Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by single automatic sprinkler; No injuries reported

Peoria firefighters said a sprinkler system in an apartment prevented a stove fire from causing more damage than it did.  Peoria-Fire Medical crews responded to a fire at approximately 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Rancho Del Sol Apartments.  Crews found a home filled with smoke and a stove fire being controlled by a single fire sprinkler head.

The fire damaged the stove and microwave with some damage to the cabinets and drywall, officials said, and there was also water damage from the sprinkler head.  The homeowner said a pan of oil on the stove was unattended for less than a minute.

“This fire . . . could have been significantly worse without the presence of a fire sprinkler system,” Peoria-Fire Medical officials stated in a release. “Flames from a grease fire can quickly spread and engulf a kitchen. In this case, the fire was being controlled by the sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive.”

Everyone was able to evacuate safely with no injuries, officials said.  According to fire investigator Mike Brune, a similar stove fire in a Peoria apartment complex without sprinklers did significantly more damage and left the apartment

Fire crews stayed on scene to clear away the standing water so that the homeowner could get back in the home more quickly.  “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is an important reminder that kitchen fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby,” the release stated.

Other - Retail, Retail

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler system credited with extinguishing fire at hardwood flooring business

A sprinkler system at a commercial building on Riverside Drive is being credited with averting a fire Thursday morning.  Asheville Fire Department crews were dispatched to Asheville Hardwood Center, 554 Riverside Drive, shortly after 7:30 a.m. for the report of a structure fire, said spokeswoman Kelley Klope.

Smoke was showing but crews who entered the building found the fire had been completely extinguished by the sprinkler system, Klope said.  Firefighters helped with turning off the water flow of the sprinklers and with ventilation of smoke.

Nearby businesses were evacuated as precautionary measures. No injuries were reported. The fire was ruled accidental. Fire sprinkler systems, which can also be used in residential structures, are known to drastically reduce heat, flames and smoke in the event of a fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Biloxi, MS – Fire at assisted living facility held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

The grounds surrounding the Pillars were filled with emergency vehicles and crews throughout the morning on Wednesday, after flames forced residents and staff at the Pillars Medical Residences in Biloxi to evacuate.

Fire Chief, Joe Boney says the fire wasn’t as involved as others he’s seen, but it was still a dangerous situation. “Anytime you have a fire like this, it doesn’t take a lot of fire. The smoke is what gets people. Especially when you have many residents in a close area like this,” said Boney.

Chief Boney says the sprinkler system also did its job. “It did stop the fire. It held the fire until we could get to it to put it out,” said Boney.

According to Boney, only one staff member had to be treated for smoke inhalation, and no residents were injured. The staff at the facility had already started the evacuations when the fire department arrived.

“They did exactly what they were supposed to do, they made sure their residents were safe,” said Rhonda Nettles, administrator of a sister facility to the Pillars.

According to Nettles, the staff members practice several fire drills a month to make sure they are prepared for any incident. Since the fire was contained to one room, the residents were simply moved to a safer area of the building.

In addition to the building’s safety features, all agencies involved were on top of their game. AMR operations manager, Gregory Doyle, says that teamwork is a product of proper training.

“When you train all the time together. Go to the same meetings, go to the same planning sessions, it helps out a lot,” said Doyle. Although one wing of the facility had a bit of water damage, officials hoped to have the residents back to their rooms by the end of the day.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oak Ridge, TN – Fire in dust filtration system at manufacturing facility is contained by sprinkler system

More than 20 employees were briefly evacuated when a fire alarm sounded in a manufacturing facility where products are made from depleted uranium, but there was no radiological release.  The fire occurred about 9:30 a.m. Monday when dust in a filter system at Manufacturing Sciences Corp., S. Illinois Avenue, ignited.

“All it takes is a spark to set it off,” Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.  There’s a built-in sprinkler system that was activated and quelled the blaze. Kerley said there is “negative pressure” in the building where air is always pulled into it and is filtered. “Everything was contained in the building,” he said.

Manufacturing Sciences is also involved in special metals handling.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Bridgeport, WV – Fire at TownePlace Suites hotel contained to 3-by-3 foot area by sprinkler system

The TownePlace Suites on Platinum Drive in Bridgeport caught fire Monday morning. Crews were dispatched to the hotel at approximately 9:20 a.m. after receiving a fire alarm activation notification and a call from the front desk advising there was something on fire on the fourth floor.

