Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Vacaville, CA – Apartment fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

A one-alarm fire Saturday in Vacaville resulted in the activation of an indoor sprinkler system. The fire, which occurred at an apartment in the 100 block of Burton Drive, was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m.  The fire warranted a full response from the Vacaville Fire Department.   However, units were canceled after the small fire was quickly extinguished.  According to Vacaville Fire Battalion Chief Matt Lage, the fire was started by a household appliance in the apartment’s master bedroom.   No one was injured in the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system activates in response to apartment balcony fire

A small balcony fire at a Duluth complex led to damage in three apartments on Friday.

Gwinnett County firefighters were called to the Bridgewater Apartments complex, at 1500 Ridge Brook Trail, at 2:16 p.m. on a report of an apartment fire. When they got to the complex, smoke led to the balcony of a third-floor apartment where they found a smoldering fire in a charcoal meat smoker.“

The fire was contained to the outer-decking material of the balcony and sent heat and smoke inside the apartment unit,” Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. “A sprinkler activated inside the apartment due to radiant heat.”

No one was injured by the fire, but the balcony had minor damage and the sprinkler caused residual water damage in the apartment, as well as two other apartments directly beneath it, Rutledge said. He said the complex’s maintenance personnel tried to put out the fire with portable fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived.

Firefighters found the fire and got it under control by 2:34 p.m., about 11 minutes after they arrived.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Richfield, MN – Fire on 6th floor of condominium building held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

Richfield firefighters responded to a kitchen fire on the 6th floor of the Gramercy Park Cooperative condominium complex around 2 p.m. December 18.  A sprinkler system in the complex, located across from Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, kept the fire in check until crews could arrive, according to Richfield Fire Chief Wayne Kewitsch, a staunch advocate of fire sprinkler systems in private residences.  The fire resulted in no injuries. The cause was ruled to accidental, according to Kewitsch.

 

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Russell, KS – Grain dust fire at gluten plant extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A minor explosion and small fire occurred early Wednesday afternoon at White Energy’s gluten plant in Russell.  Russell City Firefighters responded to the fire at about 12:45 PM Wednesday. The Russell Police Department also responded for traffic control.  According to Fire Chief Shane Preston, the blaze was mostly extinguished by the facility’s sprinkler system, but firefighters had to put out a few hot embers.

Preston said the fire started when a piece of equipment in a grain bin overheated. It caught some grain on fire, the fire mixed with grain dust and caused a flash fire, which was the explosion.  The blaze was contained to the grain bin.  The incident is still under investigation.  There were no injuries.

Other Business

Bend, OR – Fire at kettle corn business knocked down with help from sprinkler system

Sprinklers and workers wielding fire extinguishers helped limit the damage when spontaneous combustion of soybean oil sparked a fire at a southwest Bend kettle corn business, fire officials said.  Firefighters responded around 3:45 p.m. to the reported structure fire at Suzy Q’s Kettle Corn, located in a small commercial mall on Southwest Division Street, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe.

The first crews to arrive found three sprinkler heads had activated and two people deploying fire extinguishers, Howe said.  Firefighters made a quick knockdown of the fire and performed extensive overhaul and salvage, he said, noting that the fire sprinkler system helped contain the blaze until firefighters arrived on scene.  Losses were estimated at $20,000 to the building and $10,000 worth of contents, both of which were insured, the fire official said.  The fire’s cause was determined to be spontaneous combustion of natural soybean oils in fabric, Howe said.  The fire official reminded the community that many types of natural oils can combust without a source of ignition, if not handled correctly. “Please follow the directions for disposal on all containers of natural oils,” Howe said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Farmers Branch, TX – (No Media Coverage) Fire at senior living center suppressed by sprinkler system

** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department Reported ** — Excerpt from FD report.  This afternoon (Dec. 19) at 1418 the FD responded to a structure fire at the Brookdale Senior Living facility (13505 Webb Chapel Road). A small fire was contained to a room by the operation of 1 sprinkler head. This makes 8 sprinkler suppressed fires the FD has responded to in 2016.

The cause of the fire is accidental. A oxygen compressor in the area of origin was in operation at the time and was smoking according to eyewitnesses prior to the fire. Residents were assisted in evacuation when the smoke alarm activated. While evacuating, the sprinkler head fused above the unit. No injuries were reported.

