Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Porterville, CA – Patio fire at senior apartment complex held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire sprinklers on the patio of an apartment at Santa Fe Plaza, a housing complex on North Third Street in Porterville, prevented a fire from spreading Friday afternoon. “This is one of the places we’re always concerned about because of the number of residents,” said City Fire Battalion Chief Glen Hall.

The fire began on the patio of a first-floor apartment, but was contained by the overhead sprinklers. “The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system,” said Hall, adding that it appeared to be contained to a box on the patio and the structure was not burned at all.  Also, the sprinkler only activated on the patio, so there was no water damage to the apartment or any other part of the complex.

However, smoke filled the first floor of the north wing of the complex and the alarm sent more than a dozen residents outside. “I saw smoke billowing … and I grabbed my cat and split,” said resident Sharon Ritchie, who stood outside with several other residents as firefighters inspected the building and worked to clear the smoke.

“I heard the alarm go off and the hallway was full of smoke,” added Norma Fox who lives jus a few doors down from where the fire stated. The fire was reported at about 1:50 p.m. and the city had a full response with five engines, including a ladder truck, and one engine from the county. More than a dozen firefighters were joined by two Porterville police officers who assisted residents out of the smoke-filled complex. One lady in a motorized chair waited outside until a firefighter brought her dog to her. Seeing her dog brought a big smile to her face.

Medical personnel were called to the scene to check out the residents, but no one was injured or sickened by the smoke. One lady said she was winded after walking down three flights of stairs. Hall said the fire was still smoldering when firefighters arrived and they extinguished it at that time. He said there are 105 apartments in the complex, but only the north wing was affected by the fire.

The residents, including the one who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred, were allowed to return to their apartments after about 45 minutes outside. The cause of the fire is under investigation

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Centennial, CO – Fire caused by faulty heater at Towne Place Suites hotel contained with help from sprinkler system

A faulty heater has been blamed for igniting a fire inside an unoccupied room at a hotel that sent three deputies to the hospital. The fire started at the Towne Place Suites located at 7877 S. Chester St. about 4:30 p.m. Saturday.  South Metro Fire Rescue confirmed three deputies with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office suffered smoke inhalation after helping people evacuate the hotel.

A malfunctioning heater in an unoccupied room started the fire. “The building has smoke alarms and a sprinkler system which is helpful but smoke is really very dangerous so getting people out quickly was the number one priority for everyone on scene,” said South Metro Fire Rescue spokeswoman Becky O’Guin.  The fire was contained to one room.  No one else was hurt.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Loudon, TN – Fire at ceramics plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire Monday afternoon at a ceramic tile plant in Loudon started when a motor began burning and then ignited hydraulic fluid, fire officials said. The Loudon Fire Department was alerted about 1:15 p.m. Monday to the blaze at the Del Conca USA Plant.

According to Mike Brubaker, chief of the Loudon Fire Department, the fire started in a machine that presses and forms the ceramic tiles. The fire grew in intensity and seriousness once the hydraulic fluid caught fire, according to Brubaker. No injuries were reported.

The plant’s sprinkler system activated, which helped to suppress the fire. It took crews about 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, according to Brubaker.  The Lenoir City Fire Department worked with the Loudon Fire Department to fight the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Naperville, IL – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing fire in storage room at business

The contents of a Naperville business in the 2000 block of Aurora Avenue suffered more damage than the structure following a Saturday afternoon fire, according to a release from the Naperville Fire Department. Firefighters received a call from an employee at 1:05 p.m. stating the fire alarm was sounding and there was smoke coming from a rear storage room, but no flames seen, the release said.

The first arriving fire unit reported nothing showing from three sides of the business, the release said. Upon entry, they found heavy smoke, at which time the alarm was upgraded by the shift commander, bringing more equipment and firefighters.

Extinguishing the fire was difficult due to the size of the structure, however after the deployment of several hose lines and coordinated operations, including the building’s sprinkler system, the fire was extinguished 46 minutes after the initial dispatch, according to the release.

Damage to the structure was moderate, however damage to contents within the structure was extensive due to smoke, fire, and water, the release said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and there were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

The Naperville Fire Department was assisted on the scene by departments from Aurora and Plainfield. Units from Downers Grove and Bolingbrook as well as the Warrenville and Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection Districts provided station coverage for the city during the incident.

Residential, Single Family Home

Pensacola, FL – Sprinkler system activates to help control house fire; No injuries

No one was injured, but a family was displaced by a house fire Sunday afternoon, an Escambia County news release said. At 4:10 p.m., Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a residential fire in the 1600 block of Governors Drive near East Johnson Avenue.

When firefighters arrived, they found light smoke showing from the entry way of the home. The fire was brought under control at 4:26 p.m., and the residents of the home were displaced because of water damage from the sprinkler system.

Escambia County Fire Rescue reminds citizens to never leave cooking food unattended and to keep cooking areas clean and free of grease and other combustibles (potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging), which can catch fire easily.

The blaze Sunday resulted in the eighth green light being replaced for the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign. The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with City of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 23 different county fire stations.

Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.

Apartment Building, Residential

Derby, CT – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in containing apartment building fire; No injuries

There were no injuries reported after a fire in a laundry room on Fourth Street Wednesday. The fire was reported at about 3:20 p.m. within a three-story apartment building at 16 Fourth St. near the Derby Green.

The building’s alarm sounded and about eight people in the building immediately left. The cause and precise origin is under investigation by Derby Fire Marshal Phil Hawks.

