Tag Archives: Arkansas

Conway, AR – Fire sprinklers contain fire at recycling center; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a commercial structure fire that was reported at JSI Metal Recycling in Conway on Wednesday morning.

The Conway Fire Department was called out at 8:46 a.m. Monday regarding a fire inside the recycling center and was on scene in less than one minute, Fire Chief Mike Winter said.

An object inside the building had caught fire, and the building’s sprinkler system had the fire contained when the fire department arrived on scene, Winter said.

The Conway fire chief confirmed Wednesday afternoon that no one was injured.

Altogether, six fire trucks and 14 firefighters and engineers responded to the scene. The fire was completely out by 9:34 a.m., Winter said.

Springdale, AR – Sprinkler system helps contain warehouse fire after Styrofoam containers burn

A fire burned Styrofoam containers inside an industrial warehouse Friday afternoon.

The fire burned the southwest portion of the 70,000-square-foot building at 659 E. Randall Wobbe Lane.

Styrofoam containers for the Cargill poultry processing plant across the street were stored in the building, said Phil Phillips Jr., owner of the warehouse.

A firefighter was transported to the hospital afterward with injuries. Springdale Fire Capt. Matt Bagley said the firefighter’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Any toxic fumes from the burning Styrofoam were contained to the property and an empty lot to the west, said Bagley. Firefighters had the fire under control about 15 minutes after arriving, he said.

Fire department officials will not know the cause of the fire until inspectors can enter the building.

The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad closed its tracks immediately to the west of the building for about two hours. Andrew Preston, a track foreman, said the fire delayed the arrival of three trains from the north into the railroad’s switching yard, but the delay was not a problem. “We just told them to slow down,” he said.

All five employees on the property quickly evacuated when the building’s fire alarms sounded, said Mindy Peck, manager of the warehouse.

The alarm system notified the fire department about 2:34 p.m., Bagley said. The building’s sprinkler system was flowing when the first crews arrived, he said.

The fire department responded with four engines, two ladder trucks and two ambulances — all the equipment from all city stations but one, Bagley said. Neighboring fire departments covered three calls during the fire, he said.

Phillips said he has owned the building since the late 1990s and plans to rebuild it.

The amount of damage to the building is not yet known.

Walnut Ridge, AR – Fire at nursing home put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Emergency crews are now at the scene of a fire at Walnut Ridge Nursing and Rehab, according to a post on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page.

The post noted that Fire Chief Frank Owens said the fire was under control but that the building received a considerable amount of smoke.

“Ambulances are being staged but no injuries are reported at this time,” the post noted.

Walnut Ridge Mayor Charles Snapp said authorities got a call around 8:10 p.m. Friday from an employee at the nursing home about a dryer on fire.

Snapp said the sprinkler system was activated and put out the fire, which was contained to the laundry room.

No evacuation was needed and crews are working to clean up the area now, Snapp said.

Officials also said Walnut Ridge police is at the scene and that officials are asking people to avoid the area, if at all possible.

Rogers, AR – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system keeps third floor fire from spreading throughout building

RFD responded to a building fire last night on the 3rd floor of this structure at 2000 South Promenade Boulevard. Thanks to a working fire sprinkler system, the fire remained small and the RFD was able to quickly locate and extinguish it. Today, several of the businesses are already open and the remainder soon will. Fire sprinklers save lives and property! 

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El Dorado, AR – Kitchen fire at county jail controlled with help from sprinkler system

The Union County jail is picking up the pieces after a fire broke out in their kitchen Wednesday evening.  One of the staff spotted it first.  Smoke was coming out of one of the storage areas which was once a cooler.

“They activated the alarm, activated the sprinkler system and then began calling everyone out,” said Captain Jeff Stinson, UCSO.  Water filled the halls.  The power was out, and they were without part of the kitchen.  The clean-up process began immediately, and all inmates were taken to a safe area.

“From what we can tell, it’s going to be electrical, somewhere in the ceiling, but at this point, we can’t say for sure,” said Stinson.  While they were going through turmoil, The Salvation Army stepped in, serving over 200 inmates breakfast.

