Office Building, Other - Hospital/Medical Erie, CO – Computer room fire at dentist office extinguished by sprinkler system September 14, 2016 viking210 Erie officers responded about 4 p.m. Wednesday to Hardy Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics at 3200 Village Vista Drive #110 in Weld County on a structure fire. A computer component in the IT room caught on fire and was put out by the sprinkler system.
Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility Colorado Springs, CO – Coal dust fire at power plant extinguished by sprinkler system March 26, 2016 viking210 A coal dust fire at the Drake Power Plant in Colorado Springs was quickly put out by the plant’s fire suppression system Thursday. Employees have been evacuated and are safe. Firefighters are investigating. The downtown plant was badly damaged by a different fire in May of 2014.
Apartment Building, Residential Longmont, CO – Automatic sprinkler system douses apartment fire; No injuries March 5, 2016 viking210 1 Comment One person was displaced after a fire Sunday at a Longmont apartment complex at 630 Peck Drive, according to the Red Cross. Longmont fire went out on a report of a fire alarm around 11 a.m. and found an automatic sprinkler system had doused a fire in an apartment on the second floor, said Longmont Fire Department spokeswoman Molly Crop. She said no one was home at the time, except a dog in the bedroom that wasn’t injured, but there was significant smoke and water damage. “The sprinklers did their job,” she said. The Red Cross is providing emergency lodging for the resident.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Centennial, CO – Fire caused by faulty heater at Towne Place Suites hotel contained with help from sprinkler system January 19, 2016 viking210 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.
Apartment Building, Residential Avon, CO – Apartment fire doused by sprinkler system; No injuries December 14, 2015 viking210 A burning couch has left two units at the Tarnes at Beaver Creek uninhabitable. The blaze broke out at around 11:30 a.m. Sunday in a second-floor unit. According to the Eagle River Fire Protection District, the flames were for the most part doused when firefighters arrived thanks to the building’s automatic fire sprinkler system. Firefighters say the unit where the fire started and the one directly below it were declared uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage. Nobody was injured. The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office is working to figure out if criminal charges are warranted.
Apartment Building, Other - School / University, Residential Greeley, CO – Off-campus apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries November 11, 2015 viking210 Four students were displaced from their homes Tuesday after a fire in one apartment touched off the sprinklers at the Arlington Park Apartments. Greeley firefighters were called around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to a fire at the Arlington Park Apartments, Building No. 3, 2315 9th Ave. Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke showing. The fire was contained to one apartment and was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. But students living in two rooms would be displaced because of smoke and water damage, said University of Northern Colorado spokesman Nate Haas. Students were evacuated and there were no injuries, reported Greeley Firefighter Battalion Chief Rick Hinchcliffe. Firefighters were clearing the building as of 8:30 p.m., and the fire was out minutes later. Custodians were called in to clear the water. The immediate damage was contained to the apartment with a fire, with water damage to the apartment immediately below, Hinchcliffe said. Haas said university residence officials were working Tuesday to find temporary housing for the students in the college’s residence halls. Hinchcliffe said three fire trucks, one ladder truck and one heavy rescue truck responded, with a total of 15 firefighters on scene. There is no word yet on a cause or a damage estimate.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Johnstown, CO – Restaurant fire at truck stop held in check by sprinkler system November 10, 2015 viking210 A gas leak and small fire temporarily shut down the restaurant portion of Johnson’s Corner Sunday night through Monday morning. Front Range Operations Chief Bernie Covillo said crews from both his department and Loveland Fire Rescue Authority responded to a small kitchen fire at the restaurant around 6:40 p.m. Sunday. “Loveland Engine 6 was the first arriving unit,” he said. “They discovered a small fire that was being kept in check in the kitchen. The fire was quickly extinguished and there was minimal damage.” Covillo said the restaurant was shut down because the sprinkler system had been activated. Johnson’s Corner employees had to clean the restaurant to pass an inspection from the Larimer County Department of Health. The restaurant, which never closes, is located at 2842 SE Frontage Road just off Interstate 25. Employees were stationed at the front of the restaurant Monday morning turning customers away and offering them complimentary cinnamon rolls and cookies. “This is a really bad thing,” Christy Hall, a Johnson’s Corner cashier said. “So many people come here. I know another month we had a tiny fire — but (the restaurant) was definitely not closed for this long.” Employees confirmed later on Monday that the restaurant reopened at 12:30 p.m. However, they directed further questions to the restaurant’s corporate office, TravelCenters of America. Requests for comment were not returned. “It just so happens there was a fire the same day they are remodeling,” Hall said. Covillo said that Johnson’s Corner officials and their insurance agency would be investigating the cause of the fire.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Carbondale, CO – Suspected arson fire at non-profit organization is suppressed by sprinkler system September 18, 2015 viking210 A fire apparently set on purpose at Carbondale’s Third Street Center early Wednesday may be linked to a fruitless bank break-in that also happened overnight. “The fire was suspicious in origin, and we don’t think it was accidental,” said Rob Goodwin, Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District deputy chief. Linda Taylor, executive director of the Center for Independence, based in Grand Junction, said officials told her that the fire at her organization’s Carbondale office was set on purpose. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was helping Carbondale fire and police officials with the investigation. In a twist, Police Chief Gene Schilling said authorities think the fire may be related to a break-in at the ANB Bank at 409 Dolores Way. Here’s how the night unfolded Firefighters and police responded at 1:30 a.m. to the Third Street Center, 520 S. Third, to find smoke coming from a window on the east side of the building. Audible alarms and flashing lights were going off, and a neighbor had already extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. “It was pretty much out, but the building was full of smoke” when the Fire Department got there, Goodwin said. A couple hours later, at 3:55 a.m., police responded to an alarm at ANB Bank to find glass broken in both sets of entry doors. “It appears that a suspect entered the bank but did not take anything,” police said in a statement. The break-in suspect is described as tall and thin and was wearing black clothing. At the Third Street Center “there’s more water damage than fire damage,” Goodwin said. “This fire reinforces the fact that fire sprinkler systems really do work,” he said. “Having a sprinkler system in place prevented the fire from spreading to other parts of the Third Street Center and causing further damage.” The fire did not spread beyond the center’s office, but it was unknown when the nonprofit will be able to reopen. No one was injured, and no loss amount had been determined.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Westminster, CO – Damage from restaurant fire minimized thanks to sprinkler system September 15, 2015 viking210 A sprinkler system helped prevent major damage after an electrical fire in Westminster. Firefighters responded to an alarm at 11300 Westmoor Circle just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Security at the building at the site reported smoke an electrical smell. When crews arrived they found a room in the Oasis Café filled with smoke and the sprinkler head activated. The firefighters quickly extinguished the remaining fire, shut off the sprinkler system and ventilated the first floor of the building. The fire was started by a series of lithium batteries that were in a large charger. However, because of the building sprinklers the damage was limited to the charger, minor smoke damage and water damage in the immediate area of the sprinkler head. According to the fire department, there could have been a much larger fire without the sprinkler system.
Other-Government/Military, Restaurant Montrose, CO – Fire at airport restaurant put out with help from sprinkler system September 14, 2015 viking210 A small fire broke out at the Montrose Regional Airport Wednesday morning. The airport’s Director of Aviation tells us it happened early Wednesday morning in the kitchen of a restaurant inside the terminal. No one was inside the kitchen at the time of the fire and the sprinkler system helped put it out. The airport is still operating as normal. There was minimal damage to property and no threat to public safety. Airport operations were not impacted and cleanup is underway. County Manager Ken Norris says they hope to have the restaurant back open by Saturday for their Tribute to Aviation event.
