Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Hampton, VA – Vehicle fire in warehouse held in check by sprinkler system August 14, 2015 viking210 A business caught fire in the Copeland Industrial Park this afternoon. The fire started in a warehouse around 2:30 p.m. in the 100 block of E St. after a vehicle’s engine went haywire, Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Anthony Chittum said in a news release. Firefighters got there and saw smoke coming from inside the warehouse and got reports that all employees had already evacuated, Chittum said. They went inside and discovered a commercial vehicle ablaze, with the fire spreading to nearby storage containers, he said. The building’s sprinkler system helped keep the fire in check, and firefighters extinguished it within 15 minutes, Chittum said. Investigators ruled the fire an accident after determining there was a mechanical failure in the vehicle’s engine, he said.
Office Building, Restaurant Fort Lauderdale, FL – Sprinklers activate, assist firefighters in extinguishing restaurant fire at downtown high rise August 14, 2015 viking210 2 Comments The Bank of America building in downtown Fort Lauderdale was evacuated Thursday after a fire broke out in a restaurant located inside the building. A Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue representative said the grease fire began on the first floor of the building inside the grill at Grille 401. He said firefighters could see black smoke coming from the restaurant upon arrival. “When crews arrived, they found heavy black smoke coming from the upper part of the parking garage,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Capt. Greg May said. “The sprinkler heads activated like they were supposed to, but the fire got in the duct system and traveled the length of the building which is several hundred feet.” “We looked out the side window here, and it was just covered in smoke,” Britny Alexander, who was inside the building at the time, said. All 23 floors of the building were evacuated for several hours. No injuries were reported. Firefighters said Grille 401 would be closed for the remainder of the day. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Apartment Building, Residential Dumfries, VA – Kitchen fire extinguished by apartment’s sprinkler system August 13, 2015 viking210 A sprinkler system put out a fire that broke out in the kitchen of a Dumfries apartment Wednesday afternoon, causing about $5,000 in damage. There were no injuries reported in the blaze, but a building inspector posted two units in the complex as unsafe, according to the Prince William County fire department. At about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, fire and rescue crews were dispatched to the fire at a row of apartments in the 17000 block of Islip Loop in Dumfries, the fire department said. As they entered the complex, they went to the kitchen of the unit where the fire originated. They saw that the apartment’s sprinkler system had been activated, suppressing and extinguishing the fire, the department said. Smoke remained throughout the unit with minor fire damage. The Prince William Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire originated on the kitchen stove, and it was accidental.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Townshend, VT – Sprinklers help control attic fire at assisted living facility August 5, 2015 viking210 Valley Cares was evacuated Monday evening after a lightning strike caused a fire in the attic of the assisted living facility. Just after 5 p.m. 39 residents were transported down the road to Leland & Gray Union High School after the fire alarm and sprinkler system alerted staff to the fire in the attic. Valley Cares Executive Director Susanne Shapiro said she did not know the condition of the building, though she said the facility would remain closed until a safety inspector could tour the damaged section of the building Tuesday. “Everybody is safe. The staff did exactly what they were trained to do,” Shapiro said. “Most of our residents are able to go home with family, and for anyone who can not go home, we will find a place for them to stay tonight.” Townshend Volunteer Fire Department Safety Officer Dale West said the call came in just after 5 p.m., and the blaze was quickly toned to a three-alarm fire due to the large number of residents who had to be evacuated. West said the sprinkler system helped control the fire and it was quickly extinguished. A portion of the building did sustain significant water damage and West said a state safety inspector would walk through the structure Tuesday before anyone would be allowed back into their apartments. “It could have been much worse,” West said. “It’s always hard to get to a fire in an attic, but the sprinkler system saved the day and they’re going to have to start cleaning up tomorrow.”
