Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

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.

Manufacturing Plant

Newport News, VA – Sprinkler system puts out fire at Continental manufacturing facility

A small fire at Continental in Newport News Wednesday caused about $30,000 in damage, an official said. Firefighter-medics responded to a report of the fire at the automotive parts manufacturer at 615 Bland Blvd. about 2:45 p.m., Battalion Chief Jerry Reed said at the scene. The company’s sprinkler system put out the fire by the time they arrived, Reed said. Fire crews stayed on scene to overhaul and assess the damage, he said. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – Single sprinkler extinguishes apartment cooking fire (no media coverage)

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED **

The City of Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 1200 S Frazier St. (Park At Piney Woods Apartments) at approximately 2:34 PM on December 8, 2015.

Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 2:40 PM and discovered that there had been a small fire in the kitchen of one of the apartment units which activated a single sprinkler head and extinguished the fire.

There were no reported injuries to firefighters or occupants of the building. Fire damage was confined to the top of the stove and the cooking container. Water damage was confined to the apartment of origin and 2 adjacent apartments. The cause of the fire was unattended cooking and was determined to be unintentional.

This incident demonstrates the importance of a properly installed and maintained automatic fire sprinkler system. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building’s owners and occupants. Further, no occupants were displaced and possible injuries and deaths to citizens and firefighters were prevented.

Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance in protecting life and property. The City of Conroe Fire Department would like to remind the public that unattended cooking is the leading cause of residential fires in Conroe, and throughout the United States, each year. Being mindful while you cook, however, can go a long way to helping prevent these fires:

**Keep an eye on what you fry

**Be alert when cooking

**Keep things that can catch fire away from the cooking area

 

Manufacturing Plant

Apison, TN – Fire in paint shop at manufacturing facility contained by sprinkler system

Tri-Community Volunteer Firefighters responded to a 9-1-1 call Thursday afternoon to a commercial business fire on Apison Pike.  Employees of Paladin Attachments, formally known as C&P Attachments, told firefighters that they were working in the Paint Shop and saw a hot spot on one of the filters.

They tried to cool it down, but it burst into flames.  Employees called 9-1-1 and safely evacuated. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the building.

The fire had spread and set off the sprinklers.  Firefighters say the sprinkler system did help stop the fire from destroying the entire business.  The Fire Marshall’s Office is looking into the cause of the blaze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Appalachia, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fifth floor apartment fire

The Appalachia Fire Department responded to the apartment complex, located at 505 West Main Street, when a fire alarm sounded around 12:24 Saturday afternoon.  Fire Chief Robert Anderson Jr. says the fire started in an apartment on the fifth floor due to an occupant smoking while on oxygen. He tells us the sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire.

Apartments from the fifth floor to the second floor suffered water and smoke damage. Those residents were evacuated to Appalachia High School gymnasium where they are being assisted by the Red Cross.  Anderson told us a contractor was on scene working to clean up the damages.

Hotel / Motel

Reno, NV – Fire in basement laundry at hotel casino contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire in a basement laundry room at the Peppermill Hotel Casino forced a brief evacuation of the property Friday afternoon.

Employees at the hotel attacked the blaze with fire extinguishers and the hotel’s sprinkler system also kicked in to contain the blaze as Reno firefighters responded shortly after noon. Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames, evacuated the smoke from the building and checked to ensure it hadn’t spread into other areas of the building, Battalion Chief Mark Winkelman said.

Meanwhile, hotel guests and employees were evacuated into the frigid afternoon air. Many huddled in towels and blankets until they were allowed back inside about an hour later. Guests described the scene inside as calm and orderly as they walked down the stairs to get out of the building.  While some guests saw smoke, none said they saw flames.

Keith and Mallory Lynch of San Francisco were celebrating their wedding anniversary with a couples massage at the hotel spa when the fire alarm sounded and they were asked to leave the building. They stood outside in bathrobes and flip-flops, shivering in the 34-degree weather.

“At first they told us not to worry, but then they said we had to leave,” Keith Lynch said. “Luckily we were near the end of the massage.” Corey Mathes, of Fresno, was taking a shower and getting ready for her 4 p.m. wedding at the hotel when security knocked on the door and told her and fiance Craig Frantzich to evacuate.

“My dress is still up there,” she said, noting she grabbed the wedding rings but failed to get their wedding license. “I will beg a firefighter to go get my dress!”

She and Frantzich have been together for 23 years. “We’ll get married today one way or another,” she said.

Winkelman said the damage didn’t appear to be extensive. The blaze put out billows of smoke after lint on the ceiling caught fire, he said. The sprinkler system also caused some water damage.

Peppermill spokeswoman Katie Silva put out a brief statement: “We experienced a fire in our laundry room this afternoon. We appreciate the quick and professional response by the Reno Fire Department in extinguishing the fire.”

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Wilmington, NC – No one hurt in Thanksgiving day apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system

Fire officials were on the scene of an apartment fire in Wilmington on Thanksgiving Day.  It happened on Litchfield Way on Thursday afternoon shortly before 2.

