Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

East Hampton, NY – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at grocery store

Stop and Shop in East Hampton Village reopened Wednesday evening after a fire broke out in a mechanical room hours earlier. 

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. said a sprinkler system helped to contain the fire, which appeared to have been caused by debris, such as cardboard, that had been placed too close to a generator.

Employees at the grocery store at 67 Newtown Lane called 911 when they saw smoke, which had spread to the main part of the store, the chief said. They got customers out of the building, he said. Simultaneously, police dispatchers received a call from the alarm company about an automatic fire alarm that had been activated. Smoke was coming out of the back of the store, though it was hard to see because it is up against trees in Herrick Park, he added.

Gerry Turza, the second assistant chief, was the first chief to arrive, and he began “an aggressive interior attack” of the fire, Chief Osterberg said. Within 15 minutes, firefighters used 350 feet of hose to douse the flames “before damage really spread,” he said. Only some of the contents of the room, which also contains refrigerator compressors and circuit breakers, were damaged. The building itself was not compromised.

Chief Osterberg notified the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which oversees grocery stores, because there was a risk of food contamination from the smoke that spread to the store. He said a representative was to visit the store from the Brooklyn office and would have to sign-off on the reopening.

A Stop and Shop representative could not immediately be reached, but an employee at the store Wednesday evening said it had reopened around 6:30 p.m.

Managing the fire scene was no easy task, as the store is located in the middle of the village business district, off the busy Reutershan parking lot, with many cars and people coming and going, the chief said. The East Hampton Village Police Department was a tremendous help, he said, in closing off the parking lot to additional cars and keeping the entrances open for fire trucks to get through. “P.D. was really phenomenal,” he said. 

The Stop and Shop staff of about 20 was also helpful; they didn’t panic, they evacuated the building, and then stayed together in the parking lot so that they could all be accounted for and there was no question whether firefighters needed to search for anyone. “They have a plan in place that they do run practice on,” the chief said. 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Dallas, TX – Automatic sprinkler system contains fire at Texas high school; No injuries

A fire Wednesday at South Oak Cliff High School apparently was started by a burning computer in a classroom, Dallas Fire-Rescue says.

Firefighters were called to the school after classes ended. It appeared that a computer had caught fire and burned some cabinets, filling a third-floor hallway with smoke.

The automatic sprinkler system contained the fire. Fifty to 100 people were at the school for after-school activities. No injuries were reported.

Earlier Wednesday, about 50 students staged a walkout at the school to protest the condition of the building. The students have been complaining for months about leaky roofs, temperature problems and other problems. They want a new building.

It’s projected that the building will receive up to $40 million in improvements under the 2015 bond program.

 

Government Office, Government/Military

Wilmington, MA – Fire at public safety building doused by sprinkler system

Firefighters have long touted the value of sprinklers for saving lives and preventing property damage, and on Wednesday afternoon Wilmington firefighters got an up close look at just how effective the devices really are.

Fire Chief Rick McClellan said a commercial dryer in the firefighters’ gear and laundry room caught on fire about 5:30 p.m., as firefighters were elsewhere in the public-safety building. He said firefighters were in the kitchen on the second-floor of the public-safety building when they noticed smoke coming from the area where the gear and laundry room and fire apparatus are.

As they went to investigate, they noticed heavy smoke pouring from a 12-inch vent in the roof of the apparatus bay, and arrived downstairs to discover a dryer fire that was contained by a single sprinkler head in the gear/laundry room. “The sprinkler contained it to the area and the contents inside the dryer,” McClellan said. “Here we are with nine guys upstairs and there’s a fire going on and the sprinkler put it out.”

The dryer was a total loss, as were the uniforms that were drying in it, but McClellan said the sprinkler head prevented the blaze from causing any structural damage. Drains in the floor of the laundry/gear room minimized water damage, he said.

All the firefighters had to do was turn the sprinkler off, vent some of the smoke from the fire and clean the floors. “The sprinkler mitigated the whole problem,” McClellan said. “They didn’t even have to bring in a hose line.”

Auto Dealership, Retail

Sidney, OH – Fire at automotive distribution business extinguished by sprinkler system

Saturday, 5:51 p.m.: fire. Firefighters were dispatched to 2640 Campbell Road for a fire alarm. The sprinkler activated and extinguished a small fire.

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Office Building, Other Business

Appleton, WI – Sprinkler system prevents fire in office building from spreading; Adjacent businesses spared

The Appleton Fire Department released a statement today saying they were dispatched to a fire at the Epiphany-Rose building around noon today for a report of smoke in the building.  According to statements by workers at Kerber-Rose Certified Public Accounts, located in Suite B, they had noted that a bank of electrical lights had stopped functioning. 

After investigating and finding no reason for the failure, the individuals continued with their work.  A couple hours later, another bank of electrical lights also failed.  One of the workers then heard a “crackling and popping” sound in the ceiling above his work station.  Shortly after that, smoke was seen coming from the ceiling area and the fire sprinkler system activated.

The Appleton Fire Department credits the automatic fire sprinkler system for keeping the fire from spreading further.

Upon arrival of fire units, smoke was found throughout the Suite. Upon investigation, a fire was found burning in the attic.  Automatic fire sprinklers and a fire wall in the attic prevented the fire from spreading to the Epiphany Law Office, located in Suite A.  Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire but due to the blown insulation in the attic, fire crews remained on scene for several hours conducting overhaul operations to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished.  Fire crews also assisted in removing numerous items from the interior of Suite to prevent further damage.

No one was injured at the fire. Initial estimates are that the fire damage was at least $150,000. 

