Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Christiana, DE – Kitchen fire at TownePlace Suites hotel knocked down by sprinkler system

A fire inside a guest room at a Christiana hotel on Thursday was ruled accidental by officials later that day. The Delaware State Fire Marshal determined the cause of the blaze—which was reported around 4:30 p.m., on the fourth floor of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott, located at 410 Eagle Run Road—was a cardboard box that had been placed on top of a working stove.  According to state fire investigators, as the box was placed on the appliance, it accidentally turned on a burner by contacting the burner control knob.  The building’s fire sprinkler system had been operating properly, officials advised, allowing a nearby sprinkler head to detect and, subsequently, extinguish the flames.  Officials reported no injuries among hotel guests, who were alerted to evacuate by the building’s fire alarm system. Alternate accommodations were provided to guests at other Marriott properties, until the hotel could be reopened.  No estimate of damages was provided.

Retail

Phillipsburg, NJ – No injuries as sprinkler system helps knock down fire at Toys R Us

The Toys R Us store on Route 22 near Phillipsburg was evacuated Monday for a fire that broke out in the store’s office area, fire officials said.

No one was injured in the 3:59 p.m. blaze, which burned boxes, computer materials and other office items in the building at 1280 Route 22 in Pohatcong Township.

“The fire was confined to an office area off of the retail floor,” Huntington fire Chief Dave Cupon said. “It was a lot more smoke damage than anything, but the store will be closed for an undetermined amount of time while they make repairs.”

Cupon said the fire appeared to have started accidentally in an electrical fixture. No one was in the office when the flames broke out, he said.

“The sprinkler system, once it was activated, knocked down a lot of the fire,” Cupon said. Firefighters quickly finished extinguishing the fire.

Three firetrucks extended their ladders to the Toys R Us and Babies R Us roof, where firefighters used fans to help suck the smoke out of the store.

Assisting Huntington Fire Company were Alpha, Greenwich Township, Phillipsburg, Harmony, Washington and Pohatcong Township fire companies.

Government Office, Government/Military

Farmers Branch, TX – Office fire on 9th floor of Federal Building extinguished by single sprinkler

*** FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE *** On the afternoon of September 13, 2017, the Farmers Branch Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at a 14-story Federal Building located at 4050 Alpha Rd. Upon arrival, smoke was showing on the ninth floor. A full assignment response was initiated. Upon investigation, fire crews identified an oscillating fan and chair on fire in a ninth floor conference room. One sprinkler head activated and extinguished the fire. Fire was determined to be accidental. No injuries occurred.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Fargo, ND – Garage fire in row house building held in check by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system helped contain a fire in a south Fargo garage Monday, Sept. 18, according to the fire department.  Firefighters responded about 12:45 p.m. to a report of a fire in a garage of a row house building with eight residences at 4648 44th Ave. S.  The first arriving crew found a fire sprinkler operating in the garage of one of the homes. While the sprinkler had not extinguished the fire, it kept it in check until crews could put it out, fire officials said.

The fire appears to have started on a stovetop in the garage. Damage was limited to items in that part of the garage. There was no fire, smoke or water damage inside the house, fire officials said.  The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage is estimated to be $6,000 to the building and $2,000 to the contents of the garage.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Abingdon, MD – Fire officials credit sprinkler system with containing townhouse fire to room of origin

State fire investigators credit a functioning smoke alarm and sprinkler system with alerting an Abingdon woman to a fire Friday afternoon and minimizing damage to the townhouse where she lives with other family members. The fire was reported shortly after 4 p.m. in the middle of a group townhouse in the 200 block of Ferring Court, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association. Twenty firefighters responded from the Abingdon, Bel Air and Joppa-Magnolia volunteer fire companies, according to a notice of investigation from the Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire was brought under control in approximately 20 minutes and no injuries were reported.

The fire originated in a second floor, front bedroom, investigators said. The cause had not been determined as of Monday. According to the notice of investigation, Anna Stewart, a grandmother who lives in the house with Ashley and Rafael Ramon and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, was alone in the townhouse and in the basement when she heard a strange sound. Upon investigating, she saw water coming through the living room ceiling and smoke coming from the second floor.

It was later determined the sprinkler had contained the fire to the bedroom where it originated, investigators said. “Deputy state fire marshals credit the fire sprinkler for containing the fire and allowing Ms. Stewart to safely escape,” the notice of investigation states. “Fire sprinklers also help firefighters by containing the fire to the area of origin, reducing the chance of injuries and/or death.” Investigators estimate the fire caused $5,000 damage to the dwelling and a $15,000 loss to contents. The family was displaced is being assisted by Red Cross, according to the notice of investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire suppressed by sprinkler system

The City of Yuma Fire Department responded to an alarm at around 1:00 p.m. indicating a fire sprinkler in an apartment at the Palo Verde Villa Apartments Thursday afternoon.  Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived and made entry into the second story apartment, finding extreme heat built inside.

Upon further investigation, it was determined a stove top and oven had been left on for an extended time and the extreme heat, in excess of 155 degrees, had triggered a sprinkler head nearest the stove.  Although there was no active fire at the time of entry, firefighters found that the heat had begun to damage wood cabinets above the stove.

The sprinkler head was shut down and YFD personnel worked quickly to vent the heat and remove the water that had been released during the activation.  Water from the sprinkler was not found to have gotten into the downstairs apartment.

It was determined that the stove/oven was being tested in anticipation of future tenants and had been accidentally left on by a maintenance worker. It is believed that the continued heat buildup would have eventually ignited a fire if not for the sprinkler system.

