Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Office Building, Other Business

Quincy, MA – Fire on top floor of office building held in check by sprinkler system

A blaze on the top floor of a Quincy office building kept firefighters busy early Wednesday morning. Firefighters responded to 300 Crown Colony Drive shortly before 1 a.m. to investigate a fire alarm in the building.  When they arrived, they discovered that the sprinkler system was going off on the fifth floor, Quincy Fire Deputy Chief Ed Fenby said. Additional manpower and engines were called to the building.

When they went up to investigate, dense black smoke was filling the suite belonging to MCMC LLC, a health insurance company. They forced their way into the locked office and found a power strip, computer and printer that were on fire, Fenby said.

“The sprinkler kept it in check and they put out the rest of it and checked to make sure it didn’t get into the walls,” Fenby said. No one was believed to be in the building at the time of the fire and it is not considered suspicious.  Because the windows of the building do not open, the fire department had to smash one of them in order to help ventilate the unit.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Woburn, MA – Fire in multi-tenant commercial building controlled with help from sprinkler system

The cause of a 2-alarm fire on Sunday that resulted in extensive damage to a building on Green Street in the South End remains under investigation, Woburn Fire Chief Timothy Ring said this morning. The fire broke out in an office in a multi-tenant commercial building at 3 Green St., shortly after noon yesterday, while Blessed of the Lord Church was in session. Congregants apparently notified the Woburn Fire Dept. of the fire.  There were no injuries reported. Everyone managed to exit the church without incident, according to Ring.

The two other businesses in the building are RSK Marble & Granite and Woburn Bottle & Can recycling facility. Areas of the building sustained significant damage, Ring said.

“The fire got up into the roof, so we had to peel back the roof to get at it,” said Ring. “The fire also set off the sprinkler system, so there was a lot of water damage, as well as smoke and fire damage.”

Departments from Winchester, Stoneham, Medford and Arlington provided mutual aid at the scene. The fire was brought under control within about two hours, and crews cleared the scene by 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The State Fire Marshal’s office and the Woburn Fire Cause Determination Unit are conducting the investigation. Traffic along Green Street was disrupted while crews fought the fire.

Other Business

Falmouth, MA – Dryer fire at commercial building controlled with help from sprinkler system

Fire and rescue responded with a full structure response to the report of a dryer fire at 263 Grand Ave, the British Beer Co building in Falmouth Heights Tuesday just after 11AM.  The fire was quickly controlled with the help of the sprinkler system in the Inn that shares the building. Falmouth Fire officials were investigating the fire during overhaul.  No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Chelmsford, MA – Sprinklers stop spread of fire at restaurant; Neighboring business spare damage

A fire at Zesty’s Pizza in North Chelmsford left the establishment with smoke and water damage at early Monday morning.  The Fire Department responded to 10 Vinal Square at about 4:40 after a DPW worker reported the fire at Vinal Square Plaza, according to Fire Chief Gary Ryan. The fire was knocked down about an hour later, Ryan said.  Ryan said a pharmacy and cleaning business both sustained significant water damage. The owner of the pharmacy is working with his counterparts so that his customers can get the medications they need.  “The sprinkler system activated to minimize the fire damage,” Ryan said in an email. “The fire is currently being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.”  Ryan also said the department is working with other store owners, investigators and utilities to get the other businesses in the plaza up and running again, although they were not damaged by the fire.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Holyoke, MA – Fire at wire recycling center kept in check by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at Valley Mill Wire caused minor damages, and a fire spokesman said the combination of an overhead sprinkler system and a functioning alarm system helped to limit the size and spread of the blaze.

Fire Department spokesman Capt. Anthony Cerruti said the fire at 650 Beaulieu St. was reported at 4:12 a.m. The fire department dispatch center was alerted by the business’s alarm system that had a direct tie-in to the dispatch center, he said.

When firefighters arrived and forced their way into the building, they found the sprinkler system had activated, he said.

There was what he called “a small amount of fire which was being kept in check.” Firefighters extinguished the fire with a single fire hose line, he said.

The fire caused no damage to the building, but there was some water damage, he said.

Investigators determined the fire was started by some combustable materials left too close to a heater.