The Bridgeport Fire Department Chief said a candle left unattended in one of the rooms caught fire. The fire was contained in a 3-by-3 foot area on the fourth floor.  The third and fourth floor rooms are uninhabitable due to water damage. The fire chief said the sprinkler system kicked on as it should have, and the hotel is trying to get a water restoration company to come in and get the water cleaned up.

The Bridgeport Fire Department responded. The Anmoore, Nutter Fort, Clarksburg and Mount Clare Fire Departments, Harrison County EMS and Bridgeport Police assisted on scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Berkeley, CA – Sprinkler extinguishes kitchen fire in fourth floor apartment; No injuries

The Berkeley Fire Department responded Monday to an apartment fire on University Avenue.  Interim Berkeley Fire Chief Avery Webb said the fire department received a report just before 10:40 a.m. of a water-flow alarm from the fire suppression system at 1122 University, just east of San Pablo Avenue.

The city dispatched a single-alarm assignment for a possible structure fire.

When firefighters got to the 5-story building — four stories of residential over ground-floor commercial — they found light smoke on the fourth floor, and water flowing from under an apartment door. 

Webb said firefighters used forcible entry to get into the apartment. They encountered heavy smoke inside the apartment and an activated fire sprinkler head.

The fire had occurred on the kitchen stove, Webb said, but was extinguished by the activated sprinkler.

The fire was confined to the stove top, and smoke affected a small portion of the building. But water from the fire sprinkler affected the fourth floor and all floors below it, causing the majority of the building damage, Webb said.

Webb said damage was estimated to be approximately $100,000. No injuries were reported.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Casa Grande, AZ – Electrical fire at Victoria’s Secret store extinguished by sprinkler system

The Victoria’s Secret store at The Promenade at Casa Grande has closed temporarily after a small fire erupted last Wednesday morning.  A store associate said it was an electrical fire.  The sprinklers had extinguished the fire by the time the Casa Grande Fire Department arrived at about 8 a.m. 

Signs posted in front of the store indicate the damage could take up to two weeks to repair. Much of the merchandise has been removed as some of the walls and flooring are renovated. The store is expected to undergo a “complete make-over,” according to the associate.

Security guards are monitoring the area 24/7 until the store opens again. Residents who call the store at 421-1372 will hear a pre-recorded message indicating the location is temporarily closed with no scheduled date to re-open.  

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Waterloo, IA – Fire at Ramada Hotel contained to housekeeping closet by sprinkler system

Authorities are continuing to investigate a fire that closed down a downtown hotel over the weekend. No injuries were reported when a fire started in a maid’s closet at the Ramada Hotel, 205 W. Fourth St., at 9:27 a.m. Sunday.

Smoke triggered a sprinkler in the closet, and water flowed all the way to the lobby, said Battalion Chief Marty Freshwater with Waterloo Fire Rescue. He said there also was smoke on other floors, and the smell could be detected on the ground floor.

Ramada was evacuated and remained closed for Sunday to allow for repairs and cleanup, Freshwater said. The cause hasn’t been determined, but investigators have ruled out electrical reasons and traditional causes.

Flames damaged boxes of paperwork that were stored in the closet but didn’t spread outside the room. Freshwater said the door and sprinkler kept the fire in check but didn’t put it out. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.

At the time of the hotel fire, crews were busy fighting a garage fire, Freshwater said. A neighbor called in the garage fire at 621 Peek St. at about 8:53 a.m. Sunday.

 

The fire gutted the double-stall detached garage. No vehicles were inside, but heat damaged a Chevrolet Corvette parked next to it. The garage was a total loss, and the cause is under investigation. The garage was fitted with a wood burning stove, Freshwater said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

St. Marys, OH – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer AAP put out with help from sprinkler system

The St. Marys Fire Department was called to AAP in St. Marys at about 11:20 this morning due to a ceiling fire in the plant. The department responded with two engines and a ladder track. The department also called in crews from the St. Marys Township Fire Department for assistance. In total, 16 firefighters responded.

Chief Ayres says the fire was put out in about an hour thanks in part to a sprinkler system at AAP. So far, no cause has been determined. Chief Ayres says the department is investigating if this fire is related to a fire at AAP earlier this month that resulted in heavy black smoke and flames shooting from the roof.

 

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.”