hear screaming inside and see smoke seeping from under the door. So they kicked in the door and found — a cat.

Fire spokesman Ron Rouse says the cat — named Dude — was fine after the firefighters took him outside Wednesday evening and gave him some oxygen.

Rouse says the apartment resident had taken some warm clothes from the dryer and set them on a couch near some oily rags, then left the apartment. The spokesman says the combination of heat and the oily rags created spontaneous combustion. The apartment’s automatic sprinklers contained the fire to the couch.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at cabinet-making business (Sacramento, CA)

July 31, 2012 viking210 2 Comments

A sprinkler system was credited with extinguishing a fire at a Rancho Cordova cabinet manufacturing business Monday night. After forcing their way inside, firefighters found that a small fire at a work station had activated a sprinkler head and the fire had been extinguished. No one was in the building when fire crews arrived.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Damage minimized at aluminum fabricator fire thanks to sprinkler system (Beloit, WI)

July 31, 2012 viking210

American Aluminum Extrusion’s sprinkler system did its job, according to Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Hedrington. “We had smoke 60 feet above the building when we were responding, but we didn’t see any fire because the sprinkler system did its job and knocked its down,” Hedrington said. “The sprinklers usually just kept it in check, but it did a great job.” All employees were safely evacuated before firefighters arrived.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Sprinkler system aids firefighters in college campus fire (Edinburg, TX)

July 30, 2012 viking210

The Edinburg fire chief said sprinkler systems may have stopped an overnight fire on the UTPA campus. He said the fire started around midnight Saturday night in an oven located in a chemistry classroom on the third floor of the science building. The fire did not spread to the exterior of the building.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sprinkler system suppresses fire at senior living center (Beverly Hills, MI)

July 30, 2012 viking210

A fire at a senior living complex in Beverly Hills forced the evacuation of residents early Sunday morning. The fire was started in the kitchen. Beverly Hills Department of Public Safety Lt. Michael Vargas stated the facilities sprinkler system was able to put out the fire. “The suppression system extinguished the fire,” stated Vargas. “No one was hurt as a result.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system (Iqaluit, NU)

July 30, 2012 viking210

An apartment fire in Iqaluit caused the evacuation of a large building in the city Friday. Fire crews responded to an alarm at the blue Inuksugait building around mid-morning. By the time they got there, the sprinkler system had extinguished any flames. “We would have been looking at going in there and fighting an active fire in what essentially for us is a highrise building. So we didn’t have to get into that because the sprinkler system did a grand job.”

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Sprinkler system kept harbor fire from spreading (Kahului Harbor, Maui)

July 30, 2012 viking210

Witnesses saw a teenager use a cigarette lighter to start a fire in a new canoe hale, built from traditional materials of dried palm leaves. The fire damaged about a 100 square feet of the structure before a sprinkler system kept it from spreading. The sprinkler system was installed to bring the structure into compliance with Maui’s building codes.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in mall bathroom (Toms River, NJ)

July 30, 2012 viking210

Crews found the fire started in the employee bathroom, located at the rear of the store, but was extinguished by the fire sprinkler system, Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention Director James Mercready said. The fire sprinkler system helped control and suppress the “potentially catastrophic” fire, he said. A fire sprinkler head had activated once temperatures in the area reached 155 degrees Fahrenheit and once it kicked on, a fire alarm signal alerted the fire department of the fire, Mercready said.

Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers