Tag Archives: Iowa

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

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.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

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.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

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.

Other - Retail, Retail

Coralville, IA – Sprinkler system activated for overnight fire at business

An overnight fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to a Coralville business.

According to a news release, the Coralville Fire Department was called to Theisen’s, 100 Westcor Dr., around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday. The fire department credits the store’s sprinkler system for suppressing the fire before crews arrived.

The business sustained a small amount of fire damage, as well as light smoke and water damage.

Firefighters remained on scene until 6 a.m. to help with water removal so the business could open on time, the fire department said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is believed to be accidental.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sergeant Bluff, IA – Sprinkler system activated for dumpster fire next to senior living center; No injuries reported

No one was injured when a dumpster caught fire at a senior living center Monday afternoon.

Fire officials said a dumpster caught fire at Floyd Place Senior Living in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

A neighbor made the 9-1-1 call and pulled the dumpster away from the building.

Before fire crews could arrive, officials said police put the dumpster fire out.

However, the fire damaged part of the building’s siding.

“We had the sprinkler system going off helping extinguish the fire, we did a secondary search making sure everyone was out of the building. They’ll have the fire sprinkler company coming up to reset their fire sprinklers. It was a great case they maintained their fire protection systems well. And the fire sprinkler system saved their building,” said fire chief Anthony Gaul.

As a precuation, resident were evacuated. They were allowed back inside after fire crews checked out the damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Des Moines, IA – Laundromat dryer fire stopped by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Des Moines fire crews are investigating the cause of a fire at a laundromat Tuesday morning.

It happened at the Coin Laundry in the 2300 block of East University Avenue at about 9 a.m.

Fire crews told KCCI the sprinkler system did its job in suppressing the fire. They believe it may have started in a dryer vent.

There were no injuries reported in the fire. Traffic in one westbound lane of East University Avenue was closed so crews could work at the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burlington, IA – Accidental apartment cooking fire put out by fire sprinklers

The Burlington Fire Department says residents in a nine-story apartment building were evacuated due to a fire on Monday night.

According to a news release, the department responded at approximately 9:08 p.m. to the Burlington Apartments, located at 206 North 3rd Street in Burlington, for an automated sprinkler water flow alarm.

Shortly after receiving the alarm, the fire department says dispatchers with DESCOM started receiving 911 calls of a fire on the fourth floor of the nine-story apartment building.

Firefighters arrived at 9:11 p.m. and found fire alarms activating and the building being evacuated. When firefighters got to the fourth floor, they located one activated sprinkler head in one of the apartment unit kitchens.

An investigation revealed there had been an accidental cooking fire. It was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire department says the overall fire damage was minimal. Firefighters focused on shutting down the sprinkler system and controlling water damage.

The apartment building is owned by Historic Burlington, LLC and is insured. There were five apartments affected with six residents displaced.

The West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, Alliant Energy and American Red Cross assisted at the scene.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bettendorf, IA – Nursing home fire extinguished by fire sprinkler system

A room in the west wing of Bettendorf Health Care Center caught fire Saturday morning, leaving 11 residents relocated to new rooms and one sent the hospital.

At just after 9:30 a.m. on October 10, Bettendorf Fire Rescue was dispatched to the nursing home on Crow Creek Road in response to a structure fire. 

The fire had broken out in one room in the building’s west wing, and was easily extinguished by the sprinkler system while firefighters at the scene got residents out of the building. The fire was reportedly strong enough to trip both of the room’s sprinkler heads.

Eleven residents of the west wing have been relocated to different rooms, while one occupant was sent to the hospital for evaluation. The building’s west wing is closed for repairs due to significant water and smoke damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Johnston, IA – Sprinkler system contain apartment garage fire after fireworks discarded improperly; No injuries reported

The Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire Department has now determined the cause of an apartment fire last Sunday to be improperly discarded fireworks.

Just after 3:00 a.m. on July 5, JGMFD units responded to a fire alarm call at the Providence Point Apartments in Johnston.  The fire, which was contained by two sprinkler heads, was coming from the dumpster in one of the attached garages.

The crews took the dumpster out of the garage and finished putting out the fire from there.

Upon further investigation, they found the fire had been caused by fireworks that were thrown away in the dumpster.  No residents were displaced or hurt in the event of the fire.

Parking Garage

Iowa City, IA – Parking garage car fire contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No one is hurt after a Sunday morning fire in a University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics parking ramp.

The Iowa City Fire Department found a car on fire around 6:05 a.m. in one of the underground levels of parking ramp two.

Firefighters said the sprinkler system contained the fire and fire personnel fully extinguished it.

The fire did not damage any other cars or property.

The Iowa City Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating a cause.