Department Store, Retail Bedford, IN – Sprinkler system helps protect Farm and Home store from fire damage August 4, 2015 viking210 Firefighters were able to extinguish a fire at Orscheln Farm and Home on Ind. 37 within minutes of arriving Sunday afternoon. Firefighters from Marion, Shawswick and Oolitic Volunteer Fire Departments were called to the business at 1:31 p.m. According to Marion VFD Chief Jason Zeeks, the fire started outside on the south side of the building after some paper on plastic stock tanks for water caught on fire. The fire then moved inside the business, setting off the sprinkler system. Zeeks says no one was injured and there was little fire damage done to building, but smoke and water did cause minor damage to some contents of the store. Firefighters from Shawswick and Oolitic VFDs assisted Marion VFD firefighters with cleaning up the water and ventilated the building of smoke. Orscheln was able to re-open for business Sunday afternoon.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Hagerstown, MD – Single sprinkler extinguishes residential kitchen fire August 3, 2015 viking210 No one was injured during a minor kitchen fire Thursday afternoon on Hagerstown’s North End, according to City Fire Marshal Doug DeHaven. The fire was reported at 1:30 p.m. in the 17600 block of Potter Bell Way in the Hager’s Crossing development, DeHaven said in a news release. He said a single sprinkler head from the home’s quick-response sprinkler system extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. Firefighters ventilated smoke from the home, and all of the units were cleared by 2:30 p.m., DeHaven said.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Lexington, KY – Truck fire inside FedEx facility suppressed by sprinkler system August 1, 2015 viking210 FedEx was forced to suspend operations after a panel truck caught on fire inside a building. Lexington Fire officials say it happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday. The panel truck was inside the building when it caught fire to the engine and set the sprinkler system off. When firefighters arrived the sprinklers had contained the flames. The truck is totaled and FedEx was forced to cease operation until the scene is cleared. The truck was empty, except for a couple of boxes that didn’t catch fire. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire officials are ventilating the building to get the smoke out. The truck will be towed.
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Salt Lake City, UT – Warehouse fire contained by sprinkler system; Fire jumped to building from semi-trailer in parking lot July 29, 2015 viking210 The fire started about 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot at 879 S. Gladiola St. (3400 West), catching a semitrailer on fire and then jumping to the building, according to Salt Lake Fire Capt. Mark Bednarik. The fire reached one business, a leather and furniture company, while sprinkler systems in the building kept it from reaching other businesses. As many as 70 firefighters were on the scene Sunday afternoon, Bednarik reported, extinguishing the fire in the warehouse by about 5:15 p.m. Had it spread deeper into the warehouse, crews would have faced “a very different fire,” he said. “The potential is very high (for damage),” the captain said. “They use a lot of foams and a lot of synthetic materials, and once that ignites, there are very toxic fumes and very hot fires that are difficult to extinguish.” The fire caused at least $150,000 in damage to the business, Bednarik said, with the total expected to climb as water damage to the furniture business’ inventory is assessed. “One of the business owners made the comment that if the water soaks up into that foam, they could be throwing away $50,000 to $60,000 in product,” Bednarik said. “That’s probably what they’re going to be facing over the next week or so.” With the warehouse fire extinguished, crews turned their focus to the flames that had burned nearly an acre of vegetation and destroyed other items in the yard, including pallets, trash bins and other machinery. Firefighters remained on scene Sunday evening to manage a number of lingering burning and hot spots. “Once you get those plastics burning, they burn hot and they burn deep through that pile,” Bednarik said. “(Firefighters) are using a front loader from the city to break it apart and open it up.” Crews were also forced to deal with explosions coming from propane tanks and other items inside the building as they battled the blaze. The cause of the initial fire is unknown, though Bednarik said the fire does not appear to be suspicious. Crews closed roads for about a half a block around the building as they fought the fire.
College/University (on campus), School / University Iowa City, IA – Lab fire at University of Iowa contained with help from sprinkler system July 29, 2015 viking210 The Iowa City Fire Department responded to a fire on the University of Iowa campus Friday afternoon. According to a news release, crews were called to the Chemistry Building, 251 N. Capitol St., at 3:47 p.m. Friday for a report of an active fire in one of the labs. Responding crews located a fire in one of the labs, which was partially suppressed by the sprinkler system. The fire was extinguished within eight minutes and crews remained on scene to assist with cleanup and ventilating the building. They were assisted by UI and Iowa City police, the Johnson County Ambulance Service and MidAmerican Energy. While employees were in the lab when the fire began, no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire department and UI public safety.
Department Store, Retail Capitol Heights, MD – Sprinkler system helps extinguish potential arson fire at Family Dollar store July 29, 2015 viking210 Prince George’s County authorities are seeking the community’s assistance in identifying a man they believed started a fire in a local Family Dollar store. The fire occurred at 1:23 p.m. Saturday in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Onlookers say they saw a man set combustible materials on fire to cover up a theft. The fire was quickly contained by a store sprinkler and an employee dispensing a fire extinguisher. The total loss is estimated at $2,500. No injuries were reported.