Apartment Building, Residential

Springfield, OR – Fire in mixed-use apartment building quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire damaged an apartment building in the heart of downtown Springfield on Friday.  There were no injuries.  Firefighters were dispatched to the Royal Building at Main and Fifth streets shortly after 1 p.m. The building, developed and owned by St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, has 35 apartments on four upper floors as well as ground-floor retail.  The building’s sprinkler system quickly extinguished the fire in a third-floor apartment, but the water ran down into the lower floors, said Jeff Kronser, battalion chief for Eugene Springfield Fire.

Terry McDonald, St. Vincent de Paul’s executive director, said employees were assessing the damage and working to get tenants back into the building.  It wasn’t immediately clear how many tenants the fire displaced.  Tenant Sharon Quest said another tenant had left the building while food was cooking on a stove. Quest said the tenant returned after firefighters arrived.

“It must have burned pretty good to start a fire,” she said.  One of the ground-floor tenants is the Mezza Luna Pizzeria. Employee Chad Ouellette said some soaked ceiling tiles collapsed because of the water, but otherwise the damage was minimal.  The pizzeria was closing for the day but planned to reopen Saturday, he said.  The fire remained under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Sprinkler system helps save lives in nursing home fire; No injuries reported

Dozens of properties in downtown Wilkes-Barre lost power Friday morning, including a long-term care facility where a fire broke out. Fire crews responded to St. Luke’s Villa at 80 E. Northampton St. around 12:20 p.m. for a fire in an elevator shaft around the same time as other downtown properties lost power.  The approximately 100 residents of the mixed-used facility, primarily senior citizens, had been moved away from the fire scene to a different part of the building as the site is operating on emergency power through a generator.

As of 1:30 p.m., Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said city officials, utility companies and managers of the non-profit facility were trying to determine if it was safe for the residents to remain. “Right now, we’re in the decision-making process,” Delaney said. “The number one issue is making sure the residents are safe.”

St. Luke’s Villa, which is run by the the Diocese of Scranton, is a 50-bed nursing home, a 45-room personal care facility and a 31-apartment retirement community. Delaney said the it’s unclear if St. Luke’s was the cause of the broader outage or if other power problems in the area led to St. Luke’s fire.

PPL Electric Utilities said 87 customers lost power and they hoped to have service restored by 3 p.m. Delaney said crews were trying to “isolate” St. Luke’s from the electrical grid so power could be restored to everyone else until the building’s issues were resolved. The chief said the fire was extinguished quickly, and the most damage was due to a third-floor sprinkler system causing water to seep down into the floors below.

John Howells, director of long term care facilities for the Diocese of Scranton, said he doubts residents will have to move from the building, but a final decision will be made when power is restored. “State agencies have been notified. At this point, there is no need to evacuate,” he said. “When the power comes back, we have to do a series of checks.”

Most of the sprinkler water pooled on a lobby floor and teams from Serve Pro have already cleaned up most of the mess, he said.

“Things got wet, but it wasn’t flooded,” Howells said.

Crews from the elevator company are at the site waiting for power to be restored, he said.

Howells said residents are doing fine and all have been cleared to return to their rooms.

He credited the staff for great work.

“Everything went the way it was supposed to have gone,” Howells said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Mount Pleasant, WI – Fire in attic of assisted living facility controlled by sprinkler system

Fire investigators are looking into a fire Thursday that damaged an assisted-living facility. The emergency call went out at 3:30 p.m. at Racine Commons, 8500 Corporate Drive, just north of Highway 20, and escalated to a second alarm for equipment and personnel. South Shore Fire Battalion Chief John Radewan said as soon as firefighters got to the scene they saw smoke and flames coming from the northeast corner of the H-shaped housing complex, which is west of Stuart Road and east of 90th Street.

“I saw heavy fire,” Radewan said. Mount Pleasant police officers already on the scene helped bystanders get all the residents out of the building without injury.  Firefighters attacked the flames with streams from a ladder truck and with hoses from personnel on the ground.  “The fire came from the back of the building and extended into the peak of the building, getting into the attic itself,” Radewan said. “We opened all that up and knocked it down.”

The sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading and firefighters were able to put it out within 20 minutes without injuries to the firefighters, according to Radewan. South Shore Battalion Chief Jon Keiser, who also worked the fire scene, said the placement of the sprinkler system inside the attic prevented damage and the fire could have extended without the presence of sprinklers.

“The interior rooms were only damaged by water,” Keiser said. “The fire damage was limited to the exterior of the building and the two roof spaces. It’s a very clear picture of why you put sprinklers in attics. We would have been here for 12 hours if it would have run into the attic.”

A trash container inside a garbage area appeared to be damaged by the fire, but Radewan declined to comment Thursday on any potential cause or origin of the fire. The fire is under investigation at this time,” Radewan said. Fire investigators started taking pictures and conducting their investigation of the fire within an hour of the fire being out.  Caledonia firefighters assisted at the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Salinas, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire at cardboard box manufacturing facility

A fire in a processing machine at the WestRock facility on Merrill Street has been extinguished with no injuries, fire officials said.

The plant makes cardboard boxes for the agriculture industry, said Salinas Deputy Fire Chief Brett Loomis.

Flames were contained to the interior of the building, but smoke was visible from the outside. The building’s sprinkler system held the fire in check until firefighters arrived, and they were able to fully bring the fire under control in about 45 minutes.

Fire officials said the blaze began sometime after 1 p.m.

Twenty six firefighters and three chiefs were on the scene.

Investigators have not determined a cause, but Salinas Battalion Chief Scott Myhre, at the scene, said it was likely caused by heat from a machine and scrap paper.

Myhre said there has been at least one other fire at the plant within the past year.