Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Prescott, AZ – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at senior living facility; Fire started in fan motor

… the second fire of the day (Friday) occurred shortly before 6pm when residents of the Casa De Pinos senior living facility on Cory Avenue reported activated fire alarms in the building and smoke coming from a third floor apartment. The building poses challenges to firefighters due to its limited access and the lack of a standpipe water system in the stairwell.

The first arriving engine company had to lower hose from a third story window back to the engine so it could pump the hose line. Prescott police officers engaged in trying to evacuate roughly thirty residents, some of which have physical limitations. When firefighters made entry into the apartment they found that the building’s sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire and they immediately shut down the sprinkler system so as to limit water damage to the building

Investigation determined that a portable oscillating fan’s motor had caused the fire while the tenant was out of his apartment. The City’s Building Department deemed six rooms uninhabitable, two on each floor, due to the movement of water through the building. An outside contractor was contacted to start the process of mitigating the water damage. The remaining residents were allowed to return to their apartments roughly an hour later. Arrangements were being made to house the six displaced residents.

 

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Irvine, CA – Fire at metal finishing business held in check by sprinkler system

Firefighters worked 25 minutes Sunday to extinguish a blaze at a metal finishing company. The blaze was reported around 2:30 p.m. at Electrolurgy Inc. at 1121 Duryea Ave., said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.  Thick black smoke from the fire was visible on the 405 freeway, he added.

A sprinkler system in the business kept the flames in check and firefighters extinguished the blaze around 2:55 p.m., Concialdi said. An OCFA hazardous materials team responded because chemicals in the business were involved.  The cause of the fire is under investigation and damage estimates were not immediately available.

There were workers in the business when the fire broke out, but they managed to escape without injury.

Seven firefighters initially entered the building to extinguish the blaze and were decontaminated at the scene, Concialdi said. They were not injured. An OFCA hazardous materials team wearing protective gear later went into the business to determine what kind of chemicals were inside, said Concialdi.

It was determined the fire reached vats of liquid chromate, Concialdi said. A total of 40 firefighters responded.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Nashville, TN – Sprinkler system activates; Assists firefighters in hotel fire

A Nashville hotel has been evacuated after crews responded to a fire early Friday afternoon. It happened at the Fairview Inn and Suites located at 901 Division Street in the Gulch.

Initial reports indicated the fire may have been electrical in nature. Authorities said the it started in a utility room on the top floor next to the rooftop bar called Up. “They were able to extinguish it but we had a lot of water damage secondary to the sprinkler system going off,” District Chief Tim Moyers said.

The hotel is currently without power and there is extensive water damage inside. All guests have been removed from the building. No one was injured.

“As far as we know, we are here for two more nights or they will find us somewhere else to stay for two more nights,” visitor Delmore Spangler said. An employee with the hotel told News 2 they are working with all of the guest to relocate them to their sister hotels.

The fire remains under investigation. Additional information was not released.

Residential, Single Family Home

Orcutt, CA – House fire contained by residential sprinkler system; No injuries

Santa Barbara County Fire responded to a fire in a two story house fire at 896 Calle De La Rosa Sunday afternoon.

At 2:45 p.m. firefighters responded and found smoke coming from the home’s conjoined laundry room and office.

Officials say, it appears as though a computer in the office caught on fire.

The house, part of a new development in the area, had a sprinkler system installed in the room.

The sprinkler in the room was triggered by the heat and smoke, doused the fire with water, and was able to keep the flames contained to that room.

Residents were in the home at the time, but they all got out safely.

Fire investigators are currently looking into how the computer ignited.

Office Building, Other Business

Rocky Mount, NC – Sprinklers limit damage to room of origin in office building blaze

No one was injured when a fire broke out Tuesday night at a local office building on the 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue.

Rocky Mount firefighters responded around 5:15 p.m. to an alarm call at the Jay Group building where employees had already evacuated. An automatic sprinkler system had activated in the office where the fire started and kept it in check until crews got to scene and extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes of being dispatched.

“Kudos to the automatic sprinkler system” said Jamie Vaughn, division chief of operations for Rocky Mount Fire Department. “It really saved this property and the lives of those people.”

