Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Severna Park, MD – Fire at assisted living center suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported September 14, 2016 viking210 Nearly 60 residents have been displaced from a Severna Park senior living complex after a two-alarm fire broke out late Monday afternoon, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said. Firefighters were called to the Kris-Leigh assisted living facility in the 800 block of Ritchie Highway around 4:45 p.m., Lt. Erik Kornmeyer said. When they arrived, crews found the four-story building full of smoke. A small fire was found in a common area of the building. It had been mostly extinguished by the sprinkler system, and the fire was contained within minutes, Kornmeyer said. No injuries were reported. Sixty-eight firefighters from the county, Annapolis and the Naval Academy helped with evacuation and smoke removal, Kornmeyer said. The facility is expected to be closed for several days, Kornmeyer said. Kris-Leigh staff was working with the families of the complex’s 56 residents to make arrangements for Monday evening and plans to transfer residents whose families cannot assist with arrangements to Kris-Leigh’s locations in Davidsonville and Gambrills, Kornmeyer said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Ocean City, MD – Restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Business reopens same day September 5, 2016 viking210 A mid-morning fire was quickly extinguished thanks to fire sprinklers and a kitchen extinguishing system yesterday. Just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29, the Ocean City Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at The Crab Bag Restaurant located on 130th Street. Firefighters arrived and found the two story restaurant evacuated and the fire alarm system ringing. Upon entry into the building, firefighters discovered one single fire sprinkler actively flowing water near the propane oven. In the kitchen area and upstairs, crews found light smoke conditions and evidence of a fire that had been extinguished by the kitchen extinguishing hood and the fire sprinkler system. “There is no doubt in my mind that fire protection systems saved lives and property at The Crab Bag,” said Fire Marshal David W. Hartley. “This is one example why the Office of The Fire Marshal maintains our Fire Protection Quality Assurance Program, to ensure all fire protection systems work as intended during an emergency.” Because of the quick response of the fire sprinklers, employees of The Crab Bag, firefighters, and fire protection contractors, The Crab Bag was able to open for business the same day with an adjusted menu and is expected to be open for a full menu tomorrow. The on-scene investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office revealed that the fire started as the result of a propane line being damaged with an ignition source in the area. The fire is classified as accidental.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential North East, MD – Kitchen fire at senior apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system; State troopers rescue elderly residents August 22, 2016 viking210 Six Maryland state troopers helped rescue several people from a fire at a senior apartment complex. State police said troopers were called around 11 p.m. Thursday to help North East police and fire crews at a fire at the Victoria Park Apartments in the 500 block of South Main Street. State police said the troopers entered the burning building without protective gear or breathing apparatus. The troopers carried five residents to safety before returning to the building to search for others. There were no deaths and only minor injuries were reported. According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire started in a kitchen and was extinguished by the sprinkler system. The fire caused about $10,000 in damage to the structure and the contents.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Salisbury, MD – Residential fire caused by lightning strike extinguished with help from sprinkler system July 28, 2016 viking210 The Office of the State Fire Marshal says they responded to reports of a home fire in Salisbury, Tuesday morning. Around 9 AM, the owner of the home, located on Stream Valley Court, noticed fire damage, called it in, and the Salisbury Fire Department became the first responders. The fire reportedly happened earlier in the morning, while the home was unoccupied, at which time the sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the fire. The damage was not discovered by the homeowner until they apparently returned to the home around 8:30 AM on Tuesday. According to the report, it took 15 firefighters about five minutes to control the flames, which originated from the basement wall/ceiling assembly. Officials say that the preliminary cause is thought to be accidental, with the fire resulting from a lightning strike.