“We have an old slogan in the salvation army that says need has no season,” said Captain Jason Perdieu, The Salvation Army. “A lot of people think there’s only need at Christmas time.

They stress that they always are looking for volunteers and donations for situations like this.  “At a moment’s notice, a need arises,” said Perdieu.  As for the sheriff’s office, they are getting things back up and running.  They are building a new wall to separate the kitchen from the fire damage.

Fort Smith, AR – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at chemical facility; Blaze confined to mixing container

First responders addressed a fire that arose in a chemical environment in west Fort Smith on Friday morning. The fire, which began around 9:15 a.m. Friday, occurred at Ashland Performance Materials, 5106 Wheeler Ave., on Friday. The blaze was confined to a mixing container used to combine chemicals for manufacturing purposes, Sebastian County Deputy Director of Emergency Management Travis Cooper said. ″(From) the effort of what they were trying to do on a daily basis, unfortunately, there was a fire,” Cooper said. Cooper said the operator who was mixing the chemicals left the area “very quickly” and activated the fire alarm and sprinkler system in the facility. Members of Emergency Management and the Fort Smith Fire Department responded to the scene. Cooper said “there were no composites or components left of that chemical” from the fire. Cooper could not give a damage cost estimate for the fire.

Fayetteville, AR – Balcony fire at senior apartment complex put out by sprinkler system

A balcony fire ignited at a Fayetteville apartment complex for seniors Tuesday, but it was quickly extinguished.  The fire at Wedington Place Senior Apartments, 3130 Telluride Drive, started just after 1 p.m., however, the building’s sprinkler system activated and put out the flames, according to Dale Riggins, administrative assistant for the Fayetteville Police Department.

No one at the complex was injured or had to be transported to a hospital. However, Central EMS arrived on scene to help bring people down from the second floor with wheelchairs, Riggins said. The top floor sustained smoke and water damage, and as of 2:30 p.m. fire marshals were still at the scene investigating the cause of the fire, Riggins said.

Fayetteville, AR – Fire in University of Arkansas fabrication lab kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system and a quick-acting shop steward helped prevent a fire reported at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday from spreading beyond a student fabrication laboratory in the architecture building at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, university and fire officials said. No injuries were reported, said Willie Watts, a battalion chief with the Fayetteville Fire Department. He said department personnel arrived to find that something had been burning but never needed to deploy fire hoses. The room’s sprinkler system helped douse the blaze, he said, which was under control by 5:22 p.m..  Peter MacKeith, dean of UA’s Fay Jones School of Architecture, said at the scene that machines used by students were being shut down for the day when the problem started in a garden-level lab at Vol Walker Hall.  A shop steward grabbed an extinguisher to try and put out the fire, MacKeith said, adding that he did not know what might have caused the blaze.  The building was evacuated, but by 6 p.m. students were allowed to re-enter the building. MacKeith said he was unsure of any damage.

North Little Rock, AR – Fire in welding shop extinguished by single sprinkler; No injuries and damage minimized

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Sprinkler Contractor Reported ***

February 15, 2017 – In a welding shop, some stray sparks set fire to some loose combustible materials. The fire began under a balcony in the shop, and activated the sidewall sprinkler located under the balcony. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler before any significant fire damage was done.  Both the welder and the structure were unharmed.

Lowell, AR (No Media Coverage) – Two sprinkler heads extinguish fire in building products warehouse

***FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE*** The Lowell Fire Department responded to an automatic alarm at 310 Commercial Avenue on April 4, 2017 at 19:35. Upon arrival, nothing was showing from the exterior. Upon investigation, firefighters found water running out overhead door and then noticed smoke when entering the building. The fire was extinguished by two sprinkler heads and confined to the area of origin burning two bundles of wood products. Firefighters just had to extinguish smolder embers after finding the seat of the fire. This building was a 25,000 square foot warehouse of building products unoccupied by employees at the time of the fire.