Tag Archives: Mississippi

Harrison County, MS – Fire sprinklers help put out fire at trucking company; No injuries reported

Firefighters in Harrison County rushed to a trucking company early Monday morning. They received a report around 2:30 a.m. that a company’s fire alarm sounded on Canal Road in Harrison County.

When they arrived, heavy smoke billowed out of the building. Other fire units, CRTC and Gulfport Fire Department, were called in to help contain the fire.

Firefighters– in conjunction with the sprinkler system– successfully put out the fire.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, and so far, no injuries have been reported.

Starkville, MS – Fire caused by bathroom exhaust fan at local GameStop contained by fire sprinklers

GameStop on Highway 12 in Starkville was shut down after firefighters battled a fire in the back of the building.

In a Facebook post, firefighters said the structure fire broke out early Tuesday morning.

The fire alarm and fire sprinkler system activation alerted the fire department.

Firefighters who responded to the scene said they were able to contain the fire and keep damage to a minimum because the “fire codes and safety building feature worked perfectly.”

Investigators said the cause of the fire was a ceiling bathroom exhaust fan.

The post read, “This could have had a completely different ending it if were not for the fire sprinkler system and fire alarm system all working just like designed.”

Jackson, MS – Sprinkler system activated for fire on 10th floor of apartment building

People gathered on the sidewalk to watch smoke and water come out of a window in a downtown Jackson building Monday afternoon.

Jackson Fire Department District Chief Shunta Wilder told the Clarion Ledger a “small fire,” contained to one apartment unit, broke out at 308 E. Pearl St. It is currently under investigation, she said.

Signs on the building advertise luxury apartment units for rent as well as office and retail space.

Jeremy Cosby said he was napping in his ninth-floor apartment unit when alarms started going off around 2:35 p.m.

Cosby said as he left his unit, he grabbed his wallet so he would have identification on hand. Everything else, including family heirlooms, he left behind.

He could see and smell smoke as he headed down the stairs.

Cosby and his roommate looked worried as they stood on the sidewalk across the street to watch the firefighters at work.

“We don’t know what is what inside. We got to wait and see,” he said.

Fire breaks out on 10th floor of downtown Jackson building

At least five firetrucks rushed on scene. A firefighter could be seen opening three windows on the 10th floor of the building, letting the smoke out.

Summer Land lives on 10th floor of the building. She said she was doing homework when the alarm started blaring. Not long after that, the sprinkler system kicked in.

Tenants were told to evacuate and not use the elevators, Land said. 

“It was very clear what we should do. It was loud, too,” she said. 

Subway restaurant employees, who work on the ground floor of the same building, were also evacuated, as water continued to trickle down from above. 

Jackson, MS – Fire on 13th floor of apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system

Several firefighters responded to a small fire at a West Jackson apartment complex on 550 Houston Avenue at the Madonna Manor Apartments.

Officials say that a fire broke out on the 13th floor of the complex. People inside the unit were quickly retrieved from the apartment and they are now safe.

Division Chief Cleotha Sanders says that a fire investigator is enroute to the location.

A small fire in a garbage can was extinguished by the sprinkler system prior to arrival of firefighters. A few residents were assessed by AMR personnel for minor smoke inhalation, with no serious injuries to report.

Firefighters still on scene ensuring all smoke is ejected from the apartment.

Starkville, MS – Sprinkler system activates in on-campus dorm room fire; No injuries reported

Mississippi State University officials say no one was hurt by a fire in a dormitory room.  The fire happened Sunday night on the third floor of Oak Hall on the Starkville campus.  The university said in a news release Monday that in addition to damage in the room where the fire occurred, about 30 other rooms were damaged.  The sprinkler system activated.  About 60 students were displaced, and the university is providing temporary housing in a hotel.  The university says an electrical fire is thought to have ignited some bed linens. The state fire marshal is investigating.

Ashland, MS – Electrical fire at factory extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Okolona, MS – Machinery fire at furniture plant controlled with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire at a United Furniture Inds. plant here on Saturday should cause only minor disruptions in production and delivery.  No one was injured in the blaze, which – while still under investigation – appears to have started with machinery United uses to move goods around the 800,000-square-foot plant that produces stationary upholstery.

No finished goods were damaged, and the fire should cause only a day of disruption at the plant, which already was scheduled to close a couple of days this week for a bi-annual inventory count.
Executive Vice President of Sales Jay Quimby said the situation turned out as well as it could have.

“First of all, nobody was hurt,” he said. “Our plant personnel reacted quickly, the local fire department responded immediately, and our sprinkler system and plant design functioned the way it should.

“We were already planning to shut down a couple of days for inventory, and this might add another day to that. There was no significant damage to the building.

Quimby added that United will send out a letter to customers alerting them to the situation.

Houston, MS – Sprinkler system keeps arson fire at high school from spreading

One person is in custody after a break in and arson at Houston High School Friday morning. According to Houston Fire Captain Jonathan Blankenship, the call came in at 2:22 a.m. Houston Police Chief Billy Voyles confirmed there was a fire and water damage to the school, as well as extensive vandalism damage to parts of the school. Patrick Nichols, 20, has been arrested and faces felony charges. He’s a recent graduate of the school and was still inside the school when police arrived on the scene.

Some of the vandalism includes damage to the school’s technology, which school officials estimate to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. “There was water damage. The sprinklers went off. There was a fire set in the old home economics room, and lots of glass broken, lots of technology destroyed,” Houston School District Superintendent Tony Cook said.

Cook says the busted technology will not only cost the district a lot of money but could hurt school testing, which is coming up soon. “The fire was started in one of the back rooms. They had a stove in the room. The subject piled some books on top of the stove and apparently turned the stove on to start the fire,” said Blakenship. However, the school’s sprinkler system kept the fire from getting out of hand.

Voyles says Nichols met an officer at the front door of the school and was detained. “He opened the door for the officers, and the officer didn’t know if he was an employee or whatever it was,” Voyles said. The motive for the incident is still under investigation.

Starkville, MS – Possible arson fire at off-campus apartment complex doused by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at a Starkville apartment complex left several units damaged and law enforcement investigating a potential arson case. Lt. Brett Watson of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office told the SDN on Monday the fire was being investigated as a possible arson by the sheriff’s office and Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s office. Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said a call was received at approximately 5:28 a.m. Monday morning for a fire alarm at 21 Apartments on Ace Avenue. The fire occurred in building 4 of the complex. When emergency personnel arrived on the scene, they found an unoccupied third floor apartment filled with smoke. Upon further inspection, fire officials determined that a mattress had been set on fire, setting off the unit’s sprinkler system. Rosenhan said there was minimal fire damage in the unit and building, but considerable water damage in the units below where the fire occurred. Management at 21 Apartments declined to comment on the fire

Kiln, MS – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at middle school; Classes canceled two days

Hancock Middle School will resume class as normal Wednesday morning, Assistant Superintendent Donnie Gholston said. School officials had canceled classes because a fire Monday morning set off sprinklers and flooded classrooms.  Maintenance company ServPro and the school’s custodial staff worked Monday and Tuesday to mop up the water and sanitize the school.  Hancock County Emergency Management Director Brian Adam, who is the county’s fire marshal, is leading the investigation into the origin of the fire.