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Salisbury, MD – Sprinklers contain overnight fire at LaQuinta Inn & Suites; No injuries reported July 14, 2016 viking210 An early Thursday morning fire at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Salisbury forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, authorities said. According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire broke out at around 1 a.m. in the kitchen storage area of the hotel, located at 300 S. Salisbury Blvd. An automatic fire alarm went off and a fire sprinkler activated, according to investigators. It took 20 firefighters from the Salisbury Fire Department approximately half an hour to get the blaze under control. However, authorities said the sprinkler activation contained the fire to the area of origin. There were no reported injuries. The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to the structure and another $500 in damage to its contents. Authorities ruled the fire accidental and said it was caused by the spontaneous combustion of dish towels. The hotel was at full capacity at the time of the fire with several hundred occupants, according to Salisbury Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Records. Records also mentioned that many of the people at the hotel were there because of the USSSA softball tournament happening in Salisbury this week. Just about everyone evacuated the hotel on their own without any incidents, but Records said firefighters doing a sweep from room to room had to escort a handful of people, and a few dogs, out of the hotel. Everyone was let back inside the hotel by around 2:30 a.m. Records added that the hotel would not be serving its usual continental breakfast Thursday morning as the kitchen would remain closed until the Health Department could come to expect it.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Laurel, MD – Sprinklers put out fire at assisted living home; residents evacuated safely May 4, 2016 viking210 Fire broke out Monday in the kitchen of an assisted living facility inside a residential home in Laurel, Md. The Prince George’s Co. fire department said four elderly or disabled people were able to escape unharmed, in part, because the home had a sprinkler system that put out the flames before first responders arrived. Residents could be displaced for weeks. News 4’s Meagan Fitzgerald reports.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Belcamp, MD – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing fire at McDonald’s restaurant March 30, 2016 viking210 A malfunctioning fryer operating system caused a fire in a McDonald’s restaurant in the Belcamp-Riverside area on Sunday afternoon, forcing the restaurant’s temporary closure, fire investigators said. The fire was reported at 4:55 p.m. by employees of McDonald’s No. 12138 in the 1300 block of Riverside Parkway, according to a notice of investigation from the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company responded and brought the fire under control in about 10 minutes, according to the Fire Marshal’s Office. Also responding were units from Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, Aberdeen Fire Department and Aberdeen Proving Ground, according to the Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association. “Crews encountered heavy fire on the interior attack,” the association posted on its Facebook page. After containing the fire to the interior of the building, crews continued to check for extension of the fire into walls and ceiling to extinguish hotspots, according to the post. No injuries were reported, and the restaurant’s smoke alarms and sprinkler system functioned as intended, according to the notice of investigation. Damage is estimated at $5,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents, investigators said. The Harford County Health Department is assisting with reopening procedures, the Fire Marshal’s Office said.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Columbia, MD – Dryer fire in high school locker room contained by sprinkler system March 16, 2016 viking210 Emergency crews responded to a Howard County school Tuesday morning after a fire broke out in a dryer in the locker room. According to Howard County Fire and EMS, they were told there was fire in the locker room at Oakland Mills High School around 7:30 a.m. The fire originated in the dryer and stayed confined to it after the sprinkler system was activated. Crews put out the fire by 8 a.m. Unites are currently ventilating the structure, restoring systems and making sure the school is safe for students to return. No injuries were reported and the fire is under investigation.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Annapolis, MD – No injuries in fire at Extended Stay America hotel controlled by sprinkler system March 15, 2016 viking210 A fire in an Annapolis hotel room last Tuesday resulted in damage to nearly a dozen rooms, a county fire department spokesman said. Firefighters were dispatched at 6:50 p.m. to the Extended Stay America hotel in the 100 block of Admiral Cochrane Drive. The hotel’s sprinkler system primarily controlled the fire, a fire spokesman said. It took about 13 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Nine rooms in the hotel sustained smoke and water damage. Nobody was injured, the spokesman said. The fire caused an estimated $2,500 worth of damage, said county fire department spokesman Capt. Russ Davies. The fire was ruled accidental.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Abingdon, MD – Sprinkler contains townhouse fire to room of origin March 14, 2016 viking210 A smoke alarm and sprinkler system helped contain fire in Abingdon last Monday morning, authorities said. An extension cord accidentally sparked a fire Monday morning in Abingdon that displaced four people, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. A smoke alarm and sprinkler system helped minimize the damage and allow the man who found the fire to escape safely, authorities said. Two adults and two children lived in the middle-of-the-group townhouse in the 500 block of June Apple Court, the fire marshal reported; all have been displaced. Home alone Monday morning, the boyfriend of one tenant awoke to the sound of the smoke alarm going off and discovered that there was a fire in the second-floor bedroom at 9:56 a.m., officials said. A sprinkler contained the blaze to that room, according to the fire marshal. Approximately 20 firefighters responded and brought the fire under control within 10 minutes, officials reported.