Authorities say an apartment on the third floor caught fire while at least one person was home, but no one was hurt. That apartment is a total loss, while other nearby units suffered water damage from the sprinkler system.  There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Chesire, OH – Deluge sprinkler system extinguishes transformer fire at power plant

A transformer at General James M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire caught fire early Sunday afternoon, causing black smoke to rise that could be seen for miles across the Ohio Valley.

According to Tammy Ridout, manager for media relations and policy communications at AEP, the 1 p.m. Sunday fire was a caused by a failed generator step-up transformer on Gavin Plant Unit 2. This transformer is what handles the generator voltage and increases it to match the transmission line voltage so that power can leave the plant.

The plant is connected to the grid by 765 kilovolt transmission lines — the highest rated voltage in the U.S. The plant currently has about 275 employees. Middleport Fire Chief Jeff Darst said the fire occurred in what is known as Unit 2, where the tranformers are kept behind the plant and can’t be viewed from the road.

Pomeroy, Middleport and Rutland fire departments were called to the scene and no injuries were reported. Ridout said Unit 1 was not affected and remains in operation.

“The local fire departments were a big help in containing the fire,” Ridout said. “We’re still investigating the cause and are working on a recovery plan to restore the unit to operation.”

The Gavin Power Plant is located in Cheshire up the road from the smaller Kyger Creek Power Plant. It is a 2.6-gigawatt coal-fired power station — the largest facility of its kind in Ohio and one of the largest in the nation.  Cheshire resident Robert Roush said he could see the smoke from his home.

Ridout said that Meigs County fire stations, including Middleport, Pomeroy and Rutland fire departments, were called to the scene, but the flames were contained before they arrived. The fire was extinguished by a deluge system, or an activated sprinkler system, she said.

“Unfortunately, when you are dealing with large electrical equipment and there is some type of equipment failure, it can cause a fire,” Ridout said of the previous incident. “We have systems in place such as fire suppression systems, the fire brigade at the plant, training for our employees and relationships with local emergency responders and in this case, those systems worked and we were able to put the fire out safely.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Stoughton, MA – Sprinklers credited with averting potential disaster in fire at 60-unit apartment complex

A sprinkler system in a 60-plus unit apartment complex is credited with averting what could have been a disaster, the fire chief said. About noon Monday, firefighters received an alarm for The Lodge at Stoughton, which is an apartment complex on Technology Center Drive near the Randolph line.When firefighters arrived, they found staff helping to evacuate the building and smoke inside the first floor, said interim Fire Chief Gregory Goldberg. When firefighters opened the first-floor unit’s door, there was heavy smoke, but the fire was extinguished by sprinklers in the room, Goldberg said.“It was a grease fire on a stove that got going pretty good,” he said. “But it ended up all right because the sprinkler system kept it at bay.” The four-story building has more than 60 units, Goldberg said.“It could have been a major disaster,” he said. “Fire alarms save lives, and sprinklers save lives and buildings.” The woman who lives in the apartment got out safely with a friend who was inside at the time.She is being assisted by the Red Cross, as her apartment sustained smoke and major water damage. A unit next door sustained minor water damage.“When we got in, it was completely extinguished,” Goldberg said. “The fire didn’t extend through the ceiling. The sprinkler took care of it.”

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

Grand Rapids, MI – Fire at high-rise apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

Emergency crews had to scramble Thursday afternoon in downtown Grand Rapids after fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Weston Apartments. At first, smoke could be seen pouring out a window, quickly followed by water from the fire hoses. Everyone in the building was evacuated, and investigators say the fire was contained to just one apartment.

“Our primary concern, right now, is to get 89 families that call this building home into their homes,” said Grand Rapids Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. “Many of them, in the process of leaving, left all their belongings behind — including cell phones. We have a mother that needs diapers.”

Fire officials say no one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There isn’t much room in downtown Grand Rapids to grow out, so the only option is up. Those taller buildings and provide more difficult challenges for fire fighters.

“All of our companies are trained in high rise operations which includes working off stairs I mean they had to hike up five floors before they even began work today,” says Grand Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Sehlmeyer.

This afternoon, their training allowed them to hold this fire at Weston Apartments to just one unit.  Crews learn how to climb stairs quickly and efficiently to get hose and water to the burning apartments, they learn to blow water from inside out to avoid spreading flames on the inside and deeper into the building. Out of the 96 units, only one had fire damage only two water damaged.

“We worked off of what is called a stand pipe. There’s a fire protection system in the building our crews hook to that then make their way onto the floor,” says Sehlmeyer.

Like any high rise, these buildings come with sprinkler systems, which help.The concrete construction of older buildings, like the Weston, help contain the damage. But time is still the enemy when these apartments are so stacked together. There’s no wiggle room to stop it from spreading.

“The faster we can get the water picked up the less damage to the units below so that’s the priority right now,” says Sehlmeyer.