The fire started in the building’s laundry room in the basement. Damage was limited to that room, said David Lenart, an assistant Derby fire chief. The building’s sprinkler system and the arriving firefighters kept the flames from spreading.

The building underwent a complete renovation within the last few years. Shelton firefighters responded to the call as well. As of 3:52 p.m., firefighters were carrying in large fans to vent the smoke from the apartment house.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Prescott, AZ – Fire at historic hotel doused by sprinkler system

Twenty to 30 residents of the Downtown Prescott Inn were evacuated mid-day Wednesday, Dec. 23, when fire broke out in one of the rooms. Prescott Fire Battalion Chief Eric Kriwer said the department got the call of fire in a third-floor room in the North Cortez Street hotel (formerly the Head Hotel, built in 1904) just before noon Wednesday.

A fire-sprinkler system in the room doused the fire fairly quickly, Kriwer said, but not before several dozen residents were evacuated from the three-story hotel. The operation required the closure of North Cortez Street, and at about 1:30 p.m., Kriwer said the street closure would likely continue for at least another hour.

Police Chief Jerald Monahan said a number of police officers were on hand to handle the traffic control during the fire operation. “We’re here to support the Fire Department,” he said.

No one was injured in the fire, although two medicals calls occurred at the building at about the same time. Kriwer explained that a fire crew was already on site at the hotel when the department got word of the fire. Then, another medical call occurred in the midst of the fire, although Kriwer did not know the nature of that call.

Although the fire was contained to one room, Kriwer said all of the residents were evacuated. In the aftermath, firefighters were working to secure the building, and get the electricity turned back on. “We haven’t got the power secured yet,” Kriwer explained.

A total of more than 30 fire, police, and Lifeline Ambulance personnel responded to the fire, Kriwer said. A (TIP) Trauma Intervention Program volunteer was also on hand, and Kriwer said, “We will probably have a couple of displaced residents.”

Meanwhile, a group of residents clustered on the sidewalk – many of them bundled with blankets, and wearing flip-flops – waiting to be allowed back into their rooms.

“We’re frozen; we didn’t have time to get socks,” hotel resident Josie Valdez said, waiting on a sidewalk bench. Because her room is on the second floor, Valdez said she didn’t see any sign of the fire when she heard the call to evacuate.

Hotel resident Krista Schmidt, a writer, said she had time to grab only her laptop containing her writing, and a blanket, before leaving her room.

Daiton Rutkowski, who was working in the street-level Keystone Antiques shop Wednesday afternoon, said he had turned 10 to 15 shoppers away, because the Fire Department was not allowing people into the building until the power was restored.

Kriwer said the cause of the fire was still under investigation Wednesday afternoon.

 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Staten Island, NY – Sprinkler system activates to help control restaurant fire

Firefighters are on the scene at Bocelli Restaurant in Grasmere after a report of a grease fire, according to an FDNY spokesman. Several units responded to the restaurant, located in a shopping center at 1250 Hylan Blvd., after the fire was reported at 1:03 p.m., the spokesman said.

No injuries have been reported and the incident appeared to be minor, the spokesman said. An employee said the sprinkler went off in the restaurant.

Several FDNY engines were inside the shopping center, and blocking the right lane of northbound Hylan. According to a patron inside the establishment at the time, the restaurant was fairly crowded when customers began smelling a strong gas odor. Workers asked everyone to leave and once the patrons were outside, the sprinkler system went off.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Wildomar, CA – Fire in storage closet at hospital suppressed by sprinkler system

On Dec. 14, firefighters responded to Inland Valley Medical Center regarding the report of a commercial structure fire at the location.

The hospital is located at 36485 Inland Valley Drive, near Clinton Keith Road in Wildomar. Inland Valley Medical Center is a 122-bed, General Acute Care Hospital with Basic Emergency Services and a Level III Trauma Center. The hospital serves most of Temecula Valley and surrounding areas.

In a press release from CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department, press information officer April Newman explained at about 5:27 p.m., 10 firefighters from two engine companies and one truck company responded to the reported fire.

The first arriving engine company found a single-story commercial building with no signs of fire or smoke showing. Upon further investigation, firefighters determined a small fire had occurred in a storage room at the hospital.

According to Newman, the fire was contained to the storage room by the hospital’s fire suppression sprinkler system. No damage was reported to have occurred as a result of the fire, however the fire sprinklers caused minor water damage to items within the storage room.

Fire department resources reportedly remained on scene for approximately one hour to assist with water salvage and cleanup.

There were no reported injuries associated with this incident.

 

Other - Retail, Retail

Marietta, GA – Sprinkler system activates in fire at tattoo parlor; No injuries reported

A tattoo parlor near the Marietta Square caught fire Monday afternoon, blocking traffic for several hours, though no one was injured, police said. Planet Ink Tattoos, at 12 Powder Springs St. #265, caught fire before 6 p.m., according to Marietta police. 

The road was temporarily closed between Marietta Square and Waverly Way due to the fire and reopened around 8 p.m, police said.  The Marietta fire department could not immediately be reached for comment about the cause of the fire.  Police were unable to immediately confirm when the fire began.

The Marietta Wine Market below the parlor, along with two other offices, sustained significant water damage due to the sprinkler systems, according to Brandt Blocker, managing artistic director of the Atlanta Lyric Theatre below the parlor.

The theater was in the middle of conducting auditions for an upcoming production at the time of the fire, Blocker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.