Tag Archives: New York

Apartment Building, Residential

Niagra Falls, NY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building

On Dec. 30, at 6:23 p.m., the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office communications center received a fire alarm from the Wheatfield Towers Apartment Building. The fire alarm was followed by a water flow alarm from the same location.

The first arriving unit was Deputy Tighe from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, who confirmed a large amount of water coming from the second floor, and smoke in the building. Deputy Tighe made his way to the second floor and confirmed a fire in apartment 210. He immediately radioed for additional units and began evacuating residents.

Additional responding units arrived and assisted with the evacuation of the building’s residents. Responding fire companies arrived and continued with the evacuation and extinguished the fire. The fire was contained to apartment 210 – where it originated – due to the building’s sprinkler system.

The American Red Cross responded to assist with displaced residents.

Investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing by the Niagara County Origin and Cause Team. There is no estimate on damages at this time.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Syracuse, NY – Sprinkler system activated for 5th floor apartment fire

Syracuse Firefighters extinguished a kitchen fire on the fifth floor of Vinette Towers Saturday afternoon.

Crews responded to the 947 Pond Street Apartment building around 3:39 pm after a 911 caller reported a very strong odor in the building. Firefighters arrived in less than 3 minutes and saw smoke coming out of a window on the 5th floor. Crews made their way to the fifth-floor apartment with a hose line and extinguished the fire.

Firefighters determined the fire started on a kitchen stove. A heat-activated sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading into any other apartments. No victims were found, but one apartment resident was displaced.

This is the second major fire reported at Vinette Towers this summer. In July, 10 apartments were left uninhabitable after homemade fireworks exploded on the 6th floor of the apartment building.

The cause of the stove fire is under investigation. The Syracuse Housing Authority, National Grid, Syracuse Police, the Red Cross, and AMR all assisted the Syracuse Fire department in their response.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Whitestown, NY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at manufacturing facility; No injuries reported

No one was injured when a milling machine caught on fire at Whitcraft manufacturing on Halsey Road in Whitestown very early Sunday morning, according to the New York Mills Fire Department.

Fire Chief Rick Ulinski said the employees were working through the night when one machine caught on fire at about 1:45 a.m. The employees called 911 and evacuated the building at 8273 Halsey Road.

The fire was largely under control when volunteers from three local departments arrived on the scene.

“The sprinkler system did what the sprinkler system is supposed to do,” Chief Ulinski stated.

The chief said crews took less than an hour to knock down the flames for good. They remained on scene for two hours total.

The fire damage was contained to the machine, while a ventilation system directly above the machine was “warped” from the heat, Ulinski noted.

The New York Mills, Westmoreland and Whitesboro fire departments were dispatched to the scene.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Kingston, NY – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire; No injuries reported

Around 10:45 p.m. Friday night, the Kingston Fire Department was called to 30 Broadway for an alarm sounding. Crews arriving on the scene forced their way into both 24 and 30 Broadway and found a kitchen fire at 24 Broadway.

The sprinkler system inside the building contained the fire. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and searched for trapped occupants while putting it out. Luckily, all occupants were able to safely evacuate the building without any injuries.

The cause of this fire remains under investigation by the Kingston Fire Department Fire Investigation team. 24 Broadway sustained minor smoke and fire damage but had significant water damage after the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Utica, NY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

A family of three was displaced following a fire at the West Street Apartments in Utica Sunday.

Utica Fire Chief Scott Ingersoll says his crews arrived at the complex around 1 p.m. to find a small fire in a third-floor apartment.

The sprinkler system in the building was triggered and kept the flames under control until firefighters could extinguish them completely. The sprinklers did cause some water damage to the second and third floors.

Ingersoll says the cause is still under investigation.

The one adult and two children who lived in the apartment are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Auburn, NY – Sprinkler system activated for overnight fire at automotive repair shop; No injuries reported

The work of firefighters and a functioning sprinkler system kept an overnight fire at a downtown Auburn automotive repair shop from causing structural damage to the main building.

The Auburn Fire Department responded to a call made by the Auburn Police Department at 11:59 p.m. Monday for a fire at Trombley’s Automotive Services at 10 E. Garden St., AFD Chief Mark Fritz said.

Firefighters encountered an exterior blaze on the east side of the building and had it extinguished within roughly an hour, Fritz said.

The fire appeared to have started in a wooden enclosure outside the building that was used to store tires. Investigators were still working to determine how it started as of Tuesday afternoon.