 

Other-Government/Military, Power / Energy Facility

Hibbing, MN – Sprinkler system assists crews in extinguishing conveyor fire at power plant

A fire at the Hibbing Public Utilities Power Plant caused $70,000 in damage on Sunday.  According to Hibbing Fire Marshal Bryan Fagerstrom, the blaze broke out at the top of a 5-story conveyer belt on the bio-mass side of the power plant just after 2:30 p.m. “The conveyor carried wood chips to a loading area to be burned for steam generation,” the press release said. It was equipped with a sprinkler system which assisted in controlling the fire. Crews from Hibbing, Chisholm and Keewatin remained on the scene for several hours to ensure all the hot spots were extinguished. No one was injured. The fire appeared to have been caused by a bearing failure on the conveyor belt.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Antonio, TX – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire at downtown luxury apartment building

About 55 firefighting units worked to put out a three-alarm fire Saturday at the Agave Apartments complex in downtown San Antonio. The San Antonio Fire Department said the blaze appeared to have started about 5:45 p.m. in a unit on the fifth floor of Building 6. Smoke billowed out of the back of the apartments at Cesar Chavez and South St. Mary’s Street. No residents or firefighters were injured in the blaze.

The Fire Department said the fire came up through the unit and into the attic space, breaking through the roof. There was smoke throughout the building and extensive damage in the unit where the fire started.  Sprinklers helped extinguish the fire in the unit of origin.

Crews had to physically force open the doors of the fourth and fifth floors to make sure no one was still inside the building. The scene is under control, but the Fire Department said it’s still not done for the day.  “We’re going to be out here for quite a while. The fire is under investigation. There’s no reason for us to think it’s anything other than probably something electrical or some type of malfunction. Right now, that’s what we’re looking at,” Chief Charles Hood said.  All of the residents in Building 6 are going to have to spend the night somewhere else. The building has sustained significant water damage.  Residents of Building 6 have rooms waiting for them at the Grand Hyatt on Market Street.  The Fire Department is working with the alarm and sprinkler company to see if everyone else can get back in their buildings.  Residents are able to get their cars from the parking garage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Scottsbluff, NE – Arson fire at apartment building contained by newly installed sprinkler system; No injuries

A new fire alarm and sprinkler system played a part in containing fire damage to a minimum at Eastwood Apartments in Scottsbluff. At around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Scottsbluff Fire Department received a call of a fire alarm going off at Eastwood Apartments. Fortunately the building was recently remodeled with a properly functioning alarm and fire suppression system. The fire started inside of a first floor apartment on the north side of the building. According to Scottsbluff Fire Marshal Anthony Murphy, the fire was intentionally set but no further details can be disclosed at this time.

The resident of the apartment had left shortly before the alarm went off. The apartment now suffers water damage. The sprinkler in the apartment was the only one to go off, containing the fire in the unit. “When the crews made entry into to the room that had the fire, there were a bunch of clothing articles that were burning and it definitely was put out mostly by the fire suppression sprinklers,” said Murphy.

All building residents were evacuated at the time of the fire and nobody was injured. Scottsbluff Fire Department was assisted by Gering Fire Department and Valley Ambulance. The cause of the fire is still currently under investigation, the cost of damages is also unknown.

Residential, Single Family Home

El Granada, CA – Home sprinkler system assists firefighters in suppressing deck fire at home

A small fire damaged a deck and portion of an El Granada house Friday afternoon. Maresha Leeds, who lives in the home at Isabella Avenue and Columbus Street with her husband, was in her kitchen when the fire struck around 1 p.m. “I don’t know how it happened,” she said. “It seemed so spontaneous.”

Leeds said she was feeling uneasy around the time the fire started and didn’t know why. When her two golden retrievers started barking she thought something must be up. Then a ring of the doorbell clarified things. “My gardener and my UPS man told me my house was on fire,” Leeds said. The pair called 911 and Leeds worked on getting her dogs and her pet bird out of the house.

Coastside Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ari Delay said at the scene that the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but appeared to originate from the second-level deck. He said flames were shooting up 10 to 20 feet when firefighters arrived and smoke from the blaze could be seen all the way from Half Moon Bay. Leeds said dog beds and dog houses were the only items on that second-level deck. She noted that her gardener reported smelling something like gasoline coming from the flames, but that she doesn’t store any gasoline in her home.

Delay said roughly 25 firefighters responded to the fire. A home sprinkler system assisted the firefighters with the dousing of the flames. Structural damage affected the deck and the neighboring room inside the home. A larger portion of the home suffered smoke and water damage, Delay said. Leeds indicated that she was fortunate the fire didn’t escalate into anything worse. “I’m so glad I was home,” she said.