Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Wayland, MA – Sprinkler system helps keep restaurant fire from spreading

A Boston Post Road restaurant established in 1930 will be closed for at least a week after a kitchen fire on Saturday, authorities said.   “Unfortunately, all of the food in the restaurant has to be destroyed,” said Houghton. “It’s safe to say the restaurant will have to be closed for at least a week.”

The fire department went to the Coach Grill around 1:30 p.m. for a report of fire showing from the building. Upon arrival, the department called for a second alarm, with Weston and Sudbury Fire departments assisting at the scene. The Natick and Lincoln Fire departments covered the stations, the chief said.

The fire was traced to a refrigeration unit in the kitchen, the chief said. The restaurant’s sprinkler system activated. The restaurant, which serves dinner and Sunday brunch, was closed at the time of the fire. No one was injured.

“With it being closed, there were no cars in the parking lot, so we were able to use the parking lot for all of the apparatus,” Houghton said.

 

The cause of the fire is not known and being investigated by the state fire marshal’s office.

 

“It’s not suspicious by any means, but because it is such a significant dollar loss, we want to make sure to get the exact cause pinpointed,” Houghton said..

Apartment Building, Residential

Lynn, MA – Couch fire in fourth floor apartment extinguished by sprinkler system

The Lynn Fire Department responded to a couch fire in a fourth floor apartment at 501 Washington St. Tuesday, said Lynn District Fire Chief Stephen Archer. The fire, which occurred at 4 p.m., was extinguished by a sprinkler system. Residents of that unit have had to find a new home due to water damage, Archer said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Athol, MA – Fire at casket factory extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire that broke out at an Athol casket factory Sunday evening is considered suspicious. Athol firefighters received a call around 5:34 p.m. reporting possible smoke and flames at the Cambium Corp. casket factory at 339 Main St.

The department responded with two engines, a ladder truck and a command vehicle, and found a smoky odor on arrival, according to a department press release. Smoke was seen on the first floor, but the fire was found to have been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  MedStar Ambulance assisted with evacuating one person from the neighboring building as a precaution.

Police Lt. Kevin Heath said the fire is being considered suspicious because it started outside the building in a pile of sawdust. Athol police and fire personnel continue to investigate, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey R. Parker. Orange and Royalston firefighters responded to assist, while Templeton Fire covered the Athol station

Other - Retail, Retail

Shrewsbury, MA – Suspicious fire at nail salon controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire inside a Shrewsbury nail salon located in the White City Plaza has been deemed suspicious by authorities after they discovered flames inside the business early Tuesday. The Shrewsbury Fire Department said firefighters were called to 20 Boston Turnpike around 1:40 a.m. for a water flow alarm. Firefighters found the front door at Creative Nails & Spa, located at 50 Boston Turnpike, had been shattered.

“There was smoke from an interior fire and water from the sprinkler system coming out of the structure,” the fire department posted on Facebook. “Firefighters quickly deployed an attack hand line, made entry and extinguished the fire.”

The sprinkler system was shut down after the fire was brought under control. The damage caused by the fire was limited to the nail salon. The fire is under investigation by Shrewsbury Police and the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigative Section.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Westboro, MA – Fire in trash chute of high rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

Fountainhead Apartments residents who were displaced Friday night after sprinklers were set off by a fire in a trash chute will be allowed back into their units starting Saturday afternoon, according to management.

Danielle DeHart, regional property manager at the Fountainhead Apartments, said most of the displaced residents will be allowed back into their units, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday. “At 2 o’clock, we’ll start letting the building in slowly with the assistance of local police,” Ms. DeHart said.

Ms. DeHart said “well over 200 residents” from about 170 apartments were affected. She said the Fountainhead is asking the tenants of 11 units to allow additional drying time. “We were very fortunate that nobody was hurt and everybody responded very quickly from the management team and also the local police and fire personnel,” Ms. DeHart said. “It was the smoke, of course, that triggered that the sprinkler system. It wasn’t the fire itself.”

Ms. DeHart said the lesson to learn here is to be conscientious about what you throw away. She said estimates on the damages is not available yet.  “Right now, our focus is on the residents and getting everybody where they need to be, certainly, cold January time, so that’s our priority No. 1, and then we’re worry about the building after that.”

Other Business

Easton, MA – Fire at team sports apparel company is minimized with help from sprinkler system

The fire at Pop Tops Sportswear, 10 Plymouth Drive, was reported to the Easton Fire Department about 6:52 a.m. when the fire alarm was tripped.  Pop Tops manufactures and sells custom team uniforms, apparel, work wear and promotional products.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the building. The 100×200-square-foot warehouse was filled with thick, heavy smoke, said Easton Fire Captain James Walsh. It took firefighters about 10-15 minutes to locate the fire inside the building.

“The toughest part was locating it because of the smoke conditions. The building was full of smoke.” Walsh said. “There was zero visibility.”

