Tag Archives: Florida

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockledge, FL – No injuries as sprinkler system helps stop apartment fire

An automatic fire sprinkler’s fast action water damaged a Rockledge apartment after fire broke out in the kitchen on Tuesday, according to Brevard County Fire Rescue.

The incident occurred at the Polo Glen apartment complex at 3603 Middleburg Lane, they say. Firefighters used a vacuum to absorb some of the water.

There were no injuries to the single resident of the apartment.

Nursing Home/Senior Living

Boca Raton, FL – Cafeteria kitchen fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

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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.

Apartment Building, Residential

Estero, FL – Fire caused by man burning love letters is controlled with help from sprinkler system

The Florida Everblades hockey player facing arson charges was burning love letters from a girlfriend last month when the blaze got out of control, according to an arrest report that reveals new details in the Dec. 30 arrest of Justin Agosta.

The 25-year-old told firefighters who responded to his apartment along the 11200 block of Everblades Parkway in Estero that he was upset with his girlfriend when he bought gasoline at a nearby gas station to douse the letters. Agosta said he tried to put the fire out with water and a towel when it got out of control near the entrance of his apartment and caused damage to the front of his building and walls where soot collected. The fire sprinkler went off and Agosta dialed 911 to alert firefighters.

Agosta was arrested and taken to the Lee County jail about 1 p.m. that Wednesday. Agosta’s next court appearance is Feb. 1. He has not missed a game playing for the team since his arrest.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Panama City, FL – Sprinklers help contain fire at Best Buy

A fire at Best Buy on 23rd street in Panama City Monday night has damaged the interior of the store.

The first call came in around 10:20 pm about smoke coming out of the building. When Panama City fire crews arrived on scene they saw a “good amount” of smoke and went into attack mode.

After getting inside, crews were able to put out the fire just after 10:45pm.

As of the time of this writing, 11PM, no cause of the fire had been determined, but smoke continues to pour from the building.

An investigator with PCFD is in route. It’s also unknown if the smoke from the blaze has damaged any adjacent businesses.

Investigators with the Panama City Fire Department and State Fire Marshall’s Office say the fire began due to a possible electrical short from a printer and has been ruled accidental.

Two properly working sprinkler heads are being credited with helping contain the fire to a small area. According to PCFD, none of the business next to Best Buy sustained any fire damage.

Residential, Single Family Home

Pensacola, FL – Sprinkler system activates to help control house fire; No injuries

No one was injured, but a family was displaced by a house fire Sunday afternoon, an Escambia County news release said. At 4:10 p.m., Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a residential fire in the 1600 block of Governors Drive near East Johnson Avenue.

When firefighters arrived, they found light smoke showing from the entry way of the home. The fire was brought under control at 4:26 p.m., and the residents of the home were displaced because of water damage from the sprinkler system.

Escambia County Fire Rescue reminds citizens to never leave cooking food unattended and to keep cooking areas clean and free of grease and other combustibles (potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging), which can catch fire easily.

The blaze Sunday resulted in the eighth green light being replaced for the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign. The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with City of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 23 different county fire stations.

Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.

Apartment Building, Residential

Oviedo, FL – Overnight fire in three-story apartment building stopped by sprinkler system

Firefighters said a burning candle started a fire Tuesday morning at an apartment building in the Oviedo area of unincorporated Seminole County.  The Seminole County Fire Department said the fire broke out around 2:09 a.m. in a first floor unit of the three-story building.

When firefighters arrived, an audible alarm was going off, and residents had evacuated their apartments safely.  Once inside, firefighters determined the sprinkler system stopped the fire.  The American Red Cross is providing assistance to one occupant.

Apartment Building, Residential

Miami, FL – Sprinklers help stop fire on 10th floor of off-campus apartment building

Hundreds of Florida International University students were evacuated from an apartment building near campus early Thursday morning after a fire broke out while someone was cooking.

Witnesses told Local 10 News that a grease fire sparked the flames on the 10th floor of 109 Tower along Southwest 109th Avenue at Seventh Street after midnight. Much of the floor was damaged by fire and other parts of the building suffered water damage from the sprinkler system.

No one was injured, but many residents stayed up all night searching for a place to sleep.

“That’s what I’m doing right now,” one student told Local 10 News. “I’m about to go hike to go sleep on a couch.”

Jaime Zapata, who lives in the off-campus housing, told Local 10 News that students were told to pack their bags and plan to be out of the building for two days. Many of them left the building without identification and were worried because they have finals to study for and take.

“They’ve had us out here since about 2 or 3 in the morning, telling us that we can’t go back inside because it’s not safe,” student Analee Wharton said.

Susan Jennings, vice president of EdR Collegiate Housing, which owns the apartment building, said the majority of students have been allowed to return to their rooms. She said the students who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred and near the apartment have been put up in a hotel by the company.

According to Jennings, the sprinkler system was activated for about 20 minutes after the fire broke out.

FIU authorities said 109 Tower resumed normal operations Tuesday night.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Palm Beach, FL – Fire at Bath & Tennis Club quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

Traffic was rerouted this evening around the Bath & Tennis Club in the 1100 block of South Ocean Boulevard due to a small fire from a garbage can in the paint shop that was extinguished quickly, said Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Sean Baker. The road was open again by 7:15.

“Some paper products caught fire and the sprinkler system held the fire in check,” Baker said. “It was out pretty quickly.” Baker said there was no smoke damage, only water damage

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

St. Pete Beach, FL – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at TradeWinds resort hotel

A freak fire set off the sprinkler system at the TradeWinds Resort on Friday night, drenching hotel rooms in the Jacaranda Building, fire officials said. The fire was inside a microwave. A guest put a towel in the microwave to warm it up and instead it caught fire, emitting smoke that set off the fire alarm and activated the sprinkler system. No one was injured.

Blog Note – Only the substantial heat from a significant, advancing fire will activate a sprinkler system (not smoke)

The sprinkler system flooded rooms from the first to fifth floor, forcing those guests to evacuate. A private cleaning crew was being brought in to soak up the water to make the building habitable once again. The hotel was in the process of arranging accommodations at other hotels for the displaced guests.

Fire companies from St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, South Pasadena and St. Petersburg responded to the alarm.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Fire in elevator room at off-campus apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire in an elevator’s engine room at The Bartram apartments on Southwest Archer Road was extinguished by a fire sprinkler Wednesday night. GFR units were dispatched to Bartram at 10:48 p.m. Wednesday due to an active fire alarm, a Gainesville Fire Rescue news release said. When they arrived, the crews found smoke in an elevator shaft and the call was upgraded at that point to a building fire.

It turned out that there was a fire in the engine room beside the elevator, so a sprinkler was activated and the flames were extinguished quickly, the news release said. The fire was contained in the engine room and there were no injuries reported. GFR emphasized in its release that having a working sprinkler system usually can contain or extinguish a fire until Fire Rescue personnel arrive.