No Injuries were reported.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Assonet, MA – Sprinkler systems help keep fire at distribution center from spreading

A late afternoon tractor trailer fire at the Stop & Shop Distribution Center Sunday temporarily ceased operations, but no injuries were reported, officials said. At about 3:53 p.m., the Freetown Fire Department was notified of an automatic fire alarm activation at the Stop & Shop Distribution Center at 136 South Main St. in Assonet, said Lt. Brent L’Heureux, a spokesman for the Freetown Fire Department.  Upon arrival to the scene, Freetown Fire personnel found a refrigerated trailer on fire, and the blaze extended through the loading dock and into the warehouse. The building’s sprinkler system activated and prevented the fire from spreading further, L’Heureux said in a news release.  Only a few employees were in the building at the time of the fire due to the holiday and they quickly evacuated when the fire alarm went off. The fire was under control in an hour and firefighters remained on scene for several hours to remove smoke from the warehouse, L’Heureux said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brockton, MA – Sprinkler credited with halting another fire in Brockton apartment building

In 2003, just weeks before Christmas, a fire at an apartment building on Falmouth Avenue in Brockton displaced all 20 people living inside.

Three months later, in March 2004, more than 40 firefighters returned to the same building, at 33 Falmouth Ave., for a 3-alarm blaze that saw flames shooting 15 feet above the roof. No one was in the building at the time but the property was badly damaged.

The building was eventually rehabilitated, and on Wednesday a fire started in a clothing bin inside an apartment of the 16-unit property.

One major addition during the rehabilitation of the building, a sprinkler system, is what firefighters said prevented what could have been a similar scenario to what happened in 2004.

When firefighters arrived they doused the flames and cleared the building of smoke.

A neighbor in the apartment next-door, who is wheelchair-bound, was brought outside by firefighters and he was taken to the hospital to be evaluated as a precaution, Nardelli said.

There were no injuries and no residents were displaced, Nardelli said.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by Brockton police and fire investigators and according to the police log, a complaint has been filed against someone. The details of the charges and the identity of the person was not immediately available Thursday afternoon.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hopkinton, MA – Suspicious fire in school faculty bathroom extinguished by sprinkler system

State and local authorities are investigating a suspicious bathroom fire at Hopkins School on Monday that forced the school’s evacuation. The fire, located in a second floor faculty bathroom, was extinguished by the school’s sprinkler system, Deputy Fire Chief Bill Miller said on Tuesday.

The Hayden Rowe Street school was evacuated after the sprinkler system activated the fire alarm at 9:09 a.m. Miller said the fire caused minor damage, but there was water damage in the bathroom.

“They discovered a suspicious fire in the second floor bathroom,” Miller said. Miller would not discuss details of the fire, citing the open investigation. According to the Hopkinton Police log, an arson investigator from the state’s Fire Marshal’s Office came to the scene to help investigate.

Miller said school resumed about an hour after the fire and no one was injured. “The school did a phenomenal job of evacuating the students and following all plans and procedures,” Miller said.  Police spokesman Lt. Joseph Bennett said police are continuing to investigate the fire. Bennett would not release much information, citing the fire is still under investigation. Although the bathroom is a faculty bathroom, it was also open to student use.

Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state Fire Marshal’s Office, said the cause of the fire has not been determined, but it appears to be intentionally set.

She said school fires are not uncommon. In 2015 there were 149 school fires. The majority of which were cooking related, but many were also set fires.

“Most of them were small,” said Mieth. “Although all fires start small.”

Hopkinton Public School Superintendent Cathy MacLeod said school administrators spent the day going from classroom to classroom explaining what occurred. She said the goal was to both make the students comfortable at the school, as well as to prevent the spread of rumors

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Brockton, MA – (No Media Coverage) – Fire from welding slag held in check by sprinkler system

***NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED*** On November 10, 2016 at 2209 hours a central station alarm was received for a large manufacturing 60,000 sq ft building on Jonathan Dr. The alarm call was followed up for a report of a sprinkler activation. On arrival crews found a fire caused by welders slag. The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system. Damage was minimal.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Yarmouth, MA – Nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire broke out at the Mayflower Place nursing facility on Buck Island Road around 11 a.m. Smoke as reportedly pouring from one of the units when firefighters arrived. A sprinkler system contained the fire and crews quickly put it out. The occupant escaped and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. A Hyannis engine assisted at the scene.