The blaze started inside of a room where equipment is cleaned. Walsh said one of the pieces of equipment ignited the fire.  The sprinkler system went off inside the building soaking some of the company’s merchandise.

“A lot of merchandise was ruined,” Walsh said.  The Stoughton and Raynham fire departments also responded to the scene and the Brockton Fire Department provided station coverage for Easton, Walsh said.

Given the materials inside the building – including clothing and chemicals – the fire could have been a lot worse, Walsh said.  “Everything worked well. The sprinkler system worked well, the alarm system went off. The guys were able to get in there quick and knock it down,” Walsh said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Stoughton, MA – Sprinklers credited with averting potential disaster in fire at 60-unit apartment complex

A sprinkler system in a 60-plus unit apartment complex is credited with averting what could have been a disaster, the fire chief said. About noon Monday, firefighters received an alarm for The Lodge at Stoughton, which is an apartment complex on Technology Center Drive near the Randolph line.When firefighters arrived, they found staff helping to evacuate the building and smoke inside the first floor, said interim Fire Chief Gregory Goldberg. When firefighters opened the first-floor unit’s door, there was heavy smoke, but the fire was extinguished by sprinklers in the room, Goldberg said.“It was a grease fire on a stove that got going pretty good,” he said. “But it ended up all right because the sprinkler system kept it at bay.” The four-story building has more than 60 units, Goldberg said.“It could have been a major disaster,” he said. “Fire alarms save lives, and sprinklers save lives and buildings.” The woman who lives in the apartment got out safely with a friend who was inside at the time.She is being assisted by the Red Cross, as her apartment sustained smoke and major water damage. A unit next door sustained minor water damage.“When we got in, it was completely extinguished,” Goldberg said. “The fire didn’t extend through the ceiling. The sprinkler took care of it.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Amherst, MA – Fire at Eric Carle Museum is extinguished by sprinkler system; Damage contained to water heater closet

The water heater closet at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book art Tuesday caught fire but was doused by the sprinkler system before the fire spread to the museum. Fire Chief Tim Nelson said combustibles like plastic buckets and brooms were stored around the heater, which shorted out and then the combustibles caught fire.

“It’s a good thing the sprinkler head was in the closet,” Nelson said. He said people forget that a water heater closet is for the heater, not general storage. He said the museum was allowed to reopen to staff and that fire crews got most of the smoke out, however, he said the smell of burnt plastic lingered.

According to the museum’s Facebook page, the museum is closed for the day. The heater will need to be replaced, Nelson said. “The sprinkler did what it was supposed to do,” Nelson said. “If they followed good housekeeping practices, we wouldn’t have been there at all.”

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

North Adams, MA – Cooking fire in 7th floor apartment quickly put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters evacuated some residents from the high rise on Friday afternoon after a small cooking fire broke out on the 7th floor. Fire Director Stephen Meranti said the fire was quickly put out by the sprinkler system.

“Right now we are evacuating because of smoke and water. We do have water all the way from the seventh floor all the way down,” Meranti said. “We are checking apartments as we go down through, but the sprinkler system did its job.”  Meranti said no one was injured.

The Fire Department was alerted to the situation at about 12:30 p.m., when an alarm was activated in a unit at the Ashland Park Apartments. Scanner reports indicated water was “pouring down the hallways” in the Housing Authority building.

Residents clustered in the community room on the ground floor until being allowed back into their homes. Executive Director Jennifer Hohn said a few units below the seventh-floor apartment were affected.

“A significant amount of water from the sprinklers has entered the units directly below on all floors,” she said. “As a result of water seeping into electrical panels, power to these affected units has been shut off.”

Hohn said the Holiday Inn was gracious to offer accommodations and a meal for those residents affected by the fire and its containment.

 

“There is a chance the power will not be restored by the evening so I have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn for anybody needing accommodations,” she said. “I will update the board when a further assessment of the damage is concluded.

 

“The important thing is nobody was injured.”

 

Police and North Adams Ambulance Service also responded; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Police assisted with traffic control as Ashland Street was restricted to one lane.

 

The incident is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westford, MA – Sprinkler system puts out apartment fire before it can spread

A fire was reported at a three-story apartment building on 3000 Princeton Way in Westford at 11:46 a.m. on Oct. 20. “Our investigators are there, but there isn’t a cause yet,” said Westford Fire Department Shift Captain David O’Keefe.

The fire occurred in a second floor single bedroom, but the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before it spread. The Westford Fire Department had to call for mutual aid from surrounding towns because the department’s ladder truck is out of service, according to O’Keefe.

“Unfortunately, our ladder truck is out for servicing, so we had to call the Chelmsford ladder truck,” O’Keefe said. However, the Chelmsford ladder truck was not needed before it even arrived. “At that point, the fire was already knocked down,” O’Keefe said. “The sprinklers put it out.”