Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Santa Monica, CA – Fire at popular Santa Monica Pier restaurant extinguished by sprinkler system June 23, 2015 viking210 Walking into The Lobster restaurant, past the full bar and into the dining area that overlooks the Santa Monica Pier, it’s almost impossible to notice the area where a fire in the kitchen spread to a booth early Saturday morning. A white sheet temporarily covered the area earlier this week, the only visible reminder of the incident. The Lobster, a fresh seafood restaurant off Ocean Avenue next to the mouth of the Santa Monica Pier,reopened Monday after a two-day closure. The fire is believed to have sprouted from a kitchen stove and leaped the wall it shared with a booth on the other side, catching the booth afire and splintering its glass headboard mounted on the wall. The fire lasted from 6:13 am to 6:33 am before the restaurant’s sprinkler system put out the short-lived flames. “We are still under investigation,” said Lynne Thomas, Marketing Director and Director of Community Events at The Lobster, “but as of now we believe that it was a heat fire that fortunately only sparked the booth.” The restaurant’s cleaning crew was the first to notice the fire Saturday morning, immediately reporting it to the Santa Monica Fire Department, who shortly thereafter arrived on the scene,spraying a fire extinguisher that killed the dying embers. “We were very happy it wasn’t worse and very happy no one was hurt,” Thomas said. Both the stove and the booth were removed earlier this week. The Fire Department is investigating how the fire started. The incident closed the Lobster for two days while they fixed up the damage and charred areas. “We were closed Saturday and all day Sunday,” said Thomas.“We were pretty much working around the clock to try and get open again…and reopened Monday. “It was hard because so many people had reservations. It was graduation weekend and it was really sad for us not to be able to reopen. We were doing what we could to get open as soon as we could,” she said.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Beaumont, TX – Fire at elementary school put out by single sprinkler May 29, 2015 viking210 A small fire was put out by the sprinkler system at the Fletcher Elementary campus Friday morning. The fire was reported around 6 a.m. at the campus located at 1055 Ave. F after a custodian found smoke in the building and water from a sprinkler. Beaumont Fire Rescue Captain Brad Penisson told 12News the fire was out before firefighters arrived. It appears an extension cord overheated and caught a cardboard box on fire in one of the offices. The fire activated a sprinkler head which put out the fire. The fire was contained to the office, but there is smoke throughout the building and water in a large area. Teachers are telling parents who arrive with students that there will be no classes today at Fletcher.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise Auburn, WA – Early morning fire in senior apartment building doused by sprinkler system May 21, 2015 viking210 A building sprinkler system contained a fire in a seven-story senior apartment complex in Auburn early Thursday morning. Damage was limited to four apartments, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported. VRFA crews responded to a report of the fire at the Plaza 17 Apartment building, 1001 17th St. SE, shortly after 7:30 a.m. When crews arrived, they found that three sprinkler heads had activated containing the fire to one apartment unit on the sixth floor of the building. Residents were evacuating. Firefighters completed fire extinguishment and searched the building for any remaining residents needing assistance. Residents were able to rest in the building’s community room, unaffected by the fire, while fire crews cleared smoke and used water vacuums to remove excess water. Four apartment units were deemed uninhabitable, primarily because of the water damage. Building managers were able to find housing for all but one resident who will be helped by the American Red Cross. Kent Fire Department RFA, South King Fire and Rescue and King County Medic One assisted the VRFA. The fire is under investigation.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Revelstoke, BC – Sprinklers aid firefighters in suppressing blaze at sawmill May 13, 2015 viking210 A section of a Revelstoke sawmill was badly damaged in an early morning fire Wednesday. Fire Crews were called to the Downie Timber mill just after 6:00 a.m. “Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy fire damage in the millwright area and light smoke on the second floor”, says fire chief Rob Girard. Girard says it took just under an hour for 22 firefighters to extinguish and overhaul the blaze with the mill’s sprinkler system doing most of the suppression work. “I am really pleased with the results of the sprinklers suppression in the fire area. We realize how important this mill is to the community”. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Wilsonville, OR – Sprinklers limit damage in paint room fire at building materials supplier May 7, 2015 viking210 Authorities are crediting a fire sprinkler for preventing a Thursday morning blaze at OrePac in Wilsonville from causing major damage. Just before 6 a.m., firefighters with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a fire in a paint room at the business at 30160 S.W. Orepac Way, according to a news release. Initial reports indicated that the paint room contained a gas line, paint products, air guns and pressure tanks, all of which could pose potential hazards for firefighters and workers. Upon arriving on scene, firefighters found light smoke coming from the industrial building. Thanks to a fire sprinkler in the paint room, along with employees using fire extinguishers, the fire was out when firefighters entered the paint room. A TVFR investigator determined that the fire resulted from the spontaneous combustion of improperly disposed rags that been used for staining. Due to the minimal damage caused by the blaze, no repairs will be necessary, according to the news release.
Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise Hibbing, MN – Single sprinkler contains early morning fire at senior high rise apartment building May 5, 2015 viking210 A fire at Hibbing’s Androy Building Sunday morning drew a full response from the Hibbing and neighboring fire departments. But when they arrived, they found the fire had already been contained by a single sprinkler head. The Androy Building houses senior high-rise apartments, an Elks Club banquet center and an orthodontics clinic. According to the Hibbing Fire Department, firefighters arrived shortly before 6 a.m. when an automatic fire alarm was triggered. The found smoke coming from a vent near the kitchen of the Elks Club and tenants starting to to evacuate the building. Inside, crews found smoke in the Elks side of the building but the fire down to a smolder. Crews put out the remaining smoldering material and ventilated the smoke from the banquet room. By 7:10 a.m., it was deemed safe enough to allow tenants back in. Hibbing Fire Marshal Bryan Fagerstrom determined the case was accidental — a steam table had been left on which overheated and ignited the wood buffet table. He stressed the importance of having a properly maintained sprinkler system. “The sprinkler system in this fire was serviced and maintained per code and did exactly as it should by containing the fire and keeping it from spreading,” he said in the release.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Vallejo, CA – Sprinklers help limit damage in early morning restaurant fire April 28, 2015 viking210 Vallejo’s Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill will be closed for a week or more after suffering damage from a fire early Sunday that was still under investigation Monday, Vallejo Fire Department officials said. Firefighters responded to a reported structure fire at the Plaza Drive restaurant at about 5:22 a.m. Sunday and arrived to find the sprinkler system activated, Fire Prevention Manager Vince Sproete said. “The sprinklers kept the fire contained until crews arrived” and extinguished the small blaze that remained, he said. Fire damage was minimal and water damage, moderate, he said. All the surrounding establishments — Kaiperm Federal Credit Union, GameStop and Cold Stone Creamery — remain open for business, Sproete said. The fire’s cause is officially undetermined at this time, and Fire Department officials are working with the Vallejo Police Department on the ongoing investigation, he said.
Office Building, Other - Hospital/Medical Elgin, IL – Sprinklers douse fire at medical building; Cause may have been lightning strike April 12, 2015 viking210 Lightning may have started a small fire Friday in a northwest suburban medical office building, where an internal sprinkler system doused the flames before firefighters arrived. Elgin firefighters were called just before 7 a.m. Friday to the medical building at 1015 Summit St. after an employee arriving for work called to report a fire alarm going off, according to a statement from the Elgin Fire Department. Firefighters heard a strobe horn going off, and saw water flowing out from an exterior door, but saw no smoke or flames. When the door was forced open, firefighters found that a fire had started in the telecommunications equipment and activated the sprinkler above. Investigators determined the cause of the blaze was “either an electrical issue or a lightning strike,” which caused the telecommunications equipment to catch fire until it grew strong enough to set off the sprinkler. The alarm signal directly into the fire department did not activate because it is the telecommunications equipment that activates it, according to the department, which recommended a wireless system be installed. Fire and smoke damage to the building and contents was minimal, but the “building was determined to be unsafe due to an inoperative alarm, inactive sprinkler system, and unknown electrical conditions’ and consequently red-tagged,” the department said. City Code Enforcement inspectors were notified. No injuries were reported.
Other - Residential, Residential Oakley, CA – Early morning fire in multi-family structure controlled by home fire sprinkler system April 7, 2015 viking210 The fire was called in about 6:02 a.m. at a multifamily residential structure in the 2000 block of Rubens Way. The household sprinkler system largely brought the fire under control, but the downstairs room received major water damage and moderate smoke damage. No dollar estimate for the damage was available. In a news release, the fire district said the probable cause of the fire was a discarded cigarette. No one was injured in the blaze.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Lincoln, NE – Fire at Holiday Inn Express held in check by sprinkler system April 7, 2015 viking210 Fire crews responded to a fire at the Holiday Inn Express near 12th and W. Commerce Way just before 4 a.m. Firefighters say the fire started in a room on the second floor. The fire was contained to that room thanks to hotel sprinklers. “We did have some concerns initially because of the concentration of smoke that was reported to us that we may have something larger then it turned out to be but thankfully because of the sprinkler system in this structure it did assist us in holding the fire in check,” says Battalion Chief Leo Benes. “Folks are concerned about getting to their plane flights out of this city so we’re trying to assist them to get their personal belongings and getting their business done here at the hotel.” Heavy smoke was reported throughout the building which had to be evacuated. The occupant of the room was taken to the hospital but the extent of their injuries is unknown.
