Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Residential, Single Family Home

Wilmington, NC – Habitat for Humanity home protected from extensive fire damage by residential sprinkler system

Wilmington Fire Department units responded to a house fire Saturday evening at 1406 Corbett Street.

According to Wilmington Fire Department PIO David Hines, the call came in around 7 p.m. It was caused by a grease fire that had flared up out of control. The fire then activated the residential fire sprinkler system that extinguished the fire. Once units arrived on scene, the fire had already been put out by the sprinkler system.

When the firefighters arrived on scene, they shut off the water to the house to stop the flow from the activated head and performed ventilation procedures to remove smoke from the resident.

The home where this fire occurred was a home that was built by Habitat for Humanity in 2011. Due to the residential sprinkler system in the home, fire and smoke damage was minimal, estimated at $350.00. The damages were contained to the area immediately surrounding the flare-up.

Hines said there were no injuries reported and the occupants of the home were not displaced. He said even with the occupants at home, these types of fires without sprinkler systems, normally result in much more damage and/or injuries.

Office Building, Other Business

Norfolk, VA – Fire at downtown high rise office building doused by sprinkler system

A floor buffer caused a cleaning solvent to catch fire Wednesday in the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Norfolk. Crews were called to the building, located at E. Charlotte Street and Monticello Avenue, for a fire alarm at 7:14 p.m. The call was later upgraded to a fire.  Fire officials say the fire was sparked as crews cleaned the building, when a buffer ignited a cleaning solvent. That activated the building’s sprinkler system. By the time firefighters got to the scene, there was no active fire.  The sprinkler system caused some water to collect in the building’s basement and in the elevator shaft.  Cleanup efforts are now underway.  The operator of the floor buffer was taken to a local hospital with some burns to his hands.  He’s expected to be OK.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Keystone, CO – Single sprinkler head keeps condo fire from spreading

An apparent accidental fire Saturday evening caused significant damage in the Mill Creek condominiums in Keystone, but a sprinkler head kept it from spreading, and no one was injured.

Some 15 firefighters from Lake Dillon Fire responded to an alarm triggered by the sprinkler system about 7:15 p.m., and they were assisted by a crew from Red, White & Blue Fire of Breckenridge in extinguishing the fire. They were supported by two volunteers from the Lake Dillon Fire Corps.

The fire caused significant damage to two units and left two others with smoke and water damage. Keystone Resorts found alternative lodging for the people staying at the six-unit building at 56 River Run Road.

The fire apparently broke out in the concealed space between the third and fourth floors, and the initial focus of the investigation is on electrical wiring.

“Fortunately, everything worked as it should: A single sprinkler head kept the fire from spreading, and the alarm alerted the occupants. And, most importantly, the occupants heeded the alarm and evacuated the building immediately,” said Lake Dillon Fire Chief Jeff Berino.

A preliminary estimate of the total damage is between $400,000 and $500,000.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Spring Hill, TN – Fire in air handler unit at GM plant contained by sprinkler system; 2nd sprinkler save at plant this year

The Columbia Fire Department was dispatched to the Spring Hill’s General Motors plant Thursday after an air handler unit caught fire within the facility. Columbia Fire Department’s Engine 5 and Truck 3 were dispatched to the scene at 8:29 p.m. along with Engine 1, Truck 1 and Rescue Vehicles 1 and 3, according to an incident report from the department.  A total of 17 personnel responded to the fire which occurred inside the facility’s Body Systems Building.

When the firefighters arrived, the Engine 5 crew lead by Capt. Monty Band entered the structure and climbed to the second floor mezzanine to the burning unit as the team from Tuck 3 used the vehicle’s extension ladder to check the facility’s roof. Interim Fire Chief Ty Cobb said all employees had been evacuated from the building before the firefighters arrived.  “There was a lot of smoke,” Station No. 5 Chief Tony Scott said. “We could see the smoke from the highway as we approached the building.”  Scott said the building’s sprinkler system activated and was able to successfully contain the flames before the firefighter’s extinguished it.

An estimated total has not yet been released by the department, but the firefighters reported there was minimal damage to the facility. “The guys that responded did a great job,” Scott said, crediting what he called a quick well choreographed response to on ongoing relationship between the Columbia Fire Department and the plant’s emergency personnel.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Tyler, TX – Sprinkler system helped contain fire in high school science room

The Tyler Fire Department brought a fire in a science room at John Tyler High School under control about 6 p.m. Wednesday, District Chief Cordell Parker said.

The fire department received a general fire alarm about 5:30 p.m. The first fire unit on the scene reported smoke, prompting a regular fire alarm and additional units from the fire department responded, including three fire engines and a ladder truck.

The sprinkler system was activated and helped contain the fire in the science room, Parker said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Keene, NH – Sprinkler system helps stop fire at multi-family building

A second-alarm fire broke out at a multi-family building just northeast of downtown Keene Tuesday night.

The first call for assistance came at 6:32 p.m. to battle a fire at the Beaver Brook Apartments at 543 Washington St., which is near the intersection of Cottage Street.

The two-story structure has 24 apartments.

Keene fire officials reported that the blaze in a second-story apartment took about 40 minutes to bring under control. Fire was limited to that one unit and there was smoke damage affecting about 25 percent of the building.

