Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Hillsborough, NJ – Sprinkler system helps put out fire at plastic container manufacturing facility September 6, 2016 viking210 A plastic container manufacturing facility in Hillsborough Township was the scene of a two-alarm fire on Monday, which prompted a large response from multiple fire companies in the surrounding area. According to fire officials on the scene at the Tri-Delta Plastics facility on Cougar Court, the incident was first reported at approximately 12:40 p.m. Fire Marshal Chris Weniger said the fire originated from a piece of machinery. “One of the machines caught fire and the flames spread,” Mr. Weniger said. “The fire department arrived and put out the fire with the assistance of the sprinkler system.” No injuries were reported at the scene and officials said the fire was under control by 1:19 p.m. Tri-Delta Plastics, which was purchased by Pretium Packaging in 2014, produces plastic bottles, caps and other packaging products. Mr. Weniger said the piece of equipment that caused a fire was a blow-molding machine. Due to the spillage of chemicals and oils used in that process, the marshal said a hazmat unit was deployed to the scene. “These machines contain cutting oil – different types of oils – and because we used water, the oil is all over the floor,” Mr. Weniger said. Along with all four of the Hillsborough Township Fire companies, personnel from the Fire Marshal’s Office, the Hillsborough Rescue Squad, Millstone Valley Fire Department, the Finderne Fire Department in Bridgewater, the Elizabeth Avenue Fire Company in Somerset and the Manville Fire Department responded to the scene. Though the site is less than a mile away from the scene of a massive fire that took place at Veterans Industrial Park back in February, Mr. Weniger said the response on Monday was no different than any other instance. “With the size of the building and the fact that this happened at a time when our response is not as good – as well as the fact that our firefighters don’t last as long fighting fires in this heat – we ended up calling more people,” Mr. Weniger said. An investigation into the exact cause of the fire is ongoing.
Adult Care/Rehab Center, Nursing Home/Senior Living Antioch, CA – Fire at senior memory care facility controlled by single sprinkler September 6, 2016 viking210 Nearly 40 people were displaced after electrical smoke activated a fire sprinkler Tuesday afternoon at a senior living center. A fire was reported around 2:57 p.m. at Hillcrest Memory Care Living at 825 East 18th Street, said Contra Costa County Fire Inspector Steve Aubert. No injuries have been reported. An individual was working in a maintenance room when smoke from an electronic device activated the fire sprinklers in the building. The incident was under control around 3:30 p.m. The senior living center cares for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, said Contra Costa County Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. The small electrical fire was controlled by a single sprinkler head. “If there was a bigger fire in there, we would have had a much bigger problem and possibly fatalities,” Marshall said. Aubert said the water damage impacted 39 tenants. They were “relocated to a different center because it’s going to take some time to clean up the area,” he said. Most tenants were relocated to Cypress Meadows Assisted Living in Antioch, Marshall said.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Pine Grove, PA – Machine fire at textiles plant controlled by sprinkler system August 30, 2016 viking210 Firefighters raced to Guilford Performance Textiles on Saturday afternoon when a machine in the production area caught fire. “An oil separator on the side of a machine apparently broke a coupler and created a fire. For the most part, the sprinkler system did take over but, we had fire in the machine,” Pine Grove Fire Chief Dave A. Sattizahn said. The firm makes and dyes fabric for products ranging from military helmet liners to graduation gowns. The fire was reported to Schuylkill County Communications Center, Pottsville, at 3:11 p.m. Saturday. Area firefighters were dispatched to the factory at 1 Penn Dye St. “It came in as an automatic fire alarm and it was upgraded to a working fire,” Sattizahn said. The fire occurred on the east side of the building. “It was in the last part of their processing area. The plant was on shut down. There was no production going on at the time. But there was a maintenance crew on,” Sattizahn said. Responders included firefighters from Pine Grove, Ravine, Schuylkill Haven and Friedensburg. “It was a machine that’s used for plant production. It’s a machine they run the material through. I think it dries the material. It has a big, hydraulic oil tank on it. And, apparently, one of the couplers broke,” Sattizahn said. “So when the coupler broke, it caught on fire right away. The fire got up above the machine and the sprinkler system kicked in. The sprinkler system did it’s job. But when we got there we got the rest of it out.” Sattizahn said when he entered the building, he saw the machine was on fire. The firefighters managed to keep the fire contained to the building on the far east end of the complex. One of the issues firefighters faced was smoke. “That big building filled up with smoke pretty quick,” Sattizahn said. And the firefighters used draw fans and the operation’s exhaust system to deal with it. The machine sustained fire damage and the building sustained smoke and water damage, the fire chief said. He wasn’t sure exactly why the coupling broke, but said “that oil stays hot all the time in that unit.” And he believe the fire was accidental. The fire was out by 4:30 p.m., he said.