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Billings, MT – Petroleum warehouse fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire ignited at a petroleum warehouse near downtown Billings on Friday afternoon, causing damage to the building but no injuries. Billings firefighters were called to Cross Petroleum Services, 1818 Minnesota Ave., just after 2 p.m. and found flames near the front of the building.  With the help of a sprinkler system, firefighters contained and knocked down the blaze in about 15 minutes, said Billings Fire Department Chief Paul Dextras.

The warehouse stores flammable and combustible products. According to a report from Deputy Fire Marshal Jamie Fender, the fire ignited when flammable liquids were being transferred between containers and the fire was accidental. The estimated cost of damages for the insured building and the insured material destroyed is $100,000.

“It could’ve been somewhat catastrophic,” Dextras said. A large burn mark scarred the front of the building, running up to the roof, and metal tanks outside the building appeared scorched. Sprinklers continued to spray well after the fire was out. Dextras said it was unclear how much flammable material was currently stored inside the warehouse.

Online property records label the building as C & D Warehouse. Dextras and signage outside the building labeled it as Cross Petroleum Products. Records show that the warehouse is about 110,000 square feet.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Clinton, NC – Cooking fire at senior housing complex put out by sprinkler system

A cooking fire at a senior housing development in Clinton was able to be quickly extinguished thanks to a sprinkler system, but it did not come without significant water damage, evacuations and one woman transported for treatment.

At about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, the Clinton Fire Department along with departments from Halls, Taylors Bridge, Herring and Salemburg, with ladder truck in tow, responded to a commercial structure fire alarm at Sampson Square Apartments on College Street.

Once on scene, Clinton Fire Chief Scott Phillips said he could not see anything. He made contact briefly with a woman who was the sole resident in the second-floor apartment at the time. She said she was cooking when the fire occurred.

“The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire,” said Phillips. “There was not much in the way of fire damage, but there was water damage and it was leaking downstairs. Once we got there and figured out what was going on, we were able to turn some of the (fire units) around.”

However, Phillips and other fire officials ensured all residents were accounted for using a log provided by the apartment manager.

“We made sure everyone was safe and everyone was evacuated to a centralized location,” said Phillips, who noted the female resident of the apartment requested to be transported by EMS. “I’m not sure if she had smoke inhalation. She was talking and it appeared her injuries were non-life-threatening.”

A two-story, 40-unit senior housing development constructed and opened in 2010, Sampson Square is located at 804 College St. It is one of many developments managed by United Property Management (UPM) toward providing residents age 55 and older an affordable housing option. The company oversees 35 communities throughout the state of North Carolina, offering nearly 2,000 rental units across the state.

Phillips said there were about 20 people outside once the building was evacuated, but the fire chief noted that others could have also been “out” away from the Sampson Square campus as it was the middle of the afternoon.

A UPM employee at Sampson Square on Wednesday confirmed that there was no smoke or fire damage in the building, but that the water damage was extensive. He called the incident a “grease fire” and noted that Keshonda Ruffin, regional manager who oversees general management of UPM properties across the state, was expected to further assess the damage at the housing complex later in the day.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Franklin, OH – Fire at manufacturing facility knocked down by sprinklers

Arcs from a welder’s torch caused a small fire at a Franklin company Monday afternoon.

Franklin firefighters were called to Unifirst, 265 Industrial Drive, at 1:36 p.m. for a fire at the large manufacturing facility. The laundry and uniform company is in the midst of a building expansion according to city officials.

Fire Lt. Mike Perry said the a welder was in an area where the expansion and the current building met and dropped arcs between the roof of the two sections onto a maintenance/storage shed that caught fire. Perry said the building’s sprinkler system contained most of the fire, and firefighters put down a small additional amount of water and cleared the building of smoke.

He estimated damages of about $5,000 to the structure and about $10,000 to contents stored in the shed.

Apartment Building, Residential

Orono, ME – Sprinkler system knocks down grease fire at apartment building

Crews responded to a fire at an apartment complex in Orono Monday afternoon.

The call came in around 2:30 to the Reserve apartments, formerly known as the Grove.

Officials say a grease fire triggered the sprinkler system in one of the units. As a result the fire was out when crews arrived.

There was significant smoke and water damage, though, leaving the apartment unliveable for now.

“I believe the resident was attempting to deep fry something and it caught on fire, put it in the sink, put water on it, which expanded the grease, caused the sprinkler heads to go off,” said Capt. Joel Sides of the Orono Fire Department.

Fire officials remind you to always use baking soda–not water–to put out a grease fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Wayland, MA – Sprinkler system helps keep restaurant fire from spreading

A Boston Post Road restaurant established in 1930 will be closed for at least a week after a kitchen fire on Saturday, authorities said.   “Unfortunately, all of the food in the restaurant has to be destroyed,” said Houghton. “It’s safe to say the restaurant will have to be closed for at least a week.”

The fire department went to the Coach Grill around 1:30 p.m. for a report of fire showing from the building. Upon arrival, the department called for a second alarm, with Weston and Sudbury Fire departments assisting at the scene. The Natick and Lincoln Fire departments covered the stations, the chief said.

The fire was traced to a refrigeration unit in the kitchen, the chief said. The restaurant’s sprinkler system activated. The restaurant, which serves dinner and Sunday brunch, was closed at the time of the fire. No one was injured.

“With it being closed, there were no cars in the parking lot, so we were able to use the parking lot for all of the apparatus,” Houghton said.

 

The cause of the fire is not known and being investigated by the state fire marshal’s office.

 

“It’s not suspicious by any means, but because it is such a significant dollar loss, we want to make sure to get the exact cause pinpointed,” Houghton said..