Fritz said the fire did not cause any structural damage to the building. One reason for that was the building’s sprinkler system, which has sprinkler heads at every window.

“That operated as it should and kept the fire from going into the building,” Fritz said.

The chief said there were no reports of injuries.

Because the fire damage was limited, Trombley’s was open for business as usual on Tuesday morning.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Johnson City, NY – Mall fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire crews responded to a small fire inside Oakdale Mall Wednesday morning.

The Johnson City Fire Marshall Bob Blakeslee told 12 News a small fire broke out inside one of the mall’s stores around 1:25 a.m. He said a sprinkler was tripped and was able to put out the fire safely.

There were no injuries in the incident, and the extent of the damage is unknown at this time.

Blakeslee could not confirm the impacted store.

12 News expects to learn more information throughout the morning.

Apartment Building, Residential

Poughkeepsie, NY – Suspected arson fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

City of Poughkeepsie firefighters responded to an early morning sprinkler alarm at 60 Carroll Street at 4:10 a.m. on Monday morning.  The first arriving firefighters immediately observed a heavy odor of gasoline when they entered the building less than four minutes after receiving the alarm.

When the firefighters reached the second-floor of the building, with the gasoline odor even more noticeable, they observed a charred trail where a fire had been burning, until the sprinkler system had extinguished it.

Fire officials said that most of the building’s occupants had evacuated the building when the alarm activated in the building.  As they continued their inspection, firefighters discovered that an entry door to a specific apartment had sustained fire damage prior to their arrival.

The initial investigation indicates that an accelerant, presumably gasoline, was poured in the second-floor hallway, and intentionally ignited.  The sprinkler system extinguished the fire.  The City of Poughkeepsie Police were called to the scene to investigate the possible criminal act.

No injuries were reported.  Officials noted that ceiling tiles on the first floor had sustained water damage from the sprinklers and fell to the floor.

Over the past several weeks, the fire department has responded to several calls at the address.  On one occasion, a gas can was placed in the building and evidence indicates that an attempt to ignite it had occurred.  On another date, firefighters responded to a similar call.

City of Poughkeepsie Police have responded to the building several times in recent weeks as well.  On one date, they responded to a call of gunfire that resulted in bullets entering an occupied apartment.  More recently, a drug raid was conducted at an apartment in the building, resulting in a seizure of guns, drugs, and cash.  Arrests were made during that incident.

Sources have told Mid Hudson News that the police are investigating the Monday morning fire as a possible arson.  Anyone with information is asked to call 845-451-7577.

Apartment Building, Residential

Ithaca, NY – Sprinkler system kept apartment fire under control until fire crews arrived

The Ithaca Fire Department responded to a call for a fire alarm activation at Titus Towers, an apartment complex on South Plain Street just before 10pm Friday.

Smoke could be seen coming from the building outside but once inside, responders found that the fire was contained to one apartment. The fire was still burning when help arrived, but sprinklers were able to keep it under control.

Firefighters rescued one person  in the apartment as well as a neighboring tenant uninjured.

Responders credit the working smoke detector, fire alarm, and sprinkler system for keeping the fire contained and everyone safe. Following apartment damage the Ithaca Housing Authority is now helping the occupants with clean up and accommodations.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Camden, NY – Fire at assisted living facility contained to one bedroom thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Thirty-three residents were displaced from Valehaven Community Residence, an assisted living facility, on Main Street after a fire and subsequent smoke and water damage — severely damaged the facility Friday night.

Camden Fire Department received a call for 128 Main St. at about 9:30 p.m.

On arrival, Camden Chief Brian Christmas said there was a working fire visible from a second-story bedroom of the three-story structure. Christmas said initial reports indicated that there were two people missing from the second floor, but they were later located and brought to safety.

Florence, McConnellsville, and Taberg volunteer fire companies responded with mutual aid at 9:38 p.m., with North Bay coming to the scene approximately four minutes later. Camden Ambulance remained on stand-by.

The chief said between 45-50 firefighters total battled the blaze through an interior attack, which took about 45 minutes before it was deemed under control.

“There was a sprinkler system that had activated, which really helped the firefighting efforts,” Christmas said.

State Emergency Medical Services and the county fire coordinator also assisted at the scene, the chief said.

No injuries were reported.

“There was a lot of water damage” as well as smoke damage throughout the building, Christmas said, which led to the displacement of the residents. “Fire damage was contained to the one bedroom, but there was quite a bit of damage there.”

Cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

The chief said the American Red Cross responded to assist and set up temporary cots for the displaced residents at a neighboring church in the village.