Apartment Building, Residential, School / University Lynchburg, VA – Fire at off-campus apartment complex at Liberty University put out by sprinkler system August 30, 2016 viking210 A small grease fire interrupted move-in day for local college students Saturday afternoon. Multiple fire and public safety crews responded to The Oasis, a student-only apartment complex off Candlers Mountain Road, about 4:30 p.m. The apartment complex is less than a mile from Liberty University’s main campus. Crews responding included Lynchburg Fire Department, Lyn-Dan Heights Volunteer Fire Department, Rustburg Volunteer Fire Department and Campbell County Public Safety. Lynchburg Battalion Chief Mike Reeves said Lynchburg was called in to assist Campbell County. Reeves said the fire started on the fourth floor of the building. The sprinkler system was able to put out the fire, but Reeves said apartments directly below had heavy water damage. Firefighters worked to clean the apartments with brooms and squeegees as students were forced to wait outside with their belongings. Some students didn’t wait for the scene to clear and continued moving into their apartments. Campbell County Fire Marshal Randall Johnson said a private contractor was called in to clean. An apartment complex manager did not provide an exact number of students displaced but said most affected students were staying with friends in the same complex. Liberty University officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Bradenton, FL – Generator fire at high school contained to room of origin by sprinkler system August 29, 2016 viking210 No injuries were reported Friday during a fire in a generator at Braden River High School, according to the East Manatee Fire Rescue. “It was contained to the room of origin,” said East Manatee Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stacey Bailey. “The fire sprinkler put out the fire, so it did exactly what it’s supposed to do.” About 20 firefighters were dispatched at 4:41 p.m. to the school located at 6545 State Road 70 E., Bradenton. Bailey said the fire took place in an electrical room that is part of the main school building. “There were no students present,” Bailey said. “The staff did an outstanding job. The high school staff did exactly what they were supposed to do. They followed their emergency protocols.” There was extensive water damage as a result of the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to fire officials.
Apartment Building, Residential Petersborough, ON, Canada – Garbage chute fire at apartment building kept in check by sprinkler system August 27, 2016 viking210 A fire in a garbage bin at an apartment building caused $500 damage and prompted an evacuation of the building. Peterborough Fire service responded quickly to alarm bells ringing at a high-rise building at 909 Clonsilla Ave. this afternoon. Upon arrival it was determined that a garbage bin under the building’s garbage chute was on fire. This activated the sprinkler system which controlled the fire until fire crews extinguished the fire. Smoke had spread throughout the building and crews were able to remove it. The building tenants had evacuated the building upon hearing the alarms ringing. The cause of the fire is undetermined, said acting platoon chief Lloyd Dozois.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Brattleboro, VT – Sprinkler system contains fire at nursing home to laundry area; No injuries reported August 20, 2016 viking210 About 54 people were evacuated Wednesday from a nursing home in Brattleboro after a fire started in a commercial clothes dryer. The Brattleboro Fire Department was called at 3:55 p.m. to the Thompson House Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at 80 Maple St. Authorities said the two-alarm fire started in a dryer, which set off the sprinkler system in the building. The water from the sprinkler system kept the fire contained to the laundry room. Residents were taken next door to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital while the smoke cleared the building. No injuries were reported. The Brattleboro Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Keene, Guilford, Putney, Hinsdale and Chesterfield.
Other - Retail, Retail Ashburn, VA – Sprinkler system limits damage in tanning salon fire August 18, 2016 viking210 An accidental fire damaged a Palm Beach Tan in Broadland’s on Friday, Aug. 12. The total damages could have been much greater if not for the building’s automatic sprinkler system, Firefighter Laura Rinehart, Public Information Officer, noted in a Loudoun County Fire & Rescue Dept. announcement. Fire and rescue units responded to a structure fire the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 12 at Broadlands Center Plaza in Ashburn. Fire and rescue crews from Moorefield, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Brambleton and Leesburg responded to the incident. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered visible fire and smoke conditions from the front of the business. The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system and was quickly extinguished by fire department personnel.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Seattle, WA – Fire in paint booth at industrial complex controlled by sprinkler system August 18, 2016 viking210 Firefighters are working to determine the cause of a fire that erupted Saturday at an industrial complex in South Seattle. Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke seeping from the building’s roof around 3:20 p.m. The business, located in the 400 block of South 96th Street, was not occupied at the time of the fire. There were no reported injuries. Initially, a single fire engine was dispatched. Due to the heat of the flames and the size of the building, however, the call was upgraded to a full response. The fire appears to have started in a paint booth, authorities said. Firefighters reported smoke coming from smoke stacks on the roof of the single-story building and from under several roll-up doors. Upon entering, they found the sprinkler system had controlled the flames. The firefighters extinguished the fire. Twelve sprinkler heads were activated due to the fire and heat. A King County fire investigator is investigating. Multiple departments responded, including personnel from North Highline Fire, Burien, Tukwila, Kent Fire Department, Kent Regional Fire Authority, Seattle Fire, King County Medic One, Rehab One and the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Apartment Building, Residential Manitowoc, WI – Fire in utility closet at apartment building contained by sprinkler system August 18, 2016 viking210 Officials say a Manitowoc apartment was damaged by fire on Tuesday night. Crews were called to 2240 S. 42nd Street just before 6 p.m. Firefighters found that the sprinkler system was spraying water in a utility room. There was damage to the building’s main electrical feed and there was a natural gas leak. Everyone inside the building got out safely. Firefighters eventually found a fire in a lower-unit apartment. The sprinkler system had contained it to the immediate area, and firefighters used a water extinguisher to put out the remaining fire. Crews were on the scene for about 90 minutes. The apartment involved had fire and smoke damage, but there was no damage to other parts of the building. Firefighters say it appears that an electrical problem caused the fire, but the fire is still being investigated.