It is unclear how many employees were in the building when the fire started, but the damage was limited to the room of origin. Fire investigators are working with Rocky Mount police to determine the cause of the fire, which is still under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 977-1111 or crimestoppers@rockymountnc.gov. Text a tip to police at 274637 by beginning messages with RMPOL to direct the tip to the Rocky Mount Police Department and type up to 155 characters about the information.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Fairfield, OH – Potentially catastrophic fire at food processing facility averted with help from sprinkler system

A small fire broke out in a room used for Koch Foods’ deep frying process, and while the Fairfield fire chief said minimal damage was caused, it could have been worse. Emergency crews were dispatched around 4 p.m. Monday for a reported fire at the food manufacturer at 4100 Port Union Road.

Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett said “we lucked out” when the fire started and was contained to the room with two giant vessels of hot oil. The chief said the mechanics in one of the vessels overheated and said “there was a sufficient amount of fire,” which did catch some of the other oils in the room on fire.  The building’s sprinkler system helped to suppress the fire.

Each of the giant vessels had about 1,000 gallons of oil each, according to Bennett. “The potential was there for something catastrophic,” he said.

The plant was evacuated and business is resuming. The room where the fire broke out happened to be finished with production for the day, and Bennett said that portion of Koch Foods operation is expected to be fully functional tomorrow. “There was no loss of business,” he said.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Madison, WI – Residential high-rise fire limited by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Madison Fire Department says the automatic fire sprinkler system kept a fire in the YWCA building from spreading.

Firefighters were called to the building at 101 E. Mifflin Street just before 5 p.m. Saturday evening. The fire department says the fire was in the fifth floor hallway. The first unit in found heavy smoke on the fifth floor, so firefighters activated a second alarm. With the help of the sprinklers, fire crews had the fire under control by about 5:15 p.m.

Everyone who lived in the building was able to return. The Madison Fire Department says the Red Cross helped some families with emergency needs and Metro Transit provided a bus for residents to stay warm while the building was evacuated.

Damage is estimated at $25,000.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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UPDATE (WKOW) — Fire Chief Steven Davis on the scene says the fifth floor of the YWCA, where the fire was located, is residential housing.  The people there have been evacuated.   No one’s been asked to leave the rest of the building, however. 

Crews were able to put out the fire. No injuries are reported – though there is some water damage. 

Investigators on the scene are trying to determine the cause and when the fifth-floor residents can be let back in. 

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MADISON (WKOW) — Madison firefighters are responding to a second alarm at the downtown YWCA location. 

The fire department supervisor on duty says the call came in just before 5:00 p.m. for smoke coming from the fifth floor of the structure at 101 E. Mifflin.

Residential, Single Family Home

Ventura, CA – Fire in single family home contained by residential sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Crews responded to a fire at a home Friday afternoon in Ventura, officials said.  The incident was reported fire just after 3:50 p.m. in the 100 block of South Dunning Street, according to the city of Ventura Fire Department.

Upon arrival, crews found a fire in the kitchen on the second floor of a home and had it extinguished within 10 minutes, officials said. A sprinkler system was activated as a result of the fire and contained it, but caused water damage on both floors of the residence. Three adults were displaced as a result of the fire, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  There are two homes on the property where the incident was reported, authorities said. The fire was in a house behind the main house, authorities said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Fire in grocery store storage room extinguished by sprinkler system

In one of three fires that happened in Yuma over the weekend, a sprinkler system at a grocery store extinguished a fire Friday afternoon that started in a storage room. Yuma Fire Department spokesman Mike Erfert said that at about 1 p.m. a water flow alarm was received, indicating the fire sprinkler system had activated inside the Del Sol Market, located at 367 W. 16th St.

Erfert said firefighters responded to the scene and quickly made entry into the building, where they found that a fire had been extinguished by an activated sprinkler head. Firefighters ensured the fire was completely out and assisted with clean-up. Damage was limited to the exhaust fan that had caught fire.

“Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them,” Erfert said. Erfert explained that the fan was located in the ceiling of a storage/utility room and could have easily caused serious damage, disrupting operations of the market, if it had not been extinguished by the nearest sprinkler head.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Rutland, VT – Sprinklers knock down fire in apartment building for elderly and disabled

Four people were transported to the hospital and ten people are displaced after a multi-unit apartment fire in Rutland Saturday.  Rutland Deputy Fire Chief Jim Miles says the call came in just after 4pm from Bardwell House, a multi-unit apartment building for the elderly and people who are handicapped.

The cause of the fire was related to cooking. The fire was contained to one apartment and was mostly taken down by sprinklers, officials say. That apartment sustained fire damage.  Four people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Nine other rooms sustained severe water damage by the sprinkler system, according to Deputy Chief Miles.  The New Hampshire/Vermont region of the American Red Cross is assisting those affected.