Tag Archives: Iowa

Waterloo, IA – Sprinkler system keeps fire in check at distribution facility

Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a Waterloo warehouse company on Wednesday evening.

The blaze at Standard Distribution’s facility at 2251 Westfield Ave. broke out shortly before 5 p.m. when an outlet used to charge forklifts apparently overheated, according to Waterloo Fire Rescue officials.

The fire started to burn into a wall. An employee noticed the fire and attempted to douse it with an extinguisher, officials said. The facility was evacuated.

The fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, which held it in check until firefighters finished it off.

Muscatine, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing facility; No injuries reported

No one was injured after firefighters were called to a nursing facility in Muscatine on Monday night, according to a news release.

The Muscatine Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) received a 911 call about 6:30 p.m. Monday for a possible electrical fire in a room at Addington Place, 3515 Diana Queen Drive, a nursing facility in Muscatine, the release says.

“All of our first responders did a great job,” Battalion Chief Ted Hillard said. “I just cannot say enough about them along with the great support we received from the Fruitland firefighters especially since we had to break off some of our crew to answer other calls.”

Upon arrival at Addington Place, fire crews found smoke in a resident’s room with smoke starting to fill up the hallway. The fire sprinkler system activated when fire crews entered the room and the fire was extinguished. The resident was checked for any injuries and the firefighters on scene ensured that the fire was completely out.

All residents were evacuated and accounted for during the fire suppression effort, a news release says.

The sprinkler system for that hallway of the facility was shut down until the sprinkler company was able to respond and make needed repairs to the system. A recovery company was on scene to mitigate water damage. The fire was contained to a heating unit and the area directly above. 

Because the sprinkler system responded exactly as designed there were no injuries and the damage was limited to the one residential unit.

The on-scene investigation is complete. A final cause has yet to be determined but it does appear to be an accidental fire, the release says. The initial fire loss estimate is $10,000. The resident in that room was moved to another room in the facility and “was not externally displaced,” the release says.

The Muscatine Police Department and Muscatine County EMA responded with the initial call. The Muscatine Fire Department was also assisted by fire crews from the Fruitland Fire Department. Approximately 20 firefighters responded to the fire. There were no injuries to any of the responders.

It was a busy evening for the fire department starting with a medical call before the response to Addington Place, the release says. Just 20 minutes after arriving at the fire scene, the Muscatine Station Two engine and firefighters were cut loose from Addington Place to a vehicle fire in the 2100 block of Hershey Avenue, according to the release.

Cedar Rapids, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at public library; No injuries reported

The Cedar Rapids Downtown Public Library is closed until further notice after a fire broke out in a light fixture above the Commons area Wednesday, according to a news release.

The sprinkler system activated and the fire was quickly extinguished. The extent of the fire damage to the building is not yet known, but books and other library materials do not appear to have been damaged by the sprinkler water, the release states.

The building was safely evacuated and no one was injured. The library will remain closed through Thursday, and possibly longer, depending on how much cleanup is necessary.

Hold times and due dates will be extended accordingly.

Marion, IA – Sprinkler system activated for paper fire at recycling facility; No injuries reported

Sprinklers at Quincy Recycling prevented a paper fire from spreading early Wednesday morning.

The Marion Fire Department responded to the business in the 6200 block of North Gateway Drive for a paper pile smoldering around 3:20 am.

When crews arrived the pile had already been extinguished by the business’s deluge sprinkler system.

The fire started near the shredder and was confined to the discharge pile.

All occupants exited the building and no one was injured.

Perry, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at manufacturing plant; No injuries reported

A fire in a back room at Percival Scientific Inc. in Perry Saturday afternoon brought a response from the Perry Volunteer Fire Department.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, which was quickly extinguished at 505 Research Dr. after it activated the plant’s sprinkler system, according to public safety radio traffic.

Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire at this hour.

Officers of the Perry Police Department also responded.

Waterloo, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Conagra plant

Waterloo Fire & rescue put out a conveyor belt fire, at the Conagra Grocery Products plant in Waterloo early Thursday morning.

Firefighters responded to the scene around 1:30 a.m., and the fire was extinguished by 1:48 a.m.

According to Fire Chief, Pat Treloar, the fire was located in the seed area of the plant, and there is considerable damage to the conveyor belt.

Treloar also said the sprinkler system worked effectively, and helped prevent the fire from escalating.

Coralville, IA – Sprinkler system activated for small kitchen fire at restaurant

At 7:00 am Wednesday morning, the Coralville Fire Department responded to a building fire at the 30 Hop at 900 E 2nd Ave.

Responders say that due to the sprinkler system activation, there was little damage and the fire was contained to a small corner of the kitchen. The cause of the fire is still under investigation but ruled to be accidental.

Crews estimate roughly $15,000 in damage.

Cedar Rapids, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded to an alarm at a restaurant at 305 2nd Avenue Southeast in downtown Cedar Rapids early Tuesday morning.

The small fire was found in the second floor kitchen at White Star Ale House, but officials said it was being held in check by the sprinkler system. No one was at the restaurant when the fire occurred.

In a release, officials said a bag of rags ignited due to animal fat from the grease and heat from being laundered earlier in the night by staff.

Officials said the building suffered minor damage.

Firefighters encouraged residents and businesses to spread out laundered clothing or towels after removing from the dryer to allow them to cool.

Ottumwa, IA – Fire at hotel quickly extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Crews continue to review and repair the sixth floor of Hotel Ottumwa after Monday night’s fire. Residents were evacuated from the building Monday evening as firefighters put out a fire in an elevator storage room and funneled smoke out of the building.

The hotel is now letting residents back in, though at time of publication the power is still off on the 4th, 5th, and 6th floors. The elevator is shut off, with the hotel’s maintenance worker saying it likely won’t be back up until Friday.

Fire Chief Tony Miller says the fire was caused by an electrical issue in an elevator storage closet. An electrical meter corroded, sparking a fire, and catching a roll-up mattress in the room on fire. It activated a sprinkler on the 6th floor, which firefighters say helped in putting out the fire quickly.

However, Chief Miller notes these types of sparks can just happen from time to time. “Hotel Ottumwa is maintained pretty good, but occasionally you have an accident. And that was what this was: nothing but an accident. Between the fire department and health department, we inspect that place on a regular basis. So if there’s anything that’s off kilter, we take care of it and make sure it’s maintained like it should be.”

The fire department is reviewing the fire damage done to the room and sixth floor of the hotel. They also had to kick in a door on the sixth floor to rescue a resident. Chief Miller says they took two people to the hospital, both with smoke immolation.

Coralville, IA – Commercial building fire contained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrived

The Coralville Fire Department responded to two fires this weekend.

One in a residential building at 1512 1st Ave that was contained to a closet and extinguished within 15 minutes of fire department arrival. The second was at a commercial building, 2000 James St, and contained by the buildings sprinkler system until the fire department arrived and extinguished it. Both fires caused under $20,000 worth of damage each, and are considered accidental. Authorities are still investigating to determine a cause.

No one was injured in ether incident.