Tag Archives: New Mexico

Rio Rancho, NM – Sprinkler system activated for fire at middle school; No injuries reported

Rio Rancho Middle School students are reportedly safe after a small fire was extinguished Tuesday morning.

School officials say the fire started in a girl’s restroom in the school’s 500 wing. The fire activated the sprinkler system and alarms which prompted students to be evacuated and fire crews to respond.

No one was injured and the school says all protocols were followed before letting students return to class safely.

School administrators have identified the accused perpetrator and are mulling disciplinary action for them. No other details are available at this time.

Las Cruces, NM – Sprinkler system suppresses fire until fire crews arrive

Firefighters dowsed a rubbish fire inside a downtown-area warehouse on Monday. 

Officials said the fire, which started shortly after 1 p.m. on July 5, threatened to consume the entire building and surrounding homes. Dan Trujillo, Las Cruces Police Department spokesperson, said sprinklers in the warehouse suppressed the fire until firefighters arrived. 

“Firefighters entered the warehouse and found heavy smoke and fire along the east wall of the building,” Trillijo said in a news release. 

Trujillo said that no one was inside the warehouse when it caught fire. He said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and that damage estimates are not available.

The Las Cruces Fire Department credits a working sprinkler system with helping prevent the fire from spreading and damaging more of the building,” he said. “LCFD encourages the professional installation and utilization of a sprinkler or fire suppression system in buildings that do not already have such a system.”

Albuquerque, NM – Fire sprinklers contain apartment fire to single unit on eighth floor

Albuquerque Fire Rescue is investigating the cause of a fire at a northeast Albuquerque senior apartment complex early Tuesday morning. AFR responded to the Encino Terrace Apartments around 12:21 a.m. in response to a fire alarm however, the call was upgraded to an active fire while crews were en route to the scene.

As crews arrived, apartment residents were already evacuating the 11 story building and told firefighters the blaze was on the eighth floor. A total of 25 AFR units responded to the scene and crews initiated evacuation and fire suppression efforts.

AFR states the building’s fire sprinkler suppression system had put out the fire before crews arrived. A woman who had suffered injuries from the fire was found near the stairwell on the eighth floor by crews.

She was rescued and taken to the hospital. Her condition is unknown. There were no other injuries to residents or fire personnel. Eighteen residents have been displaced as a result of the fire.

The blaze was contained to a single apartment unit. The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

Las Cruces, NM – Electrical appliance fire on university campus extinguished by sprinkler system

Officials with New Mexico State University reported a fire on campus Monday morning.

The fire took place at the Engineering Complex III building around 5:30 a.m.

The fire chief with the NMSU Fire Department said it was contained to one room.

NMSU officials said an electrical appliance overheated. The fire was extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

Extensive water damage was reported.

Portions of the building are open; other areas will be closed as crews work to clean the area.

The school advises students to check with their professors for any alternative class locations.

The university’s website showed the building would be closed Monday morning.

Silver City, NM – Electrical fire at crowded Denny’s restaurant put out by sprinkler system

An electrical fire in the ceiling above the kitchen at Denny’s sent customers and staff scrambling out into the parking lot Tuesday night, leaving their pancakes and burgers behind. The Silver City Fire Department got called out at 8:21 p.m. said Capt. Nathan Schwarz, but when firefighters arrived, the fire was already out.  “There was an electrical short in the back over the kitchen and the sprinkler system did its job and put the fire out,” he said.

Fifty to 60 customers were in the restaurant at the time, along with 20 employees, said Jennifer Noperil, one of Denny’s managers. One Denny’s employee said they heard a pop.  “I was cooking and I looked to the left and smelled smoke,” said cook Tyler Yarbrough.  Another employee popped the ceiling tile up to find where the smoke was coming from. He said he then saw flames in the ceiling.

“He tried putting it out with a fire extinguisher but it was just too much,” said cook Daniel Murillo.

That’s when staff called 911 and told the customers to evacuate the restaurant.

Customer Miguel Alvarado said he was sitting near the kitchen and had just gotten his meal when he heard the alarm go off and then the sprinkler went off.

People left the restaurant in a mostly calm fashion but some of the kids were crying, an employee said.

An ambulance had been dispatched to the restaurant minutes earlier for an unrelated medical call, Schwarz said. Employees had the restaurant completely evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was completely contained to the attic above the kitchen, Schwarz said. Six firefighters worked to pull soggy, burned insulation from the ceiling.

“Denny’s is going to be closed down for a few days until they can get an electrician in here and make repairs to the ceiling,” he said.

Albuquerque, NM – Sprinkler systems help protect businesses in string of arson fires

The Federal Bureau of Investigations confirms one person is in custody following a string of fires at several Albuquerque businesses Saturday morning.

Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden would not elaborate on the suspect’s connection to the fires.

“We do have a person in custody and we firmly believe that our community is safe and this should not happen again,” said Chief Eden.

The FBI is leading the investigation and they have not released any details on who was taken into custody or what charges that person faces. APD says it is helping the FBI, ATF and State Police gather evidence.

Albuquerque Police Arrested the suspect Saturday morning in connection with a fire at the Barnes and Noble at Coronado Center, another fire at the Old Navy Store on Cutler near San Mateo and a fire at the Shred It center on Broadway.

Those businesses all suffered fire and smoke damage as well as water damage from sprinkler systems set off by the fires.

There were similar incidents at three Starbucks locations in Albuquerque on Friday morning.

Las Cruces, NM – Sprinklers keep fire in check at manufacturing facility

Firefighters were dispatched just after 10:00 a.m. to Alaska Structures located in the 300-block of Rea Boulevard. Calls to 911 reported a fire inside the large manufacturing facility.

The first arriving fire unit reported heavy smoke coming from the building and an active fire in an oven used for molding plastics. Firefighters were able to attack the fire and quickly extinguish it within minutes. The fire crews contained the blaze to the oven and minimized damage to the building’s interior. Investigators also credit the facilities sprinkler system for keeping the fire in check prior to the arrival of the fire department.

Three fires extinguished thanks to sprinkler systems (Las Cruces, NM)

Over the last three weeks, fire sprinklers have eliminated three separate apartment fires in Las Cruces – September 26, October 3, and October 7. In every single one of the fires, the cause was unattended cooking, and in two of the incidents, the residents were not aware that the fire had begun. According to the Las Cruces Fire Department, the sprinklers activation in each of the incidents kept property losses minimal and prevented any injuries.

Fire sprinklers help stop fire from spreading at elementary school (Chaparral, NM)

A fire at an elementary school was limited thanks to both firefighters and the school’s fire sprinkler system on Saturday morning. The incident, which is still under investigation, began in a part of the school which is under construction. Fire crews as well as the fire sprinkler system contained and eliminated the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Elementary school fire suppressed by sprinkler system (Albuquerque, NM)

Fire sprinklers put out a fire which began in the kitchen of an elementary school on Tuesday, November 12. The fire began at approximately 11:30, and the children, who were eating their lunches in the cafeteria, were evacuated safely. The fire sprinkler activated in the kitchen and extinguished the flames before fire crews arrived. No injuries were reported.