College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Champaign, IL – Early morning fire at University of Illinois residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system February 13, 2016 viking210 Fire officials are investigating what caused a trash can fire in a University of Illinois dormitory early Thursday morning. At 2:13 a.m., the Urbana and Champaign fire departments responded to a report of a fire at Scott Hall, 202 East Peabody Drive, in Champaign. When they arrived, the firefighters did not see anything from the outside, but on the second floor, they found smoke in the southwest hallway, said Urbana Fire Chief Brian Nightlinger. A fire had started in a trash can in a common area garbage closet, said Craig Grant, associate director of campus code compliance & fire safety. A sprinkler in that closet extinguished the fire. Firefighters were able to turn the sprinkler off before it caused significant damage, Nightlinger said. “The sprinkler system did its job,” Nightlinger said. The residence hall was evacuated until around 3 a.m. Students took shelter in Snyder Hall and the Student Dining and Residential Programs building, Grant said. Cleanup lasted into the early morning. Anyone with information on what may have caused the fire can contact the Champaign Fire Department at 217-403- 7200.
Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility Brantford, ON, Canada – Fire at rubber tire recycling business held in check by sprinkler system February 12, 2016 viking210 An hour later, firefighters were called to tire recycler Ideal Rubber for a fire in a tire shredder. Fire prevention officer Scott Hardwick said it was fortunate the plant’s sprinkler system, a requirement for such heat-intensive processes, kicked in to help keep the fire from getting out of control. Hardwick said the fire crews were able to respond quickly and suppress the fire within eight minutes of being called. “These can be very aggressive fires,” Hardwick said. None of the Ideal Rubber staff or the firefighters was injured by the fire.
Apartment Building, Residential Vancouver, WA – Apartment fire caused by unattended candle is limited by sprinkler system February 11, 2016 viking210 Sprinklers at a Vancouver apartment complex limited the fire damage from a Tuesday morning blaze to a single unit, fire officials said. Firefighters were called to Redwood Acres apartments, 3409 N.E. 62nd Ave. in Vancouver’s Bagley Downs neighborhood, about 5:15 a.m., Vancouver firefighter Pete Adams said. Arriving crews reported a working fire coming from the third floor and that all of the occupants had evacuated, Adams said. The sprinklers kept the fire from spreading, and arriving crews doused the flames, bringing it under control in about 20 minutes, Adams said. There were no injuries. The unit affected was heavily damaged by fire, adjacent units sustained smoke damage and the units below sustained some water damage, Adams said. Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that the total damage is estimated at $60,000. The two people who lived in the fire-damaged unit were displaced, Adams said, but apartment management was making plans to house them in a different unit. Scarpelli said the fire was caused by an unattended candle left in the bedroom near the head of the bed. “The important note here is that a lit candle is an open flame, it’s definitely a fire hazard,” Scarpelli said. “This was definitely a preventable fire. … It was fortunate that the apartment complex had a sprinkler system that was completely operational and functioned the way it was designed.”
Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility St. Helens, OR – Early morning fire at mental health treatment center extinguished by sprinkler system February 7, 2016 viking210 Columbia River Fire and Rescue crews responded to a structure fire at Cornerstone, Columbia Community Mental Health’s residential treatment facility, on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 5:15 a.m. When crews arrived at 271 Columbia Blvd., smoke had filled the two-story building. A small fire had ignited on the first floor in a bedroom on the northwest corner in the bedding of one of the residents. The fire triggered the sprinkler head system in the building, extinguishing the flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. CRFR Fire Chief Jay Tappan said the sprinkler system worked as it was designed to, alerting residents when the system sounded. Two staff members and 16 residents evacuated the building during the fire and no injuries were reported. Tappan said staff at the facility followed emergency evacuation orders quickly, which likely helped prevent injuries. Water damage to the building was estimated to be $25,000 for property and $15,000 for personal contents. Building residents were temporarily displaced and relocated to other facilities due to the damage and the need to reset the sprinkler system, Tappan explained. Five fire engines, six support vehicles and 24 fire personnel were on scene.