The state chapter of American Red Cross reported that it was assisting one family with shelter after the blaze.

The one occupant of the apartment was offered, but refused, medical transport for treatment, fire officials said.

The building’s sprinkler assisted with controlling the blaze.

At the height of the fire, there were eight public safety trucks on scene, according to the Southwestern New Hampshire Mutual Assistance Program.

By 7:30 p.m., firefighters were bringing tenants back into the building to retrieve their belongings and their pets. First responders assisted to prevent the lower apartments from getting water damage.

The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call the Keene Fire Department at 603-757-1863.

Brattleboro, Vt., and Swanzey Fire assisted at the scene. Crews from the Marlborough, Spofford, Chesterfield, Peterborough and Walpole fire departments provided coverage to the two Keene Fire Stations.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Bowling Green, KY – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire, prevents it from spreading in downtown building

At about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the Bowling Green Fire Department responded to a structure fire with visible flames on the third floor at 423 Park Row, the building adjacent to the Brewing Co.  Three fire trucks responded to the call and immediately started preparing a ladder truck to allow firefighters access to the roof. Once they gained access, they found a small fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“On a large building we will try to determine exactly where it is before we start committing resources to the wrong area,” BGFD Chief Jason Colson said. “We’ve shut down the sprinkler system and stopped water from flowing in the building.”  Firefighters also went into the surrounding buildings to verify that there weren’t any other issues or possible fires. Colson said no further fire resources were needed and both buildings were unoccupied.  The cause of the fire was undetermined as of 8:30 p.m. Fire investigators were called to the scene. BGFD was attempting Thursday night to make contact with the building owner.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Cloud, MN – Apartment kitchen fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A kitchen fire Sunday displaced residents of an apartment in Germain Towers in downtown St. Cloud.  The St. Cloud Fire Department was called to the apartments at 905 St. Germain St. shortly before 8:30 p.m. The occupant was cooking and a grease fire started on the stove, acting Battalion Chief Mitch Peterson reported. A nearby sprinkler was activated and put out the fire. No one was injured.

The occupants of the affected unit were displaced, but all other residents were allowed to return to their apartments. Water damage from the sprinklers extended through the first, second and third floors, Peterson reported. The damage is estimated at $25,000.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Chicago, IL – Fire at Ogilvie Transportation Center quickly doused by sprinkler system

A small fire at the Ogilvie Transportation Center was quickly doused by a sprinkler, according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesman.

The fire at the building at 500 W. Madison St. a little before 9 p.m. was put out by sprinklers, and while there was some smoke in the building, fire officials quickly declared the fire under control, the spokesman said. No one was injured, he said.

Fire crews opened doors and used fans to air out the building.

Metra train operations weren’t being disrupted because riders were able to enter and leave the train platform from exits other than the main one on Madison, said Tom Miller, a Metra spokesman. Some CTA buses were rerouted in the area because of the large Fire Department response for the high-rise.

A few dozen people huddled near the Madison entrance until fire officials cleared the building.

Corey Tate, 28, a Forest Park resident, said he was working with at least five other people on the 32nd floor when the fire alarm went off.

“We decided it’s probably not safe to stay up on the 32nd floor so we took the stairwell all the way down,” Tate said. “It made my heart beat so fast. I didn’t know what the heck was going on.”

A traffic reporter who works at the building, also known as the Citigroup Center, said in a tweet that his office was being evacuated because of the fire, after it was declared out.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Elkin, NC – Hospital fire caused by portable fan contained by fire suppression system

Many times when firefighters respond to fire alarm calls, they turn out to be false alarms, but that wasn’t the case Monday night as Elkin fire officials arrived on the scene of such a call at Hugh
Chatham Memorial Hospital. One needs no further evidence in recognizing the effectiveness of fire protection systems than what
Elkin firefighters found upon responding to the fire alarm activation at the hospital Monday.  Responders and hospital employees learned that the fixed extinguishing system in the hospital’s server room had extinguished a fire caused by the failure of a portable electric fan.

The Elkin Fire Department was dispatched to the hospital at about 6:02 p.m., with the first fire engine arriving seven minutes thereafter. Firefighters and hospital staff quickly realized the fire alarm was not a false report, and upon investigating found the remnants of the now-melted fan in the otherwise
unaffected facility.

“The hospital can be thankful that their fire alarm and suppression systems worked exactly as intended, prohibiting further damage and ensuring the safety of both staff and occupants,” noted Elkin
Fire Chief Mike Morton. Fire and building codes require that these systems are designed to meet the specific needs of the building and its contents, and periodic maintenance and inspection of these important safety systems also is required to keep them ready in case the worst should occur, according to fire officials.

Morton also pointed out the dangers of specialized fire extinguishing systems are often significant as well. “Rooms like the one where this fire occurred are protected not with typical sprinkler systems that utilize water, but rather with extinguishing agents that displace the oxygen inside the room, smothering the fire,” the fire chief explained. It was thus important for firefighters and hospital staff to work together in returning a sufficient supply of oxygen to the affected area so it would be safe to occupy once more. Firefighters from Arlington Fire and Rescue also assisted in response to the incident as part of the mutual aid agreement between the two organizations.