Tag Archives: Maryland

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinkler holds fire at bay at apartment complex (Annapolis, MD)

A sprinkler contained a fire inside an apartment complex laundry room preventing anyone from being injured or displaced Monday night, a city fire department spokeswoman said. Firefighters responded to the Admiral Oaks apartment complex shortly after 9 p.m. for reports of smoke coming from a laundry room, fire department spokeswoman Capt. Janet Kiefler said. The sprinkler contained the fire until firefighters could arrive and quickly extinguish it, Kiefler said. The fire was determined to be caused by a malfunctioning dryer.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Sprinkler system allows family time to evacuate safety from their townhouse (Perryville, MD)

Investigators are crediting a sprinkler system with taming the flames before they spread throughout the residence, leaving responding firefighters with little to do but vent theplace and perform a safety check, fire officials reported.  The occupants at that time — a mother and her two children — were able to safely escape the townhouse after discovering thefire.  The fire detective also reported,“Damages were minimal and the family was able to remain inside their home for the night.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Another apartment fire controlled by automatic sprinkler system (Hagerstown, MD)

An apartment building was evacuated Thursday night after a small fire broke out inside one of the units, according to city fire official at the scene.  Damage was minimal, and it appeared that mostly clothes were destroyed before the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the blaze.  “The sprinkler system did the job it is supposed to do tonight and this is a good reason for people to ensure that they are installed,” said Hagerstown Fire Department Captain Adam Hopkins.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fire sprinklers and working smoke alarms save child playing with matches (Salisbury, MD)

Fire crews were called to a two-story five unit apartment building just before 8:30 a.m. for a report of a fire. When firefighters arrived they found the fire was already extinguished in the four-year-old child’s bedroom. Fire Marshals investigating the scene concluded that the child had been playing with matches and set a bed on fire. Working smoke alarms alerted the parents to the blaze and they were able to escape with the child and warn neighbors. A sprinkler in the child’s bedroom put out the fire.

“This is yet another example of the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinklers in residential occupancies. The presence of not only sprinklers but working smoke alarms and a home escape plan undoubtedly prevented a more tragic outcome” stated William E. Barnard, Maryland State Fire Marshal.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinkler system contains apartment fire (Perryville, MD)

The quick containment of a Monday morning laundry room fire in a Perryville apartment building is evidence that sprinkler systems save lives, according to the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal. The cause of the 5:30 a.m. fire is still under investigation, although it is not considered suspicious, said Deputy Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire. Firefighters evacuated residents from the eight apartments in the building, including one elderly woman who was confined to her bed.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

UPS facility saved by fire sprinkler system (Violetville, MD)

The Baltimore County Fire Department said that the call came in at about 9:45 a.m. reporting that a conveyer belt had caught fire. Batallion Chief Joe Brown said the fire was difficult to locate due to the smoke, size of the building and number/layers of conveyer belts. “Thankfully, the sprinkler system activated, suppressing the fire to the point that we could get in there,” he said.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Kitchen fire extinguished thanks to fire sprinkler (Charles County, MD)

A fire that erupted overnight in a townhouse kitchen was quickly doused by the home’s fire sprinkler system. Maryland State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard said, “This is yet another example of the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinklers in residential occupancies. Residential fire sprinklers save lives and property. The presence of fire sprinklers undoubtedly prevented a more tragic outcome.”