Other Business, Place of Worship Anchorage, AK – Sprinklers stop intentionally-set fire in church kitchen January 30, 2016 viking210 Anchorage police say a Friday morning church fire was started by someone who broke into the building. The fire occurred at the Lutheran Church of Hope on the 1800 block of W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Someone broke in through a back window of the church, tore through the office, then used paperwork from inside to start the fire in the kitchen, according to the Anchorage Police Department. The blaze activated the sprinkler system — which doused the fire before it could spread to other parts of the church, authorities say.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Lincoln, ME – Sprinklers help contain fire at Lincoln Wood Shavings Mill January 29, 2016 viking210 A fire broke out at LMJ Enterprises in Lincoln around 6 a.m. The mill, located in the former Haskell Lumber facility on Main Street, makes wood shavings for animal bedding. There was extensive heat and water damage inside the building, according to fire fighters. Authorities tell TV-5 the fire was burning for several hours before they arrived. The building’s sprinkler system kept the flames from 15doing more damage. The fire is not considered suspicious and the Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to determine a cause.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Wauwatosa, WI – Laundry dryer fire at Dave & Buster’s contained by sprinkler system; 2nd save in Wauwatosa in one week January 29, 2016 viking210 For the second time in a week, a functioning sprinkler system is credited with preventing significant fire damage to a Wauwatosa business. The Wauwatosa Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at Dave & Buster’s, 2201 N. Mayfair Road, around 2:10 a.m. Jan. 25. Fire crews found smoke in the business’ kitchen and storage area and found a large, commercial dryer with an active fire inside, according to a news release. The fire was quickly extinguished by fire crews, according to the release. An automatic fire sprinkler system contained the fire and smoke damage to the area using just one sprinkler head. The exact cause of the fire is unknown but appears to have started with the contents inside the dryer. The Wauwatosa Health Department was contacted and assisted the business owner with cleaning requirements for reopening the kitchen. Damage estimates were not immediately available. Dave & Buster’s was able to reopen by lunch time Monday
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, Retail Hermosa Beach, CA – Sprinkler system helps control pizza shop fire; Neighboring businesses spared January 28, 2016 viking210 The Hermosa Beach Fire Department responded to a fire inside Pedone’s Pizza and Italian Food, near 14th Street, about 6 a.m., said HBFD Capt. Mike Garofano. Authorities were alerted to the fire by an alarm linked to the restaurant’s automatic sprinkler system, Garofano said. Four engines, one truck and a battalion chief from HBFD responded to the blaze, and the sprinkler system was keeping the fire in check when they arrived. Because the business was closed, firefighters had to break down the business’ front door to fight the fire, Garofano said. Units from fire departments in Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance arrived shortly thereafter, and the group knocked down the fire after about 15 minutes. As of 9 a.m. Monday morning, Pedone’s was sealed off with red caution tape. There were no visible marks to the exterior, but the smell of burnt wood lingered in the air. Pedone’s Pizza is one of several businesses located in the structure at 1332 Hermosa Ave., including a Pilates studio across a common hallway, but damage from the fire was confined to the restaurant, Garofano said. No one was injured in the blaze. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, Garofano said. Standard procedure requires bringing in an arson investigator to examine heat signatures and determine the blaze’s point of origin. Initial examination suggests an electrical fire, but this has not been confirmed
Nursing Home/Senior Living Boca Raton, FL – Cafeteria kitchen fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system January 20, 2016 viking210 1 Comment An early morning grease fire was extinguished by a kitchen sprinkler system at Stratford Court, a Senior Assisted living facility in suburban Boca Raton. The facility is located just south of Southwest 18th street and west of Military Trail. Emergency workers tell us a grease fire started in the cafeteria’s kitchen and they don’t know it began. No damage, injuries or evacuations.
Primary / Secondary School Dallas, TX – Sprinkler system activates to help control early morning fire at school January 19, 2016 viking210 Some classes at Parish Episcopal School’s Hillcrest campus are canceled Tuesday and Wednesday due to damage suffered while crews put out a fire at the school Sunday morning. Minor fire damage was done by the flames, which broke out in the attic of Building E — home to the Lower School’s main office, library and several classrooms — around 5:30 a.m., but water from firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system did “extensive” damage. The fire was “quickly extinguished,” according to a Parish Episcopal School spokesperson. David Monaco, the Head of School at Parish Episcopal, wrote on Twitter that anything lost in the fire was “replaceable.” Students in Pre-K through second grade will not have class Tuesday or Wednesday following the MLK holiday Monday. The after-school program was also cancelled for those days. Updates on any additional cancellations or relocations would be provided Wednesday. School officials have asked people to avoid going to the campus during the cleanup process, which began Sunday. The Church of the Transfiguration, which shares the campus, did not suffer any